Features Printing Production Inkjet
Kodak Introduces Prosper 6000 Series

With its renewed focus on the printing industry, Eastman Kodak this morning introduced what the company is calling two next-generation presses within its unique Prosper inkjet platform, including the Prosper 6000C and Prosper 6000P.

The Prosper 6000C (with “C” standing for colour) press is aimed at commercial printing applications that require high ink laydowns. The Prosper 6000P is specifically designed for publishing applications likes books and newspapers that require the use of lightweight paper and low-to-medium ink laydowns. Both presses are scheduled to be made available later this year.

The Prosper 6000 presses, handling rolls widths of between eight to 25.5 inches, are driven by what Kodak calls the Intelligent Print System (IPS), which continuously monitors, evaluates and adjusts operations toward high-quality output. Both of the new Prosper presses print at speeds of up to 1,000 feet per minute (300 meters pre minute) on matted and uncoated papers with a duty cycle of 90 million A4 pages per month. This equates to a speed that is up to 2.5 times faster than the existing Prosper 5000XLi press. An enhanced drying capability allows heavyweight glossy and silk stock to be printed on the Prosper 6000C at 650 (200 meters) feet per minute.

Kodak states the Prosper 6000 presses produce saleable prints at a cost per page that approaches $0.005/A4 in colour consumable costs, while high-gloss targeted direct mail pieces can be produced at a cost that is around 30 percent less than using electrophotographic (toner-based) systems.

“The Prosper 6000 presses deliver the highest industry performance coupled with quality approaching 200 lpi,” stated Doug Edwards, President, Digital Printing & Enterprise, Eastman Kodak, “allowing customers to increase agility so they can adapt to the changing demands of the business and better respond to their customers.”

The writing system of the new Prosper presses run Kodak’s newly formulated nanotechnology inks, which the company indicates as playing a significant role in reaching the larger colour gamut required in commercial printing, as well as printing on a range of uncoated, coated and glossy papers. Kodak explains the ink technology, coupled with new transport and drying systems, allows the Prosper 6000 presses to lay down more ink than in the past.

The Prosper 6000 series leverages advances to Kodak’s 700 Print Manager digital front-end, which the company has been developing for several years based on its software history.