ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 25 -- The Bureau of Engraving Inc. (The Bureau) in Minneapolis likes to provide its customers with one stop shopping for all of their graphic communications needs. To live up to its "No Limits, Period" position, the company recently made investments to optimize its conventional and digital print processes. It switched from a competitor's digital press technology to solutions from Kodak that deliver better quality, productivity and integration, enabling a blended conventional and digital production environment. "The quality from the KODAK digital production presses really stands out. The overall quality that the KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 digital production color press provides is comparable to that of offset," said Patrick Stuart, The Bureau's Technology Marketing Director. "The unique operator replaceable components (ORCs) within the NEXPRESS press make it easy and cost effective for us to maintain that quality ourselves, without having to always rely on service calls." NEXPRESS presses feature an on board knowledge system combined with ORCs that enable operators to maximize uptime, increase productivity and reduce costs. "Prior to installing the NEXPRESS 2500 presses, our digital business did not complement offset because the different technologies did not allow for a smooth interchange of projects," Stuart said, noting that the NEXPRESS 2500 press is 20 percent more productive than the previous digital press that The Bureau had been using. "With the NEXPRESS 2500 press we're now able to work in a fully blended environment and get the most from our offset and digital systems. We have the ability to run a 100,000 piece job on the offset press and run the same piece for shorter runs on the NEXPRESS press because we're able to achieve the same results in color and quality as we see with offset." To realize its goals of implementing a fully integrated, blended production environment, The Bureau also invested in a KODAK PRINERGY workflow system to centrally manage its conventional and digital print production. The PRINERGY system features JDF-based integration with the NEXPRESS 2500 presses, allowing operators to easily specify and automate digital print jobs. The PRINERGY system interface streamlines and automates the print processes, delivering greater efficiency and press optimization. Proven PRINERGY system PDF processing ensures job content and quality management, and increases the productivity of static and variable print jobs. Complex variable data printing on The Bureau's NEXPRESS presses is made possible with its new FUSIONPRO workflow system. To further enhance its unified production workflow, The Bureau has invested in KODAK InSite software, KODAK TeamWorks software and KODAK EyeMedia software, to provide web based file submission, proofing, customer collaboration, and job and asset management capabilities. "KODAK Unified Workflow solutions were very attractive to us. Prior to adding KODAK workflow solutions, we used separate teams for offset and digital. With the PRINERGY workflow system, anyone can choose our different output devices," Stuart said. "The PRINERGY workflow system eliminates issues and allows us to make adjustments early on so that we don't have to spend time fixing problems later. The process controls we have in place with our Unified Workflow helps minimize mistakes and the need for reprints." The Bureau's NEXPRESS 2500 digital production color presses each include an inline booklet maker system. The booklet maker does not slow production down, allowing the NEXPRESS 2500 to run at rated speed, and can be used in an offline mode for greater flexibility. In addition, The Bureau purchased a KODAK DIGIMASTER E125 digital black and white production printing system, which provides the company with a higher quality and more cost effective monochrome printing solution. They also continue to use KODAK SWORD Excel thermal printing plates on the offset side. The $30 million company has been in business since 1898, launching its digital printing division in 2003. The Bureau has been a Kodak customer for more than eight years, and before adding the digital presses and workflow the company was already using KODAK Computer-To-Plate (CTP) technology, the KODAK APPROVAL XP4 digital color imaging system and KODAK MATCHPRINT Inkjet proofing solution. "Kodak recognizes that many of its customers operate in a blended production world. Sometimes they provide conventional offset, sometimes digital output and increasingly blended solutions are used to meet client needs. The common denominator is the need for high quality printing, done quickly and at the best possible cost," said Barry Quart, Vice President Marketing US&C Region, Kodak's Graphic Communications Group. "The Bureau is the perfect example of what printers are facing. Even though the company has been successful for more than 100 years, it now must navigate through major competitive and technological changes. Kodak has been partnering with The Bureau for a number of years and they trust us to help them grow business during a period of transition." The Bureau serves a diverse set of customers with leading edge products and services. On the digital side, The Bureau does on demand jobs for 12,000 to 15,000 personalized textbooks a month along with other digital work ranging form complex variable data applications to photobooks, sales collaterals, training materials and other short run color projects. The offset side of the company handles a large volume of point of purchase and point of sale printing, along with commercial work for retailers, design agencies, Fortune 500 companies, health care and insurance firms. The company handles everything from prepress to finishing and bindery. To keep customers aware of new technologies and products, The Bureau sponsors two podcasts, Today in Print and Money Well Spent, featuring company experts, as well as DigitalPrintForums.com, a website dedicated to user support of printing hardware and technology. More information about the company is available at www.thebureau.com. KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support, Kodak's worldwide service organization. Named Best Support Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, Kodak Service and Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.