ROCHESTER, N.Y. — May 18, 2016 — Kodak will use this year’s drupa 2016 conference as a platform for driving a new generation of book printers to adopt inkjet. After a year that saw the first increase in printed book sales since e-readers and tablets disrupted the space, Kodak is increasing its commitment to helping printers of higher-quality books — including high-quality travel books, cookbooks, science journals and more — evolve using inkjet. Kodak will be showcasing its print technologies specific for the book printing market at the Kodak Quarter (Hall 5, Stand F09) at drupa 2016.
“Inkjet is changing the conversation in book printing, so much so that we’re now reaching a tipping point in the market where printers of more complex and higher-quality books are ready to move some or all of their production to inkjet,” says Will Mansfield, director, worldwide sales and marketing – Inkjet Presses, Kodak. “Book printers have taken advantage of inkjet for some time, trade book and textbook printers in particular, but the speed, substrate options and image quality of Kodak’s inkjet presses now allow us to drive the market beyond where it is today and guide printers of more advanced books as they make the shift to inkjet.”
He continues, “These are books that are printed on-demand and in short runs and sold based on the quality of their imagery and paper. We see a strong opportunity to leverage inkjet technology to spur growth in a market that’s been under pressure for some time.”
Inkjet Book Printing at drupa 2016
In the Kodak Quarter at drupa 2016 (Hall 5, Stand F09), book printers in all stages of their adoption of inkjet will have the opportunity to see live demonstrations of the Kodak Prosper 6000C press and a variety of post processing capabilities applicable to the book printing market:
- Sheeting of imposed signatures with VITS International Multicut Variable Servo Sheeter
- Inline finishing with Manroland Foldline for delivery of saddle-stitched products or trimmed book blocks
- Rewinding for delivery of rolls to nearline web finishing systems via GSS high-speed rewind unit
- Post coating inline for specialty book products with i-WEB aqueous coating system
Samples covering a wide range of books printed on traditional offset paper, as well as inkjet treated papers, will be available for visitors to evaluate and take away.
Also featured at the Kodak booth will be copies of Jefferson Hack’s new book “We Can’t Do It Alone: Jefferson Hack the System,” an exploration of alternative media. Looking to create a book design as unique as its contents, Jefferson worked closely with Kodak’s team of expert printers and Rizzoli NY to create a singular cover design for each copy of the book. Using Kodak’s Prosper inkjet technology, the team was able to give each of the 5,000 copies in the first run individualized numbers and features to offer completely unique designs from Jefferson and his collaborator Ferdinando Verderi.
Most inkjet printing systems constrain the design process as compared to traditional offset lithography presses, but with the Kodak Prosper 6000 press, Jefferson Hack’s team was able to expand the design process with virtually infinite variability of cover designs, while still enjoying the gloss paper stock and print quality they were accustomed to. The Kodak Prosper 6000 press prints on glossy papers at 10.8 feet per second, which equated to 5.9 book covers per second; all 5,000 were finished in just under 15 minutes.
About Kodak
Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. It provides — directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies — hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With its world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives.
Source: Kodak.