ROCHESTER, N.Y.,- Mercury Print Productions, a leader in digital book printing for publishers in the education market, has begun installation of a KODAK PROSPER 5000XL Press. Mercury will use the PROSPER 5000XL Press to boost the company's ability to produce short-run and on-demand books in color, meeting publishers' needs in the education/textbook market.

The PROSPER 5000XL Press brings offset class output approaching 175 lines per inch to Mercury's digital capabilities, with roll-fed speeds up to 650 feet (or 200 meters) per minute. This combination of speed and superior quality make the PROSPER 5000XL Press the most productive inkjet web press on the market for 8, 12, and 16 page signatures. The PROSPER 5000XL Press has monthly duty cycles of up to 120 million A4 impressions, with print widths up to 24.5 inches. The result: short turnaround times for virtually any quantity of books, with the high quality publishers expect from offset presses.

The comprehensive book system with the KODAK PROSPER 5000XL Press installed at Mercury features the Lasermax Roll Systems Wide Unwind & Rewind units. The finishing lines feature the Stack 2230 Systems that, via a Shuttleworth conveyer, feed the Muller Martini Sigma Binder system.  

With faster time to market, offset print quality and automated inventory replenishment, Mercury plans to increase its already significant business from the largest textbook publishers, including McGraw Hill Education, Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and others.

"The trends that we're seeing include a mandate from publishers to reduce their inventories, incorporate more customization, and reduce the price point of textbooks," said Christian Schamberger, Mercury vice president of operations. "With the PROSPER 5000XL Press, we can provide our customers the product they need at the quantities they need, when they need it."

Mercury opened its book publishing division four years ago, when publishers began to turn to digital printing for its short turnaround times and on-demand capabilities. "We have a large fleet of digital presses now, but the introduction of the PROSPER Press will far out produce our current equipment." said Schamberger. "We really view the PROSPER 5000XL Press as transformational to the industry, which is why we chose it over other options on the market. The tremendous volume it can print in a month, along with the reduced price point per page will allow us to grow our business here in the U.S. This press will allow us to compete effectively with printers in China, where many publishers are sending their printing now. We can drive down the cost to keep the business here."

"As book publishers choose shorter run lengths and customization while maintaining their standards for high-quality printing, the PROSPER 5000XL Press reinforces Mercury as one of the strongest printers in the industry," said Vince Ferraro, Vice President of Global Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. "In a time when customers are changing the way that they look at inventory, the new generation of digital presses provides cost-effective, high-quality books when they are needed, at a price point that makes sense."

Mercury will work with Kodak to promote the PROSPER 5000XL Press jointly to the industry, providing on-site demonstrations for Kodak customers as well as for book publishers.  "The Mercury installation will be the first PROSPER 5000 XL Press in a printing company in Rochester, giving us the opportunity to work closely with Mercury to reach potential customers," said Ferraro. "Mercury's press will bring a great deal of printing business to Rochester from publishers across the country, making the PROSPER Press's arrival good news for the Rochester area economy."

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