Kodak is expanding the range of new applications printers which can offer their customers with the latest update to its portfolio of the Kodak NexPress Digital Platform. Now commercially available around the world, the Kodak NexPress Substrate Expansion Kit expands the types of paperboard and synthetic substrates NexPress Presses can run.
The Substrate Expansion Kit will now equip NexPress Presses to handle paperboard substrates with weightings graded up to 24 points (610 microns). For synthetic substrates, the Expansion Kit will give printers the option to print on materials with weightings up to 14 mil. These thicker substrates open up new opportunities for printers, including short-run packaging applications including labels, tags and small folding cartons as well as differentiated commercial and publishing products, like point-of-sale displays, retail signage, business cards and hospitality pieces such as menus and door hangers.
Leonard Christopher, product manager, NexPress, electrophotographic printing solutions, Eastman Kodak Company said, “With the introduction of the Substrate Expansion Kit, printers can continue to broaden their application offerings, enabling them to grow their businesses and customer base. The upgrade makes it a seamless experience for printers to move from running lighter weight stocks and then switch to thicker substrates to cater to a greater variety of customer needs.”
Adding the Substrate Expansion Kit is a quick and seamless process for existing NexPress Press customers. The upgrade takes approximately two days and is supported by a full day of onsite training by a Kodak technician that includes best practices associated with running a broader range of substrates. Once installed, the Substrate Expansion Kit allows press operators to quickly make configuration changes to run the full range of substrates without having to have a service technician visit the printing site.
Kodak’s continued investment in the NexPress Platform over the past year has also included the release of the NexPress ZX3300/ZX3900 Presses which incorporates new features that enable a broader range of applications. These presses are now shipped with System Software v17 which provides a robust set of new tools to control image quality and maintain productivity to optimize costs and uptime. In addition, the NexPress Opaque White Dry Ink, the newest of the print enhancement solutions which complements the other nine specialty inks, delivers superior opacity in a single pass compared to multiple passes on other devices, offering increased productivity and higher quality short run production for applications such as packaging, signage, labels, and invitations.