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Kodak Introducing New ULTRASTREAM Inkjet-Printing, More at drupa

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Kodak’s booth at the drupa tradeshow.

Eastman Kodak reports that it’s showcasing a variety of new inkjet-printing technologies at the drupa commercial- and production-printing trade show currently being held in Dusseldorf, Germany. Debuting at the show will be Kodak’s next generation inkjet-printing technology platform, KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology .

ULTRASTREAM is aimed at commercial and production printers requiring superior image quality to integrate into their application-based production systems. Printing at of 600 x 1,800 dpi resolution at up to 150 meters per minute (500 feet per minute) on a wide variety of paper and plastic substrates, Kodak says it addresses a broad range of applications, including narrow-web labels, and packaging. Its modular print head can be implemented in varying widths ranging from 8″ up to 97″. It will also be available with Kodak’s Digital Front End (DFE), said to be a flexible solution for meeting the needs of commercial printers as they implement production-printing  inkjet in their workflows.

At drupa,Kodak is demonstrating its ULTRASTREAM technology in an 8″ configuration on a narrow-web press for label- and small-format printing to showcase the high-resolution output as a result of smaller ink drop sizes, superior ink-drop placement, and substrate interaction.

Kodak is also demonstrating its Prosper 6000C press, which prints at up to 300 meters per minute (1,000 feet per minute). The press will be running with multiple inline document-finishing solutions for two different applications: magazines and catalogs printed on lightweight coated paper, and various commercial applications.

Also on display will be the KODAK PROSPER 6000S and 6000S Hybrid, which leverage Kodak Stream Inkjet technology, and which will be showcased through Kodak’s OEM partnership on the manroland web systems stand in Hall 14. The Kodak Prosper 6000S is capable of being integrated to run inline with a commercial web offset press to simultaneously imprint digital sections into retail flyers using full-page CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) printing at 600 x 600 dpi resolution with the ability to match the speed of the offset line. Kodak says this integration will allow large retail and grocery stores to print mass-produced pages with customized content, while eliminating the expensive and time-consuming process of printing customized sections with frequent plate changes or in a separate offline process.

For Flexo, gravure, and offset printers, Kodak is demonstrating the Extended Gamut + Varnish (XGV) technology for flexible films produced on narrow-web. Featuring seven of Kodak’s S-Series Printing Systems printing on flexible films, which are capable of printing CMYK and an extended gamut of CMYK plus orange, green and violet, the demonstration also has an additional station printing water-based digital varnish. The demonstration will use environmentally friendly aqueous inks compliant with Indirect Food Contact directives bonding on to flexible films, which Kodak says is unique in the industry.

Inkjet for Printing Home Décor and Signage

Inkjet Loft

Kodak’s “This is Inkjet! Loft” at drupa.

Showcasing Kodak’s Stream inkjet-printing technology at drupa is Kodak’s “This is Inkjet! Loft,” which brings Kodak inkjet printing to the wide-format printing market, including printing for home décor and signage. The loft is a fully functional apartment decorated with Kodak Stream digitally printed products, including laminate flooring, cupboards, countertops, furniture, wallpaper, napkins, and other consumer goods.

An additional feature of Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology will be on display in Hall 6 by Kodak’s OEM partner, Matti Technology AG. Matti Technology is using the KODAK PROSPER black-and-white inkjet linehead to lower the cost of operation and offer a high productivity inkjet solution to replace toner printers. Branded as MonoStream, this press is targeted at cut-sheet and roll-fed print-service providers producing books, workbooks, transactional statements, and government and commercial notices.

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