Kodak NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses Add Enhancements - Press Release

KODAK NEXPRESS Solution Adds Photo Authoring Software and Image Enhancement System to Boost Productivity and Quality
New tools add e-commerce capabilities and enhancement of digital photos

Las Vegas, NV, March 7 -- With Kodak’s photographic heritage, it’s no surprise that the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses continue to add imaging enhancements that increase print provider productivity and quality for photo applications. An advanced showing of the new image enhancement capabilities will be made at Kodak’s booth (#E150) during the PMA 2007 International Convention and Trade Show, March 8-11, in Las Vegas.

“The KODAK NEXPRESS Image Enhancement System delivers the high level of printed photo quality you would expect from Kodak,” said Michael Howard, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG). “Through an agreement with DigiLabs, Kodak is offering users of NEXPRESS presses DigiLabs’ software for desktop photo authoring, which provides photo service providers an e-commerce infrastructure and upload services that allow the production of personalized photo books, cards and calendars. This makes a wide range of solutions available to retailers, photo labs, and commercial printers to offer to consumers and professional photographers.”

The NEXPRESS Image Enhancement System extracts images from print-ready PDF files using preconfigured settings and automatically corrects scene balance, tone scale, noise, smoothing, JPEG deblocking, color profiling and red eye. And it does it without slowing down the press.

“The Image Enhancement System delivers more pleasing photographs, with richer details and more vibrant colors, and the NEXPRESS press dependably reproduces them,” said Nader Anvari, Director, New Market Development, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak’s GCG.

The DigiLabs desktop photo authoring software enables print providers to profit from a variety of photo applications. Customers can quickly and easily upload orders over the Internet for a variety of photo products such as calendars, photo books and cards.

“With the new photo authoring software application, upload service and e-commerce, we’re making it much easier for photo labs, retailers and commercial printers to offer photo services,” Anvari said.

The KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 Plus and KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Presses meet a variety of needs, from entry level to very high-volume environments. Customers are able to upgrade presses as they grow their businesses with options to select desired paper capacity, increase processing capability, and to add a productive booklet maker. The booklet maker for KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses is available inline or offline for collating, stitching, folding, trimming, and creating standard or square back booklets of up to 100. The GATF InterTech Award-winning KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solution is a powerful press option that delivers color gamut expansion, creative watermarking and protective coating. The fifth imaging unit solution also enables high-impact glossing in conjunction with the KODAK NEXGLOSSER Glossing Unit.

To meet the demanding needs of photo services, KODAK NEXPRESS presses can also be tailored with a Photo Bundle that includes hardware components, advisory services, color profiles and inks.

KODAK products are backed by Kodak Service and Support. Named Best Support Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, Kodak Service and Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.