Toronto - Kodak won two Gold Awards at the 2017 Canadian Print Awards for the Most Progressive Printing Process in the digital ink (inkjet or toner) and in the offset supplier categories for its NEXPRESS Digital Press and its Multi-Cassette Unit technology for KODAK TRENDSETTER and ACHIEVE Platesetters, respectively. Nearly 300 printers and technology suppliers from across Canada gathered at the Palais Royale in Toronto Ontario, for the 12th annual awards to celebrate the best in Canadian printing, environmental implementation, and industry achievement. 

KODAK NEXPRESS Opaque White Dry Ink featuring the Auto White Blend capability captured the Gold award for the ‘Most Progressive Printing Process’ in the digital ink category. The Auto White Blend functionality is a significant advancement allowing users of KODAK NEXPRESS Presses to easily add white ink to a CMYK image through a job ticket without prior design or prepress work. The NEXPRESS Opaque White Dry Ink opens the door to applications printing on transparent or colored media and delivers superior opacity in a single pass compared to multiple passes on other devices, delivering increased productivity. This capability, among the many new features for the NEXPRESS Platform, including the newly commercialized NEXPRESS Substrate Expansion Kit, which gives printers the ability to print on thicker paperboard and synthetic substrates, allows customers to differentiate printed material and promote the use of print over other forms of communications.

In the offset category, Kodak’s Multi-Cassette Unit for its line of KODAK TRENDSETTER and ACHIEVE Platesetters took home the Gold award in the ‘Most Progressive Printing Process’ category. The new Multi-Cassette Unit (MCU) has a footprint up to 65% smaller and consumes up to 80% less power than other MCU’s available in the market for comparable CTP devices. While imaging, the TRENDSETTER Platesetter uses only 770 watts, and the ACHIEVE Platesetter uses only 400 watts, the equivalent of a few light bulbs. The MCU’s compact design is also essential for printers that want to improve productivity through automation but don’t have much extra physical space in prepress. The TRENDSETTER and ACHIEVE Platesetters are also fully compatible with SONORA Process Free Plates, so printers can save even more space in prepress by eliminating the plate processor. 

“We’re honored to receive this tremendous recognition from the Canadian Print Awards for the advancements Kodak has achieved for our digital printing and offset plate technology,” said Todd Bigger, Vice President, Print Systems Division, Kodak. “The innovations Kodak has introduced to the NEXPRESS Platform, and our ACHIEVE and TRENDSETTER Platesetters continues our focus on helping print service providers add more flexibility, reduce costs, and improve their sustainability, while at the same time opening the doors to develop new applications that grow their business.”