ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 19, 2003 –– Print providers who insist on color accuracy and consistency can now reproduce PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors more reliably on the NexPress 2100 digital production color press, the first digital press in its class to become Pantone-licensed. The designation of the NexPress 2100 press comes after an extensive and collaborative testing process between NexPress Solutions LLC and Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. According to Andrew Hatkoff, Pantone’s vice president of Electronic Color Systems and TheRightColor, to become a Pantone-licensed device the NexPress 2100 press had to produce the best possible four-color (CMYK) combinations in two areas — spot color and repeatability of color outputs — for the 1,114 colors in the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM. The rigorous licensing process involved mapping out the correct values for colors, measuring printed targets and testing to create the best possible representations of PANTONE Colors. NexPress 2100 press operators need only to perform one simple check to ensure accurate reproduction of PANTONE Colors. By simply checking the “map spot color” box in the NexStation front end, users will achieve an optimized match for PANTONE Colors. Automation of the PANTONE Color matching process is now available to all users of the NexPress 2100 press through a software upgrade. “Designers and print buyers demand highly accurate PANTONE Color reproduction,” said Chris Payne, chief marketing officer and vice president, NexPress Solutions LLC. “We’re proud that, after our engineers worked so diligently with color scientists at Pantone, the NexPress 2100 press has earned the distinctive Pantone-licensed product designation, assuring press users will achieve PANTONE Color accuracy and reliability on all their printed projects.” “We’re very excited to announce the Pantone licensing of the NexPress 2100 press, which represents a new generation of digital color presses,” Hatkoff said. “It was truly a collaborative process between two companies that share a mutual commitment to color development and accuracy. The fact that NexPress has invested in such a demanding process shows how much color accuracy means to the company.” The NexPress 2100 Digital Production Color Press The NexPress 2100 press, which recently won the prestigious 2003 BERTL's Best award and the GATF 2002 InterTechTM technology award, is the graphic arts industry’s first true digital production color press –– producing outstanding image quality and consistency with every piece. It was developed by NexPress Solutions LLC, a joint venture of Eastman Kodak Company and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, created in 1998 to develop, manufacture and market digital production printing solutions and materials. The NexPress 2100 press is distributed and serviced around the world exclusively through Heidelberg.