Rochester, NY - Longtime Kodak customer Phipps Dickson Integria (PDI) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the PDI Group, recently opted to upgrade its digital printing portfolio with the installation of a KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Digital Production Color Press with the 36-inch (914 mm) long sheet option. PDI is the only commercial printer in Eastern Canada now offering larger-sized applications on the NEXPRESS Press, which has enabled the company to differentiate its service offerings and generate new business growth.

PDI serves as a one-stop shop for variable-printing direct mail and draws a diverse clientele from across both the United States and Canada. The company selected the NEXPRESS SX Press based on its offset class imaging quality, remarkable efficiency and advanced printing features, courtesy of the KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solution.

      “We have been using a number of KODAK Solutions at PDI for many years, including the KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 Plus Digital Production Color Press, KODAK DIGIMASTER Production Platform, KODAK PRINERGY Workflow, KODAK MAGNUS 800 Platesetter and KODAK ELECTRA XD Plates. We just recently upgraded our NEXPRESS Press to the NEXPRESS SX Press, in order to enhance our digital printing capabilities beyond current market capabilities,” said Jamie Barbieri, President of the PDI Group. “The 36-inch NEXPRESS SX Press with long sheet option produces a wider range of applications, while delivering outstanding quality and productivity that we’ve come to expect with the NEXPRESS Press. This new platform is a real benefit to both our company and customers.”

      The NEXPRESS SX Platform prints on more than 800 standard offset substrates, and the long sheet option helps printers to increase productivity within their operation. The 36-inch long sheet delivers more than 40 percent more printable area and has enabled PDI to extend its services into high-quality posters, oversized brochures and other larger-sized applications.

The KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solution enables spot colors, new Gold and Pearlescent effects, unique in-line dimensional printing, high-quality gloss, inline watermarking and coating in a single pass. Having these differentiated capabilities in its portfolio has helped PDI to tap into new markets and bring in additional revenue.

      “We have many customers requesting the red fluorescing and dimensional printing features on their direct mail applications in order to enhance their printed communications. Our customers are reaping the benefits of using these unique printing features in their promotional material as they witness increased response rates, better customer recall, as well as greater brand awareness,” said Barbieri.

The NEXPRESS SX Platform is programmed to reach speeds of 131 ppm to help printers achieve faster turnaround times, no matter the run length or volume of the job. The NEXPRESS SX Press also features Print Genius, a suite of productivity and quality control tools developed specifically to automate tasks and help printers maintain peak quality throughout the production run.

In addition to investing in the NEXPRESS SX Press, PDI also expanded its business online. KODAK PRINERGY Workflow connects seamlessly with EFI Online Print Solutions Web-to-Print software, allowing clients’ online orders to flow through to press with little intervention required by PDI staff. These technologies have helped the company to streamline its production process and enable bidirectional communication with the NEXPRESS Press for a completely automated solution from job submission to print.

PRINERGY Workflow also offers printers customizable automation, third-party integration and advanced color and screening proficiencies for added flexibility and control.

      “PDI is fully maximizing its printing operation by combining the high-quality imaging of the NEXPRESS Platform with the automation provided by PRINERGY Workflow and the EFI OPS platform,” said Jennifer Conroy, Kodak’s Category Manager for Unified Workflow Solutions, U.S. & Canada Region. “Together, these products give the PDI a robust and complete solution that meets the increasing demands for digital printing and can deliver high-quality variable printing applications—no matter the run length or turnaround requirements.” 

 As with all NEXPRESS Presses, the NEXPRESS SX Press also has the major advantage of upgradability. A customer can invest in a digital printing solution that meets their current needs, but feel confident that the technology can grow with their business.