Digital Print 360

Kodak Renews, Expands Successful Relationship with Ricoh

Editor — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:33:13 +0000

Feb. 23—Kodak and Ricoh Americas Corporation recently signed a multi-year renewal of an expanded reseller agreement for KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses and KODAK DIGIMASTER Digital Production Systems. Ricoh and IKON Office Solutions, a Ricoh company, currently sell Kodak Solutions to corporate/government in-plants, data centers, commercial print providers and other production environments as part of a comprehensive production portfolio.

In addition to the KODAK NEXPRESS and DIGIMASTER Systems, both Ricoh and IKON may also sell KODAK Document Imaging Solutions and KODAK Unified Workflow Solutions, including CREO Color Servers such as the CREO C-80 Server that interfaces with the RICOH Pro C900 Color Production System.

“This agreement underscores our commitment to expand our reach and channel engagement across our portfolio to ensure that our customers can access a broad array of KODAK Solutions that best fit their needs,” said Don Whaley, Director, Channel Development, United States and Canada, Kodak. “Ricoh and IKON play a key channel role in the U.S. and Canada. We’re excited to expand our relationship with them and are confident customers will see value in this partnership.”

NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses offer outstanding image quality, scaleability, and the award-winning KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, allowing users to add a variety of unique features inline during the printing process. The new KODAK NEXPRESS SE3600 Digital Production Color Press delivers exceptional color quality, performance, and reliability for applications such as direct mail, marketing collateral, catalogs, photo books and more. It is the only sheetfed digital production color press to offer unconstrained performance of 3,600 A3+ sheets per hour, or 120 pages per minute.

DIGIMASTER Digital Production Systems offer high speeds, and outstanding productivity and reliability. The new KODAK DIGIMASTER EX300 Digital Production System is the fastest cut-sheet black-and-white electrophotographic printer on the market, printing at a rate of 18,000 images per hour (A4).

“The success of our previous agreements made our decision to expand with Ricoh very easy,” explained Jerry Miller, Region General Manager, Americas Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. “Significant opportunities exist in their sizeable customer base, and some customers want the option to work with the resellers that have been helping them manage their growth along the way.”

“Both Ricoh and IKON are able to access the full portfolio of Kodak products. We are happy to be able to provide this added value to our customers as they continue to look to us to help improve their bottom lines and suggest the right products and solutions to fit their unique business needs,” said Carl Joachim, Vice President of Marketing for the Production Printing Business Group, Ricoh Americas Corporation.

“These Kodak solutions enhance our portfolio of production products and services designed to help customers with a wide range of applications, including variable data integration for marketing and personalized communications, advanced color management, forms design, data stream conversion and custom workflow solutions,” said Mike Dane, IKON’s Vice President of Product and Services Marketing.

About IKON

IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (www.ikon.com), a Ricoh company, is a leading provider of innovative document management systems and services, enabling customers to improve document workflow and increase efficiency. IKON integrates copiers, printers and MFP technologies, and document management software and systems, to deliver tailored, high-value solutions, implemented and supported by its team of services professionals. IKON leverages the manufacturing and engineering expertise of Ricoh, a more than $20 billion global technology innovator, with the experience and reach of its locally based sales and services teams, to provide end-to-end solutions and one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of document management services, including on-site and off-site managed services, technical service and support, and customized workflow design and implementation.

About Ricoh Americas Corporation

Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 73-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2008 sales in excess of $20 billion.

Ricoh Americas Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents.

Ricoh Americas Corporation directly or through its network of authorized dealers markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America.

Information about Ricoh’s complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.ricoh-usa.com.

About Kodak

As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.

More than 75 million people worldwide manage, share and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery—join today at www.kodakgallery.com

In the graphic communications market, Kodak offers the broadest portfolio of integrated solutions to help customers grow their business. For more information, visit www.graphics.kodak.com. For downloading photos and videos from Kodak’s image library, visit www.kodak.com/go/gcimages.

