KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Press Helps Printer Bring Business Back into the U.S.

Rochester, NY.- When OneSource owners John and Joan Arleth chose the KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press for their southern Minnesota commercial printing business, they knew that the press had the capabilities they needed to turn OneSource into a direct U.S. supplier for its print brokerage subsidiary, Artful Dragon Press.

The high quality printing jobs that pass through Artful Dragon include hardcover and soft cover books, calendars, catalogs, blank books, cookbooks, magazines and brochures, stickers, decals, gifts bags, boxes and packaging; requiring the full gamut of printing capabilities. Artful Dragon sends much of its commercial printing work to plants in Asia, but the Arleths continually look for ways to print everything possible with U.S. printers stressing the “Made in the USA” theme. To win more of the market, the Arleths needed a solution that would allow him to fulfill every job, even short run work or jobs that need a fast turnaround.

“We did an exhaustive study of all the presses out there,” said John Arleth. “Then we began working with Kodak. Kodak was a wonderful help and took us through a very long sales process. Kodak’s exceptionally safe process resonates with our resolve to be environmentally responsible. With colorfast tests proving that a print using the KODAK APPROVAL System will last 15 to 20 percent longer than conventional photographic prints, the final decision was easy. We can safely make a photo book for a family with Kodak quality and safety.”

The NEXPRESS 2500 Press prints up to 5,000 full color, letter-sized pages per hour on more than 500 different substrates, with the ability to handle outstanding color printing applications and gloss coating through a fifth imaging unit. Ideal for large commercial printers as well as large digital service bureaus and in-plant printing operations, the NEXPRESS 2500 Press can be upgraded with accessories including an inline booklet maker and roll feeder, inline coating, glossing, or a fifth color. Its open architecture makes it compatible with existing digital workflow or variable data systems.

“It’s been a pleasure to have the NEXPRESS Press,” said Arleth. “We sent two of our production people for training before the NEXPRESS System was delivered, and it’s been running flawlessly ever since. We’re now able to maintain the press ourselves with our own team members.” The NEXPRESS System has expanded Artful Dragon’s ability to satisfy every customer, even those with shorter turnaround requirements. “We use the NEXPRESS Press now to print jobs that couldn’t fit the capabilities in Asia,” Arleth said. “The NEXPRESS Press has allowed us to bring some of this work back to the U.S. We’ve bought a building here in Minnesota, and we’re going to put in four NEXPRESS Presses and bring a lot of Artful Dragon’s business back here to the U.S. With our proprietary variable data processes, OneSource now offers very targeted mailing and web based offers with personalized URLs to enable a client to tailor a message to its clients with unique landing pages and offers. One only needs to think of the success of wonderful companies like Amazon to realize how targeted web landing pages become a service, rather than a simple advertisement.”

KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk