Kodak Captures Highest Rating in SpencerLab Photographic Print Image Quality Study KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Press equals HP overall and beats out Xerox in side-by-side comparison
Press Release Source: Kodak On Monday September 12, 2011, 10:30 am
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In an independent study just completed by the SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory, the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Digital Production Color Press achieved an overall highest rating in photographic print quality, demonstrating the best all-round performance across the majority of attributes evaluated. A white paper with methodology, image samples, measurement results, and full details of the study will be issued by SpencerLab in October.
The results of the study showed that the NEXPRESS Press had the best-in-class realism for sky, water, and foliage; and high realism for skin tones. It also had best-in-class sharpness and high smoothness, and the best monochrome/neutral gray output. Other devices evaluated in the study were the HP INDIGO 7500 Digital Press, XEROX iGen4 Press, and XEROX Color 1000 Press. The study evaluated glossy and matte prints produced at each manufacturer’s facility.
According to David Spencer, CEO of SpencerLab, “We were extremely impressed by the improvements demonstrated by the SX with HD Dry Ink, bringing its photographic print quality right up to Best-in-Class. In this test of four digital presses, all able to make very high-quality photographic prints, the KODAK NEXPRESS SX 3300 showed its true colors—its excellent capabilities.”
The NEXPRESS SX Digital Production Color Platform with Print Genius offers exceptional quality and productivity, and has been designed to meet the needs of commercial printers, photo product printers, direct mail houses, in-plant printers, and data centers. Features include speeds up to 131 ppm, a longer sheet size (26?/660 mm), smaller ink particle size with the new KODAK NEXPRESS HD Dry Ink, new KODAK NEXPRESS Light Black HD Solution, and a new matte printing effect option.
KODAK NEXPRESS HD Dry Ink with smaller ink particles reduces grain and provides smoother continuous tones for photo-quality output. In addition, KODAK Light Black HD Dry Ink Solution, which is now available for the Fifth Imaging Unit, uses proprietary algorithms to substitute the light black for specific colors, resulting in smoother skin tones while maintaining superb detail for high-end photo applications. The matte effect is completed inline, and produces a matte look for printed pages or photos. Printers can switch to and from the matte finish option in less than 15 minutes giving them the ultimate flexibility in finishes.
“Our customers refuse to compromise—they expect the absolute highest image quality, they expect outstanding productivity, they expect scalability, and they expect ease of use,” said Vince Ferraro, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. “Whether they bought the press last week or five years ago, they can take advantage of the latest features and protect their initial investment because existing and future customers are able to upgrade their NEXPRESS Presses to get new functionality instead of buying a new machine. Our customers appreciate the image quality of the press, so having an independent confirmation of our industry-leading image quality is the icing on the cake.”
Featuring a monthly duty cycle of up to 4.4 million pages and print speeds of 91, 109 or 131 ppm when printing on 26?/660 mm long sheets, the NEXPRESS SX Platform prints on more than 700 standard offset substrates, including coated, uncoated, FSC, plastics, magnets, linens, static clings, micro-perforated substrates, and more.
The Fifth Imaging Unit enables watermarking, protection coating, glossing, MICR printing, gamut expansion, red fluorescing ink for security and workflow applications, and inline dimensional printing, which is unique in the industry. In addition, high-quality glossing through KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Gloss technology is possible using KODAK NEXPRESS Clear Dry Ink in conjunction with the near-line KODAK NEXPRESS Glossing Unit.
For details on Kodak’s participation in Graph Expo 2011, please visit www.kodak.com/go/graphexpo.
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 120+ countries, Kodak provides technical, professional, consulting and managed services to enable customers to focus on growing their businesses, maximize productivity, and more effectively manage risks. All Kodak products and software are backed by KODAK Service and Support. To learn more, visit www.graphics.kodak.com.
About SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory
Celebrating over 20 years of service, SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory, an independent test division of Spencer & Associates Publishing, Ltd., has earned international recognition for its expertise in Color Print Quality and its evaluation of key performance metrics of digital printing systems. SpencerLab is broadly respected as a leader in unbiased, third-party benchmarking of digital imaging and printing systems.
Leading vendors and firms for whom printing is mission-critical have relied upon SpencerLab to provide Print Quality, Ink/Toner Yield and Cost-per-Print, Throughput Speed, Usability, Reliability and Availability analyses for a variety of printing technologies – ink-based, toner-based, and many others. SpencerLab provides leadership in quantitative and qualitative comparisons—test and evaluation services, benchmark test software/hardware, and focus group management.
For more information, visit www.spencerlab.com.
About Kodak
As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of images, information, and printing to enrich their lives.
In the graphic communications industry, Kodak serves customers in the printing, publishing, packaging and enterprise markets with intelligent solutions for competitive advantage and greater return on investment.
Kodak helps customers adapt, transform and grow their businesses. Through a comprehensive product and solutions portfolio that integrates revolutionary technologies, smart automation and specialized services, Kodak supplies customers operating in traditional, hybrid and digital graphic environments the broadest choice of software, production products and services for creating and managing high value variable output efficiently and cost effectively.
For more information, visit graphics.kodak.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/kodakidigprint and visit our blog at www.growyourbiz.kodak.com
(Kodak, NexPress, and Perfect Touch are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)
Contact:
Kodak
Jonathan Ghent, +1 585-724-5417
Jonathan.Ghent@kodak.com
or
Eric Mower and Associates
Jenny Lesczinski, +1 585-389-1825
KodakPR@mower.com
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