Xanté Debuts 3 New Ilumina Models at Graphics of the Americas

Editor — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:55:29 +0000

February 19, 2010 – The North and Latin America debut of 3 new models in the best-selling Xanté Ilumina series will take place in Xanté booth #1008 at Graphics of the Americas, February 25 – 27 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Xanté adds the heavy-duty Ilumina Digital Envelope Press GT, high-end Ilumina Digital Production Press GT, and entry level Ilumina GL 330 to the Ilumina series, which has become known for its high value, robust quality, color capabilities, and easy integration in any configuration.

Also on display will be the Degrava DP 8500, an affordable and high quality, simple solution for label and tag printing; and the PlateMaker 5, a chemical-free, process-free, total prepress system that images paper proofs, film and polyester plates.

New Ilumina Model Names Signify Different Applications
The new Ilumina models coincide with a new naming scheme for the full range of Ilumina products, with GL signifying appropriateness for mid-volume shops, and GT referring to the more powerful processors and controllers driving higher volume applications with more demanding requirements.

The iQueue Intelligent Color Workflow
The exhibit will also feature the free iQueue Intelligent Color Workflow, the multi-faceted content and production management solution. Several features include spot color matching, unlimited screening control, independent CMYK control, full color management, flexible queue management, archiving and much better output quality, due to special screening technology. The iQueue Intelligent Color Workflow also provides up to 25% savings on toner cost due to the special screening, making it an attractive companion to the Ilumina series.

More Detail on the New Ilumina Models
Key to the superiority of the two new higher-end Ilumina series is the addition of EFI controllers and a new platform supporting 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution. Says Xanté CEO Robert Ross, “We’ve broken through perceived barriers in the small to mid-size part of the market, bringing noticeably unique, high quality and reliability to quick printers and smaller shops with limited budgets. The Ilumina GL 330 is a perfect example of this.

“Now,” Ross continues, “we’re blurring the lines a bit higher up in the food chain; making it possible for larger shops to deliver excellent color jobs quickly, at significantly lower cost than they have anticipated, with our more powerful GT models.”

About Xanté
Xanté is a major provider of professional digital solutions, meeting the demands of print professionals who are looking for state-of-the-art technology at practical price points. The extensive product line includes: chemical-free, process-free PlateMaker5 Polyester CTP Systems; the ILUMINA High Production Digital Color Series; large format VM (Violet Metal) CTP Systems; SpeedSetter (Polyester) CTP Systems; the Degrava Digital Narrow Web Color Press; iQueue Print Management System for the ILUMINA Series, and award winning Symphony Prepress Workflows.

Xanté Corporation headquarters is located in Mobile, Alabama, USA, with offices in Sacramento, CA, USA; Duiven, The Netherlands; and Zhengzhou, China. Xanté products are distributed through a world- wide network of reseller and distribution partners. For more information, please visit xante.com.

48HourPrint.com Leading Digital Printing Revolution

Editor — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:57:06 +0000

BOSTON–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Quicker project turnaround, print items at pennies per piece and unparalleled sharpness of colored images are just some of the advantages of the new digital printing services being offered through 48HourPrint.com on their new MGI Meteor DP60 Pro digital press from Graphco.

Once only available in larger quantities, business cards, postcards, appointment cards, buckslips, letterhead, posters, rack cards and sell sheets will now be available in quantities as low as 100 and with a 24-Hour Turnaround Guarantee.

“Offering lower quantities through digital printing sends a strong message about 48HourPrint.com’s ability to quickly meet customer needs,” said 48HourPrint.com President/ CEO Raymond E. Pinard. “This is just another step in providing customers with top flight service that continues to separate us from the competition and maintains our commitment to quality and customer service.”

48HourPrint.com VP of Manufacturing Glenn Kacsh said that in conducting their research for the best digital solution, quality of print was number one, flexibility second, and the ability to produce on a varied amount of paper stocks and other materials was also important.

