Italian print service provider Abramo Printing & Logistics has invested in four KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems to print variable data for the ISTAT 2011 Italian census forms. The print house has a long-standing relationship with Kodak. Among its numerous offset and web offset printing machines are three KODAK VERSAMARK Printing Systems, two with two 9-inch inkjet printheads, and one with four 9-inch inkjet printheads.

Catanzaro-based Abramo Printing & Logistics specializes in print management and fulfilment of personalised direct mail for government agencies and major brands, including banks and insurance companies. With a turnover of 40 million euros (2009) and 250 staff, including technicians, operators and managers, the company is one of the largest printers in Italy.

Printing 20 million custom packets

Rino Abramo, Plant Manager explains the company’s decision to invest again in KODAK Technology, “We were looking for a variable printing system that could deliver the excellent quality required for the census project. And given the project’s stringent deadlines and the requirement for 20 million customized census forms, we needed a high-speed system that we could rely on.

“We opted for hybrid printing technology, which uses offset and digital techniques, and decided that the PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems were the best equipped to handle the demands of the project.”

Abramo Printing & Logistics printed the census forms using a 48-page MANROLAND LITHOMAN IV Rotary Press with four PROSPER S-Series Systems installed. The rotary press printed the forms in color, while the PROSPER S-Series printed the variable address and bar code information.

The product came out collated on the reverse side and trimmed in its finished format. The bar code was then scanned using a video camera to check its legibility and content, ensuring it corresponded with the variable data on the front, while a database managed the numbering sequence. The entire system was devoted to printing the census for two months without interruption.

Efficient, easily integrated print heads

The KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting System was the first product to use KODAK Stream Inkjet technology. With speeds matching those of web offset presses, the system can be monochrome or implemented with several colors for the integrated production of variable data applications. The PROSPER S-Series System has a print resolution of 600 x 300dpi, a print width of 10.56cm, and uses pigment-based inks offering excellent scratch, fade and water resistance.

Abramo continues, “The system offers flexible assembly options, and it integrated perfectly with the LITHOMAN IV Rotary Press and finishing equipment. The result was a top-quality, integrated offset and inkjet printing system for variable data. And because the PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems are so flexible, once we finished printing the census they were assembled on a finishing line dedicated to mailing envelopes.”

The PROSPER S-Series Imprinting System has a top speed of up to 600m/min and can print variable data inline. This saves time and money compared with the traditional, two-step process, which adds offline laser printing to forms previously printed using offset methods.

Mailing and collating census data

All the variable elements of the census questionnaire, including the name, address and specific questions, were printed by the KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems. After printing, the forms were mailed to each Italian household for completion.  

Kodak is a global advisor and provider of integrated services to help companies transform and optimize their businesses. Through a network of service professionals in more than 120 countries, Kodak provides technical, professional, consulting and managed services to enable customers to focus on growing their businesses, maximizing productivity, and more effectively managing risks. All KODAK Products and Software are backed by KODAK Service and Support. To learn more, please visit www.graphics.kodak.com.