ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 2-KCL, the Finnish-based research company for the global paper and pulp industry, has made a major strategic investment in inkjet printing research with the installation of a KODAK VERSAMARK VX5000e Printing System.

The VERSAMARK Printing System forms part of a €2 million-plus spend on inkjet research infrastructure, and is KCL's biggest single investment for many years. Susanna Nieminen, Research Director Printing and End-Use, explained the rationale behind the purchase: "With this investment we are moving forward with our first really big digital printing machine – prior to this our research and development work has concentrated on conventional printing. We recognize that inkjet has the potential to change the printing world and we wanted to have the very latest technology."

Founded in 1916, KCL employs just fewer than 300 staff at its two locations in Finland. The company has traditionally worked for clients in the pulp and paper industry, but its remit now extends to printing press manufacturers, printers and publishers who all have an interest in ensuring that printed products remain sustainable and competitive. It carries out research into the entire value chain, from raw materials used for papermaking to printed end products and consumer habits.

 "Print and paper are highly competitive industries and companies are under lots of pressure. We must deliver fast, clear economic value to our customers. Now, more than ever, there is a need for radical changes, not just incremental improvements, and that is where we see our opportunity," Nieminen added. "The biggest challenge is materials interaction, and that is where we can really help our customers achieve better quality and system throughput. We expect inkjet will become a real volume process in the future. This investment will allow us to develop our competences and help our customers to be ready for the opportunities presented by inkjet. We chose the KODAK System because of its speed and the fact that it is widely used in the field. The development work Kodak is carrying out in inkjet makes it a good platform for the future, too."

The VERSAMARK VX5000e Printing System completed acceptance testing earlier this month, and has now embarked upon printing trials that form part of a current research project.

The KODAK VERSAMARK V-Series Printing Systems for high volume printing are built on a modular platform allowing uncommon flexible system growth and a clear, uncomplicated upgrade path. The V-Series offer simplex to duplex configuration; 1-up to 2-up configuration; 250 fpm or 500 fpm (83 mpm or 152 mpm); monochrome to spot color to process color; and low cost of operation. The V-Series can handle high-volume variable data print applications for transactional documents, print-on-demand, direct mail, books and newspapers.

More information about KCL can be found at the company's website www.kcl.fi.