“We are honored that 48HourPrint.com made the MGI Meteor DP60 Pro their digital solution of choice,” said Michael Abergel, MGI USA’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director. “The Meteor DP60 Pro allows 48HourPrint.com to provide their customers with the highest quality digital prints and increased flexibility in terms of available materials and applications, and we’re proud to be involved in the expansion of their digital business.”

Graphco President Chris Manley shared Abergel’s enthusiasm. “The MGI Meteor DP60 Pro impressed everyone during 48HourPrint.com’s evaluation process,” he said. “The installation of this press into the fast paced environment that is 48HourPrint.comrepresented an exciting challenge we were thrilled to undertake.”

By the end of March, 48HourPrint.com will be offering lower quantities for the remainder of its products including brochures, calendars, catalogs, flyers, folded cards, door hangers, envelopes, notepads, hang tags, newsletters, rip cards, table tents and tickets. By June, the company will offer Variable Data Printing (VDP), a form of customizable digital printing that allows text and graphics to be changed without stopping the press.

“Our customers have told us loud and clear that they not only need to print projects in lower quantities, but that they want us to continue to innovate by incorporating new processes like VDP,” said 48HourPrint.com VP of Marketing & Customer Experience Kevin Plankey. “We’re dedicated to not only providing customers with excellent service and incredible turnaround, but to also being an industry leader that stays ahead of the curve with cutting-edge technological advances.”

48HourPrint.com, with headquarters in Boston, MA, and printing plants in Phoenix, AZ and Cleveland, OH, is a leading online printing services company offering high quality printing and mailing services to businesses that value quality, speed and competitive prices. With a streamlined order process that is entirely online, supported by experienced customer service professionals, 48HourPrint.com is setting the standard for quality online printing and service. 48HourPrint.com’s extensive product offerings can be ordered online 24 hours a day at 48HourPrint.com.

Graphco, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the leading Digital Imaging and Offset Printing Equipment Dealers in the MidWest offering high quality printing and bindery solutions in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia and Michigan. Founded in 1976, Graphco is proud to represent many “best of class” solutions from manufacturers such as MGI, Ryobi, Sakurai, Standard Horizon, Petratto, Mitsubishi, Xitron and Colter-Peterson. Graphco – “helping people communicate.”

MGI’s digital printing and finishing technologies are recognized as the most versatile and innovative on the global graphics market and provide true value-added solutions to thousands of satisfied customers worldwide. Within the last year, three separate products (Meteor DP60 Pro, JETvarnish® and Meteor DP20) have won a combined seven international awards for technological innovation in three separate market segments (graphics/commercial printing, packaging, photo imaging).

Agfa Graphics and XMPie Join Forces

Editor — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:02:58 +0000

Mortsel, Belgium, February 15, 2010 – Agfa Graphics announced today a partnership with XMPie, providing :Apogee customers an integrated solution that combines :Apogee Portal and Prepress, with XMPie’s extensible Web-to-Print and Online Marketing Tools. The partnership enables Agfa to offer the modular Web-to-Print product portfolio from XMPie, with the prepress and project management tools in :Apogee. The result is a ‘best of both worlds’-solution, providing the benefits of complete job management and control, from job creation to delivery of the final product.

“When two technologies can meet, one + one is more than two,” said Alon Geva, Vice President, Business Development & Technology, XMPie Inc. “I am absolutely convinced that our partnership with Agfa Graphics will provide a unique solution to meet customer expectations.”

“This solution provides the benefits our mutual customers are looking for,” added Bart De Pelsmaeker, Head of Software at Agfa Graphics. “Through shared know-how, an extensive product portfolio mix, we can offer customers a fully integrated solution. Jobs created in XMPie, flow to :Apogee Portal and Prepress for automatic production processing of the proofs and plates.”

