Papers add KODAK NEWSMANAGER Workflow System as essential component to thermal digital solutions

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov. 3—Printers producing newspapers covering the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean are the latest to join the growing number of companies turning to KODAK thermal computer to plate (CTP) solutions to enhance operating efficiencies and seize revenue opportunities.

The Yakima Herald-Republic Inc. prints approximately 40,000 newspapers daily and a weekly publication, and handles a substantial amount of commercial projects. The company purchased two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 70 thermal platesetters, KODAK thermal digital plates, KODAK NEWSMANAGER, KODAK PRINERGY EVO workflow systems and KODAK PREPS imposition software.

“We landed a very large commercial print customer and it accelerated our decision making process. Kodak was able to work with us on the timeline and help us get up and running. The customer service was outstanding,” said Michael Blackwood, Prepress Manager at the Yakima Herald-Republic. “One of the deciding factors for us was the pricing of thermal CTP consumables compared to other technology. We expect to get a much better ROI with thermal.”

Southeast Offset in Miami produces daily newspapers for readers in Boca Raton and the Cayman Islands, along with a number of weekly and monthly community and ethnic newspapers. The company recently purchased two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 70 thermal platesetters, KODAK THERMALNEWS digital plates, KODAK INSITE and KODAK PRINERGY EVO news software.

“The major thing that drove our decision to the KODAK thermal solutions is that our customer base is very interested in quality. Most of our work is smaller run, with high color counts. The advertisers in these papers want crisp color for photos and graphics,” said Allen Bryce, Chief Financial Officer at Southeast Offset. “The speed of this equipment has added capacity to our operation. We were able to substantially upgrade our equipment, and the cost as a percentage of sales is very low.”

The Tallahassee Democrat, a Gannett newspaper, purchased two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 100 thermal  platesetters. In addition to producing approximately 49,000 copies of the daily edition and 64,000 copies of the Sunday edition, the paper prints the FSView student newspaper for Florida State University, two bimonthly geographically distributed publications, and a variety of commercial print jobs.

“While at NEXPO, we visited the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and observed several KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS platesetters in action and really liked what we saw,” said Bill Taylor, Operations Director at The Tallahassee Democrat. “The KODAK equipment has a good track record and we feel very comfortable with the availability and pricing of consumables with the thermal solution.”

Brown Publishing Co., which prints daily and weekly newspapers, plus shopper publications in Ohio, purchased the following KODAK digital solutions for each of two production sites located in Athens and Xenia, Ohio: two TRENDSETTER NEWS 70 platesetters, KODAK thermal digital plates, NEWSMANAGER and PRINERGY EVO workflow systems. Founded in 1920, Brown publishes 18 daily newspapers, 27 paid weekly newspapers, 15 Total Market Coverage (TMC) newspapers and 11 TMC shoppers. On a weekly basis, Brown products reach over 1.8 million people and 750,000 households in 31 counties in Ohio.

A major Canadian newspaper is the fifth company that recently added KODAK solutions. The Gazette, the dominant English language newspaper in Montreal, purchased two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 150 thermal platesetters. Founded in 1778, the paper is one of the oldest in North America. The Gazette is part of CanWest Global.

The TRENDSETTER NEWS thermal CTP device comes in five models, ranging in speed from 60 to more than 240 plates per hour to suit newspaper printing facilities of all sizes. The TRENDSETTER NEWS platesetter delivers fast, reliable imaging with a standard file format interface for newspaper production systems. It is available with semi automatic or fully automated plate loading and unloading. The machine to machine accuracy of the KODAK SQUARESPOT thermal imaging heads, combined with the binary nature of thermal imaging, achieves consistent and repeatable halftone dot structures.

THERMALNEWS printing plates meet the rigorous demands of newspaper printing. Precise reproduction of high resolution, first generation thermal dots, with no dot gain at plate level, provides outstanding quality output and run lengths of more than 200,000 without postbaking. And faster makeready and plate reliability gives newspapers extra editorial time.

KODAK NEWSMANAGER workflow system, a powerful PDF workflow management tool for high performance newspaper prepress, enables a flexible, automated workflow from edition plan to plate production. Based on open standards, it easily integrates into existing systems. The NEWSMANAGER workflow system is scaleable to meet all needs, from contract printers to metropolitan, national and international newspapers with multiple print sites.

KODAK PRINERGY EVO workflow system helps newspapers deal with last minute changes easily, without causing delays. Based on the latest standards and proven PRINERGY technology, PRINERGY EVO software delivers exceptional PDF processing capabilities. A flexible PDF workflow featuring proven color management, late stage editing and imposition, and advanced screening options to optimize output on TRENDSETTER NEWS CTP devices, PRINERGY EVO systems help deliver the end to end automation, speed, control, and flexibility that newspapers need to accommodate tight editorial and ad deadlines and output large numbers of pages more quickly.

KODAK PREPS imposition software supports POSTSCRIPT, PDF, EPS, DCS and TIFF source files. It works with all KODAK and many major third party workflow systems. PREPS imposition software helps prepress professionals remove even more manual steps from their preferred workflow by providing digital imposition. PREPS software enhances production efficiency by integrating more thoroughly with various workflows and accepting more than 200 types of file inputs. PREPS imposition software also enhances prepress efficiency and enables greater postpress reliability by automatically generating bar codes that can be read by WST bar code readers.

KODAK INSITE software is a Web portal for prepress. It streamlines job submission, job-status tracking, and remote content proofing. INSITE software extends the reach of your business operations and improves your responsiveness to customer needs, while reducing job cycle times and material costs.

KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support, Kodak’s worldwide service organization. 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.

About Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator, providing leading products and services to the photographic, graphic communications and healthcare markets. With sales of $14.3 billion in 2005, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional image capture products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using KODAK solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprise. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.

For more information about Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, visit www.graphics.kodak.com.

(Kodak, Trendsetter News, NewsManager, Prinergy Evo, Preps, ThermalNews, InSite, SQUAREspot and Prinergy are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)

2006