Kodak wins an EDP Award 2020 for its new Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink

Ink used in Kodak Nexfinity and Nexpress digital presses

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IPP Desk
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Kodak
Kodak wins an EDP Award 2020 for its new Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink

Kodak has been selected for the