XMPie’s modular online solutions can include modules for Web-to-Print, Variable Data Printing, Cross Media Communications, Marketing Analytics, Marketing Portals, Image Personalization and Data-Driven Charting.

CREO Color Servers Offer Support for Latest Industry Standards

Editor — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:59:33 +0000

OCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 15— Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group has announced that all CREO Color Servers now fully support MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 Operating System and MAC OS X v10.6. Support for the latest industry standards is part of the commitment to help printers maximize their investments and help them meet their customers’ demands.

“Our goal is to develop solutions that make it possible for customers to support any new industry standard. To that end, we adapt our technology to work with the most recent third-party technologies,” said Hezy Rotman, General Manager, KODAK Printing Workflow Solutions. “It’s our function to present our customers with the ability to strengthen their service offerings and provide a seamless workflow to their clients. This in turn can help them grow their businesses and increase their bottom line revenue.”

Supporting the latest industry standards such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 and MAC OS X v10.6 gives existing customers upgrading to WINDOWS 7 or MAC v10.6, or new customers already using these versions, complete compatibility in their production environment. Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group makes it possible for its customers to use the most current operating systems with no workflow changes required.

CREO Color Servers are the premier solution for print on-demand professionals. They provide superior connectivity to graphic arts workflows, automation, exceptional color and image quality, advanced Variable Data Printing (VDP) capabilities, and extensive document printing functionality to boost productivity. CREO Color Servers incorporate a robust technology platform to optimize the performance of digital production printers and presses, and increase efficiency and cost effectiveness over the entire print production cycle.

About Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group

Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group develops high-performance CREO Color Servers and workflow solutions for a wide range of digital production printers and presses. CREO Color Servers offer the digital printing industry leading workflow connectivity solutions. They utilize intelligent, JDF-enabled automation of all print-production steps to help drive business performance and profit.

The group supplies CREO Color Servers to industry leaders including Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Konica Minolta, Océ, Ricoh, and Xerox Corporation.

This independent unit of Eastman Kodak Company continues to unlock the power of print on-demand to maximize customers’ success in digital printing and workflow solutions.

For more information about CREO Color Servers, visit www.creoservers.com.

(Kodak and Creo are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)

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Rose City Printing and Packaging Boosts Productivity with KBA Rapida 105 Press

Editor — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:46:33 +0000

KBA North America, a global press manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, announces that Rose City Printing and Packaging, a general folding carton printer located in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, has purchased a KBA Rapida 105 41-inch six-color sheetfed press with coater. The firm began installation of the press at its new Gresham, Oregon facility in January 2010 and expects the press to start production in March 2010.

“The KBA press is a key ingredient to maintaining our substantial growth and leadership in the market,” says Steve Lobis, Rose City’s co-owner, vice president, and general manager. “It will be the centerpiece of our newly-opened Gresham facility where we will be producing a mix of specialty packaging for the 40-inch market for food and beverage customers.”

The KBA Rapida 105 41-inch six-color press plus coater being installed at Rose City Printing and Packaging features a speed of 18,000 sheets per hour, board package up to 48 point, direct drive technology, fully-automatic non-stop delivery, declutching for all units, universal grippers requiring no adjustments between any substrate thickness, fully-automatic coater plate changing, an eco-friendly rating with internationally-recognized certificate as “emission-tested,” as well as a computer-controlled air setting with memory. It also provides Rose City with a larger sheet size and image area than the older 40-inch press from a different manufacturer, which is being replaced.

Lobis admits that the company sized up other press manufacturers before purchasing a KBA. “But we felt that KBA made the best fit for our packaging production and had the highest reputation in the packaging sector. Their press really stood out above and beyond the rest.”

In addition, Lobis cites the Rapida’s ability to print thicker substrates than other competitive presses, its reputation for durability, its ability to go from paper to board with no manual changes, and its premier local service and fast-growing 40-inch installation base in the Portland region, as further reasons for sealing the deal to partner with KBA.

