Kodak and Canon Extend Alliance into Digital Color Printing Space with New KODAK NEXPRESS M700 Digital Color Press

Eastman Kodak Company and Canon Inc. today announced a broadening of their long-standing alliance with the launch of the KODAK NEXPRESS M700 Digital Color Press for the U.S. and Canada market. The introduction of the NEXPRESS M700 digital color press serves as an extension of a drupa 2004 announcement to collaborate across a broad range of digital printing technologies and market development opportunities. Kodak and Canon have successfully collaborated in the black and white digital production printing arena since 1999.

The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press integratesCanon’s newly developed 70 ppm color imaging print engine with the scaleable KODAK NEXSTATION Front End and unique operator replaceable component (ORC) capability. The ORC capability allows printers to drive greater uptime and help control costs and image quality. The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press will be available in the U.S. and Canada, at this time.

“Forging this relationship with Canon is important to our commitment to serve customers participating in the digital printing market at more and varied levels,” said Venkat Purushotham, General Manager, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “By combining the unified workflow and ORC capabilities of the NEXPRESS system with the innovative imaging technology and manufacturing quality that Canon provides, we offer an ideal press for customers entering the digital color production printing market with lighter duty cycles than those handled by our other NEXPRESS presses.”

The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press targets print providers who want to enter and build a sustainable, profitable digital print business with Kodak using short run color, web to print and variable data print applications.

“We are very proud of providing Kodak with our quality print engine,” said Masaki Nakaoka, Canon Inc. Director and Chief Executive of Office Imaging Products Operations. “A great deal of resources have been invested in this print engine to ensure Kodak’s quality requirements and we are confident of Kodak’s success in the market. This is also an important step forward for our relationship with Kodak.”

Canon continues to serve as the largest worldwide indirect reseller of the KODAK DIGIMASTER Digital Production System.

KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. Named Best Support Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, KODAK Service and Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

KODAK NEXPRESS products are supported by KODAK MARKETMOVER Business Development Services, which provide innovative sales and marketing support to help Kodak customers grow print volume.