Market-leading systems cost effectively boost productivity to increase competitiveness 

EYSINS, SWITZERLAND - Ways to add value to newspaper production while enhancing production and increasing efficiency will be presented by Kodak at WAN-IFRA’s World Publishing Expo 2013, Berlin, Germany, from October 7 – 9 in hall 1.2, booth 2310.

Among the market-leading solutions showcased to enable newspaper and semi-commercial newspaper printers achieve high-quality results cost effectively will be the KODAK PROSPER 5000XLi Press which provides offset-class output and a combination of speed and superior quality making it one of the most productive inkjet web presses on the market for the newspaper industry. Kodak will also share the advantages of the KODAK VERSAMARK VL4200 Printing System, the KODAK PROSPER S30 Imprinting System, KODAK THERMALNEWS PT Digital Plates and KODAK SONORA NEWS Process Free Plates. Visitors from more than 70 countries will see how these easy-to-use, latest-generation systems require minimum operator effort and offer monitoring and intervention to help increase efficiencies to improve productivity and capital costs.

“Kodak is at the vanguard of newspaper production,” comments Philip Cullimore, Regional Managing Director EAMER. “Inkjet technology will revitalize the printed newspaper – major publishers like Axel Springer and News UK have invested in KODAK PROSPER S30 Imprinting Systems to link their printed and digital offerings and to exploit new commercial opportunities.  “Newspapers are discovering how they can adapt their product offering flexibility, especially when it comes to being able to offer more dynamic, targeted content. At WAN-IFRA, we will be showing how they can address these content issues from full pages to variable codes. We will also be showing visitors how they can significantly impact their day-to-day production capabilities and costs with our long-run, environmentally conscious plates.” 

Full-page Variable Printing

Capable of full-page digital color variable printing, the KODAK VERSAMARK VL4200 Printing System is a turnkey solution comprised of reliable inkjet printheads and a choice of controller which is ideal for short-run or remote newspaper printing.

For our customers, the system aids client acquisition and retention objectives, and improves their bottom line. The VL4200 can run at 125 mpm (410fpm) at a resolution of 600 x 360 dpi. 

The faster, high quality KODAK PROSPER 5000XLi Press, with its wider web width, is expanding the newspaper markets that can use inkjet technology. It will run at 200 mpm and has a print width of 620mm enabling the printing of broadsheet newspapers without shrinkage.  Using Kodak’s nano-particulate pigment inks and a print resolution of 600X600 dpi,  it provides a higher print quality, and can print on a much broader range of papers. To help ensure crisp, readable output, the press also features a text enhancement feature and a number of innovations in its transport system that virtually eliminate page imperfections caused by paper stretching and wrinkling. At its core is the Intelligent Print System (IPS), which is designed to process thousands of press inputs that measure imaging performance, detecting variations and making adjustments as needed on the fly.

It will not replace the VL4200 which is uniquely suited to lower volume printing in “out of country” markets.

Maximizing variable data capabilities

For applying elements of variable data, there is the KODAK PROSPER S30 Imprinting System. The higher-performance choice for hybrid printing applications such as direct mail, inserts, gaming, advertising, package labeling, and more has the highest speed in the industry at 900 mpm (3000 fpm). It delivers 600 x 200 dpi output.

These solutions offer unique capabilities when it comes to newspaper publishing. The ability to print good quality variable data directly onto the newspaper while running the web presses at full speed, extending the useful life of the web press with a comparatively small incremental investment.

Cullimore expands, “Publishers are finding that by putting unique codes in every printed newspaper, they can allow their readers access to content on their digital offerings which would only be available to the general public behind pay-walls.”

A video will highlight how Axel Springer’s Ahrensburg newspaper printing plant has used the KODAK PROSPER S30 Imprinting System to help increase circulation and provide new variable data advertising services. Mounted on Axel Springer’s MANROLAND or KBA Offset Press the PROSPER S30 Imprinting System imprints variable components, including consecutive lottery numbers, variable QR codes, and changing artwork, across a width of up to 10.56cm at full production speed. Its creation of gaming products in Bild, one of Germany’s largest newspapers, will be among the examples featured on a sample wall where visitors can learn more.

“With these options customers have a choice about the amount of variable data they can offer and therefore the different ways they can support newspapers,” adds Cullimore. “We are excited to see how we can help a traditional product become more dynamic in a very competitive arena.”

Thermal plates  – a hot topic

Helping to improve competiveness are KODAK THERMALNEWS PT Digital Plates, which provide the print quality and stability of thermal plates, while enabling printers to eliminate the preheat and prewash from processing to save electricity and water and reduce process variability.

Violet plates must utilise a preheat step, but THERMALNEWS PT Plates eliminate this step, letting printers achieve greater stability and more consistent quality while maintaining productivity. Removing preheat can cut energy usage by up to 60%. Similarly, by eliminating the prewash step, the water consumption in processing is reduced by 50%, whilst using equal or less developer. THERMALNEWS PT Plates can be used with a no preheat, no prewash thermal plate processor, such as the KODAK T-HDX Plate Processor, or the plate can be processed through a standard processor with the preheat turned off for energy savings, or turned on for plates that will enable longer run lengths. Without the preheat, THERMALNEWS PT Plates can achieve the same run lengths as THERMALNEWS GOLD Plates, with up to 200,000 impressions. Plus, for those newspapers requiring longer runs, 350,000 impressions can be achieved when used with preheat.

Totally eliminating plate processing equipment and processing chemistry is the KODAK SONORA NEWS Process Free Plate. Completely eliminating processing not only reduces the chemistry, equipment maintenance, and energy costs of processing, it improves process control for greater quality and more efficient operations, and it reduces environmental impact. Specifically designed for newspaper applications, SONORA NEWS Plates work well in both manual and highly automated platemaking environments and enable newspaper printers to get their jobs to press fast by eliminating the time needed for traditional processing. SONORA NEWS Plates can image at up to 240 plates per hour on the GENERATION NEWS Platesetter, fast enough for some of the larger newspaper operations. 

“By speeding up the time it takes to get jobs on press, eliminating the costs associated with processing, and reducing environmental impact, newspapers can improve their profits and be more competitive,” adds Cullimore.

Workflow partnership delivers global support

Access to a broad range of possibilities is one thing. It is how you make them work day-to-day and job-to-job that will truly deliver benefits. This is why Kodak’s partnership with wobe's team WNEWSNET Workflow is so important. It manages digital production data in a newspaper prepress department to facilitate automation of plate production, data control and data processing. Scalable to grow as customers grow, it offers a comprehensive newspaper workflow solution, including PDF management tools with preflight and correct functionality, color-consistent soft proofing tools, ink-saving benefits with the PDF-InkAdjust feature, and third-party integration capabilities to deliver a fully automatic production system. 

“Everyone is looking for solutions to help them expand capabilities, reach new markets, offer more to existing clients and attract new business,” concludes Philip Cullimore. “Our market-ready, tried and tested portfolio is doing just that for many businesses across Europe and we are excited to see how many more we can help at WAN-IFRA.”