Kodak Announces First European Sale of New KODAK NEXPRESS SE3600 Press to The Anton Group Ltd.

ROCHESTER, NY—Dec. 17—The Anton Group Ltd. (Anton), one of the largest printing, mailing and fulfillment companies in the UK, is the first customer in Europe to purchase the new KODAK NEXPRESS SE3600 Digital Production Color Press. With this investment, Anton now has six KODAK NEXPRESS machines. Anton’s customers include leading brands such as Virgin, Tesco and RBS, and the purchase of the NEXPRESS SE36000 Press enables Anton to double digital production capacity.

The NEXPRESS SE3600 Press is an important part of Anton’s overall investment program. The technological advances of the NEXPRESS SE3600 will not only increase efficiency and improve color quality but will also inspire a new era of personalized communication.

Digital Production Manager Richard Hargrave is at the front line of digital development at Anton and his department is the fastest growing area of the business. “The NEXPRESS SE3600 Press has already positively changed our customers’ confidence and expectations about the use of digital technology” said Hargrave. “In the past we were producing around 10,000 A5 postcards with a simple personalized message. Now the average production run is around 20,000-25,000, and in many cases we are printing significant numbers of sophisticated and personalized images per targeted mailing. The speed and unique features of the NEXPRESS SE3600 Press afford us limitless possibilities and allow us to offer our clients larger volume and more effective mailings. The press is also improving our operating efficiency.”

Hargrave explained: “Average order quantities are now beginning to increase to around 100,000. In parallel, production efficiencies will continue to improve due to production speeds, economies of scale and just-in-time supply. Equally important is the challenge of developing one-to-one communication applications which fully utilize the digital potential. In the final analysis, the NEXPRESS Press is a change in mindset—a triumph of imagination and economics.”

The investments in digital production technology have played a major part in Anton’s successful growth over the last five years. For Anton and Richard Hargrave, the growth of digital has been a continuous learning experience. This latest investment represents the sixth milestone in that learning process.

Anton has purchased the NEXPRESS SE3600 Press with the new KODAK NEXPRESS Intelligent Calibration System (ICS). This automates the process of checking and maintaining print uniformity. The system uses a KODAK i1220 ICS Scanner to capture and analyze color output and feed critical data back to the system for closed-loop color calibration. In addition, KODAK NEXPRESS Enhanced Dry Ink and KODAK NEXPRESS Developer represent a new formulation of ink and developer that improves image quality by delivering offset class smooth flat tints, and print consistency across jobs and over time.

The press is driven by the KODAK NEXPRESS System Software version 11, the first front end in the market with ADOBE PDF print engine 2.0 for higher productivity and seamless workflow integration. From compatibility with the latest PDF standards to seamless integration when implementing variable data printing (VDP) capabilities, the NEXPRESS System Software version 11 improves file processing significantly.

The NEXPRESS SE Digital Production Color Platform also offers the award-winning KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, allowing users to add a variety of unique features inline during the printing process. For the SE3600 Press, Kodak’s Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions offer clear coating, watermarking, glossing, protection coating, and color gamut expansion.

“The NEXPRESS SE3600 Press represents the latest in Kodak innovation for commercial, photo and in-plant printers. It is a game-changing digital color press that outpaces the competition and delivers superior offset class output,” said Kevin Joyce, Worldwide Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. “The NEXPRESS SE Digital Production Color Platform enables print service providers to maximize productivity, expand revenue opportunities with higher value applications, and increase return on marketing investment.”

Anton is committed to the future of digital technology both in terms of the applications and production potential. David Rosebery, Chairman of Anton concluded: “Kodak has become a very important partner in our future and the NEXPRESS SE3600 is an excellent example of how high-quality research, development and engineering can contribute to the achievement of our strategies and the ambitions of our clients.”

Visit the news section of http://www.graphics.kodak.com for a video on Anton’s success with KODAK NEXPRESS Presses.

KODAK Products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

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