For most of the past decade, Rose City Printing and Packaging has fulfilled its aggressive growth plans and maintained a steady double-digit sales trajectory that would make most printers envious. “For the last eight years we’ve posted a 15% to 20% sales growth each year,” says Lobis. “But this year will be our most successful year. We will post a 30% to 35% sales growth in 2010.”

What is the secret behind Rose City’s success? “We’ve developed a sterling reputation for service,” he says. “We outshine our competitors in responsiveness, turn-times, and customer service. Our employees have a 30-minute mandate to respond to our customers. That’s what differentiates us from our competition. We provide our employees with training and industry knowledge to allow them to become a resource for our customers. If a customer has a question about their graphics, a typical printer will get back to them in hours or days. Not us. Our philosophy is to provide a smooth, fast response. For example, a customer might send out design requests to ten different printers for a job and the deadline is one to two weeks; we get the design back to them the next day and we’ll have won the job and have it being produced before the other printers even send back their proposals.”

While the new Gresham facility is on track to open in early spring, the 120 employee company is also moving their corporate headquarters to Vancouver, WA and closing down the current 107,000 sq ft operation in NW Portland. The 80,000 sq ft Vancouver facility, which was opened in August 2007, will house the management team as well as two larger KBA 56-inch seven color presses where it will produce printed folding carton packaging for corporate clients in the region, including Starbucks, Continental Mills, and Harry & David.

Rose City was founded in Portland in 1945 as Rose City Paper Products. By the 1960s the company had changed its name to Rose City Paper Box and was operating as a respected local litho printing company. In 1990 the business was moved from several buildings in southeast Portland to one 107,000 sq ft building in northwest Portland. In 1997 the company changed its name to Rose City Printing & Packaging. As the company moved from one century to another, its management team re-invented the organization from a small, local, owner-operated shop to a professionally-managed regional player. A board of directors and a new strong management team was named to guide the company into the future. The leadership team is made up of Steve Lobis (vice president and general manager), Chris Farm (operations), Todd Smith (quality), and Jeff Hall (sales). In 2007 after four consecutive years of record-setting growth, Rose City opened a second facility in Vancouver, Washington, effectively doubling its capacity.

KBA North America is a member of the KBA Group, a leading global supplier of sheetfed, webfed, and digital offset presses located in Dallas, Texas. KBA is dedicated to excellence in printing technology. The company’s greatest satisfaction comes from helping its customers succeed by building presses that enable their businesses to prosper. From engineering through production, KBA’s focus is on people, providing flexible technology, customized printing solutions, and personal service to help its partners differentiate themselves and be successful today and in the future.

Ambassador Packaging Invests in New KBA Rapida 106 41-inch Six-Color press

Editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:26:29 +0000

KBA North America, a global press manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, announces that Ambassador Packaging, a leading folding carton printer located in York, South Carolina, is increasing its capabilities with the purchase and delivery of a new KBA Rapida 106 41-inch six-color press with coater at the end of December 2009.

“Our goal is to continually serve our customer with the highest quality and fastest throughput,” says David Martin, president and CEO of Ambassador. “By adding our new KBA Rapida 106 41-inch six-color press we’re showing our customers and competitors that we’re serious about our business and we’re willing to invest and install a new press that has been named ‘the world make-ready champion’ and has the proven automation and technology to serve their needs.”

While Ambassador Packaging has a strong presence in the large format folding carton market, the firm is strengthening its production of small-format folding cartons. The new Rapida 106 41-inch six-color press, which made its debut at DRUPA 08, features a high press speed of 18,000 sph output, ultrafast makeready times, and expanded automation and productivity. The press provides a wide choice of automation options, including the KBA DriveTronic dedicated drives and simultaneous plate mounting system, as well as the DriveTronic feeder, with its presetting capabilities. The press also features the GATF InterTech award–winning sidelay-free infeed, DriveTronic SIS. Its KBA Logotronic management system provides company-wide digital data exchange between management, production, purchasing, logistics, and general office departments. New technology on press also includes the KBA Densitronic S closed-loop color management scanning densitometry system. The substrate range runs from lightweight papers to heavy board, from plastic films to corrugated—all without adjusting any grippers. At DRUPA and PRINT 09, the Rapida 106 continued to execute the fastest make-ready times for multiple jobs in front of the show crowds.

