ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 23—Lee Enterprises, which publishes 56 dailies and more than 300 weeklies, classified and specialty publications across 23 states, has signed an agreement to acquire 31 KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetters, along with Kodak’s Workflow and Screening, in a move to improve quality and increase output at production facilities across the United States.
     “With Kodak’s thermal digital solutions, we expect to produce a better looking product for our readers and advertisers, while saving time in production that will give our editorial staff more deadline flexibility,” said Brian Kardell, VP of Production and Chief Information Officer, Lee Enterprises Inc. “We have already been using KODAK Platesetters and Workflow in five subsidiaries and experiencing process control and cost savings, convincing us to make this major investment to upgrade our printing operations.”
Lee Enterprises is the fourth largest newspaper publisher in America in terms of dailies owned. Based in Davenport, Iowa, Lee’s newspapers have a combined daily circulation of 1.6 million and 1.9 million on Sundays, while its weekly publications reach 4.5 million households.
“Lee Enterprises is a major newspaper publisher facing many of the same business challenges that other newspaper publishers are grappling with daily. The TRENDSETTER NEWS Platesetters and Kodak’s workflow systems deliver fast and reliable imaging, with features that help reduce costs and speed up the production cycle,” said Karen Mitchell, Regional Marketing Manager Newspaper Segment, Kodak.
      Dailies installing Kodak’s thermal digital solutions in 2007 include: The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.; Billings Gazette, Billings, Mont.; The Southern Illinoisian, Carbondale, Ill.; Casper Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo.; The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y.; Independent Record, Helena, Mont.; Missoulian, Missoula, Mont.; Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, S.D.; The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho; The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.; Sioux City Journal, Sioux City, Iowa; The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah; Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa; Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis; and St. Louis Post Dispatch, St. Louis.
      The TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal CTP Device comes in five models, ranging in speed from 60 to more than 240 plates per hour to suit newspaper printing facilities of all sizes. The KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Platesetter delivers fast, reliable imaging with a standard file format interface for newspaper production systems. It is available with semi automatic or fully automated plate loading and unloading. The machine to machine accuracy of the KODAK SQUARESPOT Thermal Imaging Heads, combined with the binary nature of thermal imaging, achieves consistent and repeatable halftone dot structures.
      The KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow System helps newspapers deal with last minute changes easily, without causing delays. Based on the latest standards and proven technology, PRINERGY EVO News Software delivers exceptional PDF processing capabilities. A flexible PDF workflow featuring proven color management, late stage editing and imposition, and advanced screening options to optimize output on TRENDSETTER NEWS CTP devices, PRINERGY EVO helps deliver the end to end automation, speed, control, and flexibility that newspapers need to accommodate tight editorial and ad deadlines, and output large numbers of pages quickly.
      KODAK STACCATO Screening produces high fidelity, artifact free images that exhibit fine detail and more impactful color in newspapers. STACCATO Screening creates images without halftone rosettes, screening moiré, gray level limitations, or abrupt jumps in tone—with no impact on RIPing or rendering time. KODAK SQUARESPOT Imaging Technology enables the fine dot structure of STACCATO Screening to be a reliable and practical solution for newspaper printing and an effective competitive edge for publishers.
      KODAK NEWSMANAGER Workflow System, a powerful PDF workflow management tool for high performance newspaper prepress, enables a flexible, automated workflow from edition plan to plate production. Based on open standards, it easily integrates into existing systems. The NEWSMANAGER Workflow System is scaleable to meet all needs, from contract printers to metropolitan, national and international newspapers with multiple print sites.
      KODAK PREPS Imposition Software supports POSTSCRIPT, PDF, EPS, DCS and TIFF source files. It works with all KODAK and many major third party workflow systems. PREPS Imposition Software helps prepress professionals remove even more manual steps from their preferred workflow by providing digital imposition. PREPS Software enhances production efficiency by integrating more thoroughly with various workflows and accepting more than 200 types of file inputs. PREPS Imposition Software also enhances prepress efficiency and enables postpress reliability by automatically generating bar codes that can be read by WST and Muller Martini bar code readers.
KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. 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.