ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 9 -- Eight newspaper printers around the United States are the latest to add KODAK Thermal Digital Platesetters, KODAK Digital Plates, and workflow solutions to add quality and speed to their prepress operations.
“We have been extremely pleased with the KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetter we installed in 2004, so it made sense for us to stick with Kodak,” said Roger Stolley, General Manager of Cannon Valley Printing, a division of Mainstream Publications LLC in Northfield, Minn. “We made a decision to do a package deal on consumables, and our prepress people are looking forward to the advantages of having a KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow System.”
Cannon Valley Printing is responsible for producing two daily newspapers, the Owatonna People’s Press and the Faribault Daily News, plus nine weeklies, biweeklies and shopper publications. The addition of a second KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetter will give the newspaper printer added capacity and flexibility in meeting deadline schedules. Cannon Valley also added KODAK STACCATO Screening capabilities to its prepress operation.
At Hunter Publishing in Madison, S.D., the PAGE Co-Op member purchased a KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 70 Platesetter, KODAK Thermal Digital Plates, PRINERGY EVO workflow system and the Plus version of KODAK PREPS Imposition Software to handle production of the Madison Daily Leader, 20 weeklies, student and monthly community newspapers, as well as commercial printing jobs.
“We attended PAGE Co-Op seminars on CTP and looked at a smorgasbord of options from various companies, but it made sense to us to go with one supplier. Kodak could provide us with the full line of solutions and we feel they are in the business for the long term. We can count on Kodak for tech support down the road,” said Jon Hunter, President of Hunter Publishing. “Kodak has a deep bench when it comes to support and they can meet our turnaround times because they understand our deadlines.”
Other newspaper printers that have recently added Kodak solutions include:
News Publishing Co. of Rome, Ga., purchased a TRENDSETTER NEWS 70 CTP Device and KODAK THERMALNEWS GOLD Digital Plates. The company prints the Rome News-Tribune and 10 weekly newspapers.
Gold Country Printing in Auburn, Calif., a PAGE Co-Op member, purchased a second TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetter, KODAK Thermal Digital Plates, PRINERGY EVO Workflow System and KODAK STACCATO Screening. Gold Country prints the Auburn Journal.
Pomerado Publishing of Poway, Calif., a PAGE Co-Op member, purchased a KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 50 Platesetter, KODAK Thermal Digital Plates, STACCATO Screening and PRINERGY EVO Workflow System. The division of Calvert Communications prints a number of weekly newspapers and commercial projects.
Western Communications Inc. of Sonora, Calif., purchased a TRENDSETTER NEWS 50 Platesetter, PRINERGY EVO Workflow System and PREPS Imposition Software. Western prints the Union Democrat.
The Ventura County Star in Camarillo, Calif., purchased two KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS 100 Platesetters and THERMALNEWS GOLD Digital Plates.
Shivers Trading & Operating Co., which prints The Brainerd Daily Dispatch in Brainerd, Minn., purchased two TRENDSETTER NEWS 50 Platesetters, KODAK Thermal Digital Plates and PREPS Imposition Software.
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 TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetter delivers fast, reliable imaging with a standard file format interface for newspaper production systems. It is available with semiautomatic 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.
THERMALNEWS GOLD Digital Plates meet the rigorous demands of newspaper printing while delivering outstanding resolution for premium newspaper printing and commercial quality printing. THERMALNEWS GOLD Plates offer run lengths of more than 200,000 impressions without postbaking. Rapid imaging and processing, faster makeready and plate reliability gives newspapers extra editorial time, and the clean working, low pH, low consumption developer reduces processing costs.
The KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow System helps newspapers deal with last minute changes easily, without causing delays. Based on the latest standards and proven PRINERGY technology, PRINERGY EVO 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 Systems help 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 more quickly.
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 greater postpress reliability by automatically generating bar codes that can be read by WST and MULLER MARTINI bar code readers.
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. SQUARESPOT Thermal 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 products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.