The new Rapida 106 will join the firm’s large-format KBA Rapida 142 56-inch six-color press, which is outfitted with a spectrophotometer color scanner to insure color consistency through the complete production run. The KBA Rapida 142 has the capability of producing 15,000 sheets per hour, automatic plant hanging, auto wash-up, and many other automated features. It can print on a multitude of substrates: plastics, fine paper, E-F flute corrugated, and many other standard paper board sizes. However, Ambassador mainly uses folding paperboard to produce the majority of its folding carton work.

“We’ve developed a strong loyal relationship with KBA,” says Martin. “When we decided to add a new press, we didn’t look any further than KBA. While there are many other press manufacturers in our market, KBA has distinguished itself with award-winning automated technology, new press designs, and an unmatched service and training team.”

Established in 1989, Ambassador Packaging has grown to become one of the leading folding carton manufacturers. The firm’s 60 employees are headquartered at its 165,000 sq ft facility in York, South Carolina, on the northern border of South Carolina outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Ambassador specializes in folding cartons for the automobile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and any other industry utilizing folding cartons.

Offset Paperback Manufacturers Chooses KODAK PROSPER Press to Streamline Book Production and Add Value for Clients

Editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:09:49 +0000

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 8—Recognizing the value of KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology in maximizing productivity and efficiency in book production, Offset Paperback Manufacturers (OPM), a Bertelsmann company, chose the KODAK PROSPER Press Platform with an integrated MULLER MARTINI SIGMALINE in-line finishing system for its book printing operation in Laflin, Penn. A PROSPER Press market pioneer, Offset Paperback Manufacturers is one of the earliest users of Kodak’s revolutionary continuous inkjet technology.

OPM is one of the largest manufacturers of mass-market paperback books in the world. Its clients include many of the most recognized brands in publishing, such as Random House, Pearson Education, Penguin, and McGraw-Hill.

“We are always looking for ways to improve production and enhance the bottom line of our operation,” noted Mitch Weiss, Vice President of Sales, Offset Paperback Manufacturers. “We investigated a lot of options, and feel confident that the PROSPER 1000 Press will give us the advantage we need to add value to our clients and position our business to capture more revenue in the changing book publishing environment. In addition, we look forward to upgrading to the color capabilities of the KODAK PROSPER 5000XL Press in the near future.”

Book printers and publishers constantly seek more efficient and economical ways to produce short-run book titles and streamline the supply chain. By printing digitally with the KODAK PROSPER Press Platform, the need for inventory is reduced, waste can be eliminated, and the number of available titles increases. Furthermore, the MULLER MARTINI SIGMALINE system interconnects prepress with digital printing and finishing in a unique total system. This fully automated production line will provide OPM with a complete solution—from PDF to finished book in a single operation, managed by the end-to-end workflow system CONNEX.

“The PROSPER Press Platform is revolutionary for book production. It significantly increases the quantity of books that can be produced digitally at a lower cost than offset,” said Kevin Joyce, Worldwide Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. “What’s more, the PROSPER Press helps to maximize supply chain efficiency and delivers offset class quality and speed.”

Designed to efficiently handle book printing runs up to 7,000 copies, the PROSPER 1000 Press offers improved operational and supply chain efficiencies. This is important as the expectations for paperbacks, reference books, textbooks, and other products change and consumers expect the latest versions on demand.

