Graphic Solutions & Services Unveils Product Roadmap as it Rolls Out Host of New Products

VIOLET PRINT plate launched for commercial printers

PARIS, FRANCE, October 26 – Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group is launching a multitude of new products spanning input, output, and proofing as well as a completely new business workflow solution. The new products demonstrate the unrivalled breadth of its product portfolio and offering to customers.

Simultaneously, Kodak has announced the commercial availability of its new VIOLET PRINT printing plate for the commercial print market. The launch of the KODAK VIOLET PRINT plate follows the successful introduction of Kodak’s VIOLETNEWS plate for the newspaper market. The KODAK VIOLET PRINT plate delivers not only high productivity, but also low platemaking costs, twin benefits that have been substantiated during customer testing. The plate is compatible with all the market leading violet platesetters with 30mW laser power or greater. Kodak invested extensive research and development resources in this new product, which involves advanced computer-to-plate technology, to deliver a robust solution for customers. Good latitude in exposure and development enables the VIOLET PRINT plate to deliver exceptional productivity under a variety of usage conditions and print applications. The excellent graining and anodizing properties of the VIOLET PRINT plate gives it remarkable tolerance to a wide variety of press conditions, and it is bakeable for high durability. VIOLET PRINT plates deliver crisp, clean images, with screen rulings of up to 200lpi, on run lengths of 200,000+ impressions, depending on press conditions. The plate is manufactured at Kodak’s facility in Osterode, Germany.

Other new Kodak products and services include:

The KODAK Enterprise Management Solution (EMS), a complete business workflow solution for the graphic communications industry, representing a new approach to print management information systems (MIS). KODAK EMS software is currently in beta testing. It is customised to meet the unique needs of the print industry, and is able to deal with complex environments such as digital print workflows, fulfillment and mailing operations, among many other functions.
The KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 plus and NEXPRESS 2500 digital color production presses. This new family of digital color presses features a highly modular platform for maximum configuration flexibility. The NEXPRESS 2100 plus press was launched last month and has already been shipped to a number of European customers. It incorporates new features such as increased paper capacity and media flexibility. The NEXPRESS 2500 press, which will be available in the first half of 2006, will add increased production speed to the new capabilities of the NEXPRESS 2100 plus model.
The KODAK All-in-One Processless Package – Kodak has combined technologies and services to make it easy for companies to remove processing steps from platemaking. The package includes KODAK THERMAL DIRECT non process plates and the new KODAK MAGNUS 400 CTP imaging device – and the KODAK PRINERGY Evo PDF processor as well as a proofer, service and support, and on-site startup assistance. Capable of producing run lengths of up to 100,000 impressions under optimal press conditions, THERMAL DIRECT plates can hold 1 percent to 98 percent dots at 200 lines per inch. The plate features a proprietary, thermally-sensitive coating compatible with all popular thermal imagers without the need to install special debris removal attachments.
New Inkjet Proofing System – the KODAK MATCHPRINT Inkjet Proofing Solution deploys the best of Kodak’s color technology to drive optimal output, color fidelity and consistency in a drop-on-demand inkjet proofing system. The MATCHPRINT Inkjet Proofer is the first DOD proofing solution to be based on powerful Kodak-developed software, including innovative screening and calibration technologies and a new Certified Process for Color Confirmation. Based on the same software as the popular KODAK VERIS proofer, customers will benefit from excellent color accuracy, enhanced image smoothness, quick calibration tools and direct connectivity to KODAK PRINERGY and BRISQUE workflows.
New solutions for efficient digital asset and creative content management – EyeMedia and TeamWorks. EyeMedia, a new digital asset management solution, and TeamWorks, a creative content management solution, are designed for print production environments. EyeMedia software solution provides an efficient way of storing and managing digital assets. The TeamWorks creative content management solution delivers an effective and collaborative way to manage and share creative content during the job creation process.

About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print, and view images – for memories, for information, for business, and for entertainment. With sales of $13.5 billion in 2004, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on four businesses: Digital & Film Imaging Systems – providing consumers, professionals, and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Health – supplying the medical and dental professions with traditional and digital imaging and information systems, IT solutions, and services; Graphic Communications – providing customers with a range of solutions for prepress, traditional and digital printing, document scanning, and multi-vendor IT services; and Display & Components – supplying original equipment manufacturers with imaging sensors as well as intellectual property and materials for the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and LCD display industries. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.

Kodak, Magnus, Matchprint, NexPress, Prinergy, Thermal Direct, Brisque, VioletNews and Violet Print are trademarks of Kodak.

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