Reduced environmental impact alongside maximum quality 

EYSINS, SWITZERLAND - In order to maximise customer loyalty by providing optimum quality in conjunction with reduced environmental impact, ArtCenter has switched to using KODAK TRILLIAN SP Thermal Plates, invested in a Baum feeder to work alongside its KODAK NEXPRESS SE2500 Digital Production Color Press, and made the decision to use KODAK NEXPRESS Light Black HD Dry Inks to further increase the quality of its digital printing.  These updated technologies complement ArtCenter’s already existing portfolio of KODAK Products, which have all been adopted in the company’s pursuit of the highest quality and performance at all times.

A 360 degree KODAK Solution

ArtCenter was established in 1999 as the result of the merger of two companies with twenty years’ experience - one an expert in photolithography and the other a specialist in photocomposition. A partnership with the advertising agency Winning Associati was consolidated after this, in 2006.  Both companies are based in Bernareggio, in the Monza Brianza area of Italy, and are managed by several partners.

“The integration between ArtCenter, which carries out digital printing and service activities, and Winning Associati is perfect, because it allows the agency to suggest digital printing and the company handling production to use the agency’s creativity for its own customers. We have twenty people in production and ten in the agency," explain Arnaldo Passeri and Massimo Morini, co-owners of ArtCenter and Winning Associati.

As a company offering digital printing applications including brochures, technical and fashion catalogues, promotions, instruction manuals and print campaigns, as well as making plates for customers working with offset printers, ArtCenter utilises an extensive range of KODAK Solutions. For offset, the company uses KODAK TRILLIAN SP Thermal Plates and one KODAK LOTEM 800 II Quantum Platesetter with multi-cassette units. For digital printing, the company has been using a KODAK NEXPRESS SE2500 Digital Production Color Press since 2009, providing customers with printed products indistinguishable from those obtained with offset printing, on any type of paper. To manage such a varied range of activities, ArtCenter also uses KODAK PRINERGY Workflow Software.

New plates for new customer demands and digital printing for flexible solutions and reduced waste

ArtCenter recently decided to switch to KODAK TRILLIAN SP Plates to keep up with the changing needs of its customers. As Arnaldo Passeri explains, “The plates we used before were not resistant enough for UV printing, which some of our customers use. With the TRILLIAN SP Plates, baking is no longer necessary for UV printing, and the printers that we supply are really pleased with the quality of results obtained. One of the major advantages of the high-performance TRILLIAN SP Plates is the fact that they require less chemistry to process and eliminate the need for baking, further reducing environmental impact.”

Having invested in a KODAK NEXPRESS SE2500 Press in 2009 in order to stand out from other printers in the region by offering to print on all types of paper, including matte and glossy coated papers, uncoated paper, recycled paper, embossed cardboard and paper with pearlescent and metallic surfaces, ArtCenter has recently enhanced its capabilities even further. ArtCenter customers can now choose from glossing, with the KODAK NEXPRESS Glossing Unit, matte varnishing with reservation, and  dimensional printing.

“However, there was another feature that convinced us to choose Kodak: sheet size and speed. We can print five colours in-line at a speed of 2,500 steps per hour and a maximum sheet size of 350 x 500 mm (13.78 x 19.68 inches). A few months ago, in response to requests for 3- or 4-leaf or even larger jobs, we decided to extend this format capacity, and installed a Baum feeder in-line with the KODAK NEXPRESS Press. Now we can comfortably print covers with fly-leaves in sizes of up to 350 x 920 mm (13.78 x 36.22 inches)”, adds Arnaldo Passeri.

The company also decided to switch to KODAK NEXPRESS Light Black HD Dry Inks earlier this year, to further increase the quality of its digital printing. These inks produce tones that are more consistent with skin tones while still maintaining superb detail and more realistic neutral and grey tones. This solution uses proprietary algorithms that replace specific colours with light black and is ideal for printing high-level commercial images for photographic applications and marketing materials. The fact that these inks are much thinner also provides ArtCenter with greater resolution in CMYK printing.

Quality guaranteed and reduced environmental impact

Always anxious to improve performance, ArtCenter has constantly updated its technologies in pursuit of its primary objective of quality at all times, “making us more competitive and ensuring customer loyalty. We want to satisfy our customers in the best possible way, and the KODAK Systems that we use all allow us to do that. We now have firm environmental credentials thanks to the TRILLIAN SP Plates, and we’re able to offer the flexibility of digital printing whilst ensuring the highest level of quality, thanks to our KODAK NEXPRESS Press solution. We love our work, and our possibilities are now endless thanks to Kodak’s technology.” says Arnaldo Passeri.

“ArtCenter has a positive outlook for the future: the company is certain that digital printing will be used more and more, and that the quality provided for digital plates and print jobs will see orders increase, supported by timely and precise assistance from our Kodak service engineers. ArtCenter demonstrates with concrete facts the Kodak philosophy that allows users to update their digital printing system in the field based on their needs,” says Alfredo Lorenzini, Kodak Marketing Manager, Commercial Business, Mediterranean Cluster.