The high-end 5000XL version of the Prosper press will be on show at Ipex. The colour machine, which uses Kodak’s Stream continuous inkjet technology, has a number of beta sites, with the latest, Rotomail in Italy, announced this week.
The range also comes in the lower-end B&W Prosper 1000, which is aimed squarely at the book market, as well as direct mail applications.
Kodak’s Kevin Joyce used the pre-launch event in Brussels to say Kodak is going to deliver “digital without compromise”.
“In the past, we asked customers to make a choice – productivity, quality and cost. Pick one, pick two, but not all three,” said Joyce.
The Prosper 500XL (pictured) “enhances print quality” with image resolution approaching 175 line screen at speeds of up to 200 metres per minute.
Kodak said that the 5000XL and 1000 machine were 38% more productive than rival inkjet systems.
“The presses are able to handle both coated and uncoated papers, including glossy coated, with basis weights ranging from 45-175gsm on the Prosper 1000 press and 45-300gsm on the Prosper 5000XL,” the company said.
Kodak is yet to announce shipping dates for the Prosper line, though Joyce said: “Any product we introduce is a global solution”.
Joyce also admitted that demand is currently outstripping supply, and that Kodak was currently looking at how best to scale up production of the technology, as well as the support network in preparation for launch.
The vendor also used the event to reveal a new plate range, Trillian SP. It claimed that the thermal plate family is “designed to provide print service providers with excellent levels of productivity, efficiency, total-cost effectiveness and reduction in chemistry”.
Kodak’s general manager for their Plates Business division, Diane McCue, said: “Not only does the Trillian SP plate deliver on the speed and performance Kodak is famous for, it significantly lowers the total cost of use while reducing the environmental impact for high-performance thermal plates – hitting all the hot buttons that printers need to solve.”
The plates will be running live on a Magnus 800Z Quantum platesetter at Kodak’s Ipex stand.
Kodak will be in hall 9, stand E320 at Ipex, which takes place on 18-25 May at the Birmingham NEC in the UK.
Steven Kiernan is in Brussels.
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