Kodak Launches the NEXFINITY Digital Press Platform, Dramatically Improving the Versatility of Digital Printing

Building on its investments in digital printing technologies, Kodak today announced the Spring 2018 availability of the KODAK NEXFINITY Digital Press. The NEXFINITY Press, which builds on the success of the award-winning KODAK NEXPRESS Platform, is set to become the most versatile sheetfed digital press on the market. The platform’s low running costs, higher speed and dynamic imaging will change how printers evaluate what can be run on digital.

The entire NEXFINITY Platform is designed to make it easy for printers to operate in a much more dynamic print marketplace. It’s built with Dynamic Imaging Technology, a patented Kodak innovation for digital printing. The technology works by applying algorithmic adjustments to specific areas of an image, which optimizes image quality and consistency based on the image content in each area. The result, for example, produces crisp text, hard lines, soft skin tones, and beautiful skies on the same page, whether it’s for one print or millions. Featuring a new high resolution and multi-bit LED writing system, the press produces the broadest range of applications, including direct mail, commercial print, publishing, and packaging. Seamless integration into workflow and finishing solutions means the press is optimized for a printer’s production workflow.

"With NEXFINITY Press, printers get a robust digital printing platform that delivers offset quality while driving down costs and equipping them with the flexibility and speed to handle an expansive range of applications for their customers, whether it’s an order for a few hundred or millions of impressions,” said Chris Balls, General Manager, Equipment and VP, Print Systems Division of Kodak.

Superior Image Quality, Speed and Flexibility

Kodak’s NEXFINITY Press delivers the industry's highest information density at more than 1.8 billion pieces of image information per square inch1 and it ensures smooth flat fields and excellent image detail in the printed product. For example, the system can reproduce fine details on the fly, like highlight areas and consistency in mid-tones by adjusting the exposure levels for incredibly high levels of print quality. The LED writing system provides 256 levels of exposure on the imaging cylinder, compared to laser systems that only are on or off, which means it provides excellent, consistent quality, utilizing closed-loop process controls that maximize uptime and lower running costs. NEXFINITY Press also delivers speed and flexibility, with an increased range of 83 to 152 ppm expanded sheet lengths up to 48 inches and capable of handling stocks up to 24pt. When all of this is combined with the machine’s color sequence flexibility that allows for dry inks to be printed in alternative orders or combinations required by specific print jobs, the creative possibilities to help printers grow their business are extensive.

Stephan de Vries, CEO at Fotofabriek in Groningen, Netherlands, commented: “Fotofabriek began using the NEXPRESS fifteen years ago, mainly because of its exceptional image quality. That’s important to our business because the main ingredient of our growth and what we are best known for is our photo books and albums. As the first printer in Europe to use the NEXFINITY Press, we are excited about the new applications we can offer. The NEXFINITY Press offers awesome quality, consistency and color uniformity that will allow even better products at more competitive pricing, with its long sheet option at 120cm, we will be able to expand our photo offering by making beautiful lay flat albums, and with the ability to run thicker substrates we see the possibility to add new products for the retail market, like boxes and cardboard signs.”

Ben Shaw, VP of US Production at Mimeo.com, adds: “At Mimeo, we strive to stay on the leading edge in terms of innovation and technology, so testing the NEXFINITY Press is a natural fit for us. In a short time, we’ve already run millions of pages on it, and we’ve been thrilled with the results. It’s really just an incredibly versatile machine that delivers a powerful combination of image quality, consistency, and low running costs.”

Enhanced Productivity and Workflow Automation

For printers managing a variety of applications, the new KODAK Multi-Press Station allows a press operator to handle multiple jobs on up to four NEXFINITY Presses from one location. And a new KODAK NEXFINITY Productivity Cart provides a convenient location for cleaning swap set components as well as storage of these parts for maximum production efficiency.

All NEXFINITY Presses are powered by the new KODAK NEXFINITY Front End. It features the flexibility to operate as a complete standalone prepress toolset, with imposing, trapping, color management, job specification and job management and reporting capabilities. The Front End is also equipped with an automated workflow using JDF and JMF which are compatible with a variety of workflow solutions, including Kodak’s industry-leading PRINERGY Workflow. Fast ripping of short-run, image-intensive applications, as well as complex variable jobs keeps the press highly productive. Based on a specific customer’s requirements, the NEXFINITY Platform’s workflow can be tuned to optimize the integration with existing workflows and enhance applications with simple, easy to use functionality such as dimensional artwork, coatings, gamut expansion, security elements and unique finishes applied beyond CMYK, all at production speeds.

Note on Availability: KODAK NEXFINITY Press will be available to printers starting in Spring 2018 in the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe.

Source: kodak.com