April 21, 2003 -- Norwalk, Connecticut, USA – Queen Elizabeth II is paying tribute to the world’s leading no pre-heat thermal CtP plate. Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) announced today that it has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for the Kodak Polychrome Graphics Electra Excel Thermal Printing Plate and for KPG’s introduction and continuous improvement of thermal printing plate technology. “Our customers and employees around the world can take great pride in this honor, because KPG’s thermal printing plate technology is the result of a truly global partnership – within KPG and with our customers,” said Jeff Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer, KPG. “I’m especially proud of the people in our Leeds, England operation whose contributions to thermal CtP helped make the technology available to a broad range of printers around the world.” The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are presented to businesses each year upon recommendation of the British Prime Minister. Awards are made in three categories: Innovation, International Trade and Sustainable Development. They are considered to be among the highest honors to be presented to businesses in the United Kingdom. In honoring KPG, the Queen’s Award recognized the Electra Excel plate, which was developed at KPG’s Leeds operation. The award cites KPG’s extensive accomplishments in research and development of thermal CtP, which has allowed printers all over the world to enjoy improvements in speed and quality while reducing waste and cost. Electra Excel is a no pre-heat, thermal printing plate with a wide spectral response that optimizes performance and productivity when used on a variety of today’s market leading platesetters. It is considered the most successful plate in the history of thermal CtP in Europe. Electra Excel is now produced at the new KPG plant in China and is used by customers throughout Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. It has the highest sales volume of any thermal plate in the world. In addition to the Electra Excel plate, KPG offers a complete line-up of thermal plates. The portfolio varies by region to suit the unique needs of each market. It includes: Kodak Polychrome Graphics DITP plate, Kodak Polychrome Graphics SWORD plate, Kodak Polychrome Graphics Thermal Gold plate, Kodak Polychrome Graphics Scorpion Thermal Waterless plate, Kodak Polychrome Graphics ThermalNews plate, and Kodak Polychrome Graphics Thermal Printing Plate/830. “The Queen’s Award is inspiration for all of us to continue to enhance and improve thermal CtP,” said Mike Harding, Director of Manufacturing at KPG’s Leeds factory. “We want to make the technology work better for our customers, at the same time that we make the benefits of thermal CtP accessible to even more printers.”