The PROSPER 1000 Press is a monochrome press delivering speeds up to 650 feet per minute, offset class image quality, and a monthly duty cycle of 120 million A4 pages per month. It supports coated, lightweight coated, uncoated and glossy substrates from 45-175 gsm.

This sale of a PROSPER 1000 Press—with a planned upgrade to the PROSPER 5000XL Press—closely follows the news of Consolidated Graphics’ purchase of a KODAK PROSPER 5000XL Press last month.

For more on KODAK PROSPER Solutions, visit http://www.prosper.kodak.com. For more information on KODAK Solutions for the publishing market, visit http://www.kodak.com/go/connect.

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.

ABOUT MULLER MARTINI

Muller Martini is the world’s largest producer of print finishing solutions for commercial and book printers, trade binderies, newspapers, and digital book manufacturers. They are also the world’s leading manufacturer of variable size web offset presses. Muller’s innovative workflow solutions optimize processing efficiencies, while helping to build new revenue streams. With U.S. headquarters in Hauppauge, New York, Muller’s sales and support team provides training and responsive service to printers and binderies nationwide. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities are located in Newport News, Virginia, and in Allentown, Pennsylvania, home to Muller Martini Mailroom Systems, Inc.

About KODAK PROSPER Solutions

Based on innovative KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology, KODAK PROSPER Solutions deliver digital without compromise, enabling print service providers to produce offset class output in terms of quality, productivity, and cost for their clients.

The KODAK PROSPER Platform includes the KODAK PROSPER S10 Imprinting System, for direct mail, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, inserts, and transactional documents; KODAK PROSPER 1000 Press for books; and KODAK PROSPER 5000XL Press for books, direct mail and catalogs/inserts.

For more information, visit www.prosper.kodak.com.

Xerox Customers Speak to Digital Printing Opportunities in Evolving Media Landscape at PODi AppForum

Editor — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:52:12 +0000

“E-books introduce something publishers and content distributors are afraid of: uncertainty. When people start downloading books, publishers will have no idea how many printed books to keep in inventory. That’s perfect for on demand production —and that’s why I can’t wait for everyone to get an e-reader.”

So said John Lacagnina, a panelist in the “On Demand Book Publishing Insights” session at the Print on Demand Initiative (PODi) AppForum in Las Vegas. As the founder and president of ColorCentric Corporation, a leading digital books-on-demand manufacturing and distribution company serving several prominent self- and photo- publishing companies, he welcomes the electronic readers that traditional book manufacturers see as a threat.

He was one of 11 Xerox Corporation customers who presented in the 40-plus sessions at this year’s PODi AppForum showcasing leadership digital printing applications and business initiatives.

Xerox customer Jeff Sierra, vice president, Marketing and Product Development, Budco, talked in a keynote session about how a direct mail campaign boosted sales for Ford Motor Company by 35.7 percent. He co-presented with his customer Mark Bardusch, national sales and marketing manager of Extended Service Business, Ford Motor Company, and Shelley Sweeney, vice president/general manager of the Xerox Data Processing Service Bureau and Direct Mail Segment.

Two of the three 2010 PODi Best Practices Awards went to Xerox customers, including Jamie Klemcke, marketing director, QuantumDigital, Inc., for the company’s real estate lead generation program and Ted Raymond, president, Allegra Print & Imaging, Scottsdale, Ariz., for a successful fund raising campaign for an Arizona council of the Girl Scouts.

Additionally Xerox customers who presented included:

* Andrew Pate, senior vice president, Business Development, On Demand Books LLC, discussing on demand publishing
* Troy Van Dyke, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Darwill, and John Mahoney, president, The Mahoney Company, on becoming a marketing services provider
* Ed Warren, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Creative Marketing Solutions, on direct mail’s role in the marketing mix
* David Zamorski, chief operating officer, Associates Graphic Services, on lean manufacturing
* Leo van Snippenburg, chief information officer, Jonge Helden B.V. on custom publishing
* Waleed Ashoo, president and chief executive officer, Lithexcel Communication Services Provider, on value pricing

“Our customers are leading the industry in developing high-profit, high-growth digital printing applications, so they deserved to take center stage at the PODi AppForum,” said Gina Testa, vice president, Worldwide Graphic Communications, Xerox. “The market is embracing the advantages of digital printing in the rapidly evolving media landscape, and these graphic communications companies are stepping up to capture the opportunities.”

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Xeikon Extends Environmental Sustainability Leadership

Editor — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:21:41 +0000

February 2010 – Xeikon, a division of Punch Graphix, announced it is under contract with one of the primary energy suppliers in Belgium to utilize 100% green power from renewable energy in its toner manufacturing operations based in Heultje, Belgium, as of January 1, 2010. Xeikon has been a leader in the digital printing market in ensuring that its technology results in as little environmental impact as possible throughout the entire printing supply chain.

“Often when people speak about ‘green’ printing, they are primarily concerned with whether materials are printed on recycled paper or paper from managed and renewable forests,” explains Lode Deprez, Vice President of Toner R&D and Production at Punch Graphix. “But that barely scratches the surface. The printed paper must also be recyclable, the printing process must conserve water and use no VOCs, and the energy use and production of waste must be drastically reduced. Xeikon has met all of these requirements and more, both in its manufacturing processes and in the way its customers use the equipment throughout its lifecycle in the field. The new energy contract ensures we are using 100% green electricity in our toner manufacturing operation and we are proud to again assert our leadership position in an area of growing importance: environmental sustainability.”

Xeikon Sustainability Highlights

Over the years, Xeikon has taken many steps to ensure that its products and their output have the smallest possible environmental footprint. These include:

* All Xeikon plants strictly comply with the EU WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive to reduce the annual volumes of waste from discarded equipment. Xeikon also pursues the objectives of the Environmental Action Plan (MAP) for energy conservation, promoting the use of renewable energy. In addition, all facilities have separate systems that remove wastewater and rainwater separately, reducing the pressure on wastewater processing.
* At Xeikon’s toner plant in Heultje (Belgium), energy consumption per kg of produced toner has decreased by more than 35% over the last years. This is accomplished through recovering heat from the toner manufacturing process to heat the building and investments in new production technology
* Xeikon recovers and reuses toner waste generated during the manufacturing process to the greatest extent possible and recycles toner packaging. Toner that cannot be recovered and reused is compressed with wood pulp for use as fuel in the cement industry. This means that zero toner waste from the manufacturing process ends up in a landfill. As a result of this and other efforts, the volume of waste produced over the past years has decreased by more than 50%.
* Compared with the traditional offset process, Xeikon presses consume more than 6 kilowatt hours less energy in a typical print run of 5,000 full color duplex-printed A3 sheets. For the same print run the offset process consumes 6 liters of process water, whereas Xeikon presses use none at all. Presses are equipped with a closed loop circulation cooling system, use no process water and do not cause any water pollution or air pollution since no VOC’s are involved in the production and printing process.
* In collaboration with all parties involved in the logistics process, Xeikon created an intelligent total packaging concept for its presses based on reusable packaging. In addition, toner comes in recyclable HPDE bottles, again minimizing the impact on the environment.
* Material printed on a Xeikon press has a deinkability score greater than 90% according to INGEDE Method 11, an international standard, guaranteeing recyclability of Xeikon printed product.

“These are just the highlights of the actions we have taken to ensure that Xeikon and its customers are ahead of the curve in complying with environmental regulations,” concludes Deprez. “By now adding 100% green energy into the mix, we have taken another giant step to maintain our environmental leadership in this industry. Our results prove that ECO-logy and ECO-nomy can go together. Our efforts to make our products sustainable and safe does not make them more expensive or less competitive. As a result, our customers are able to cost-effectively market safe and sustainable technology in a world that is growing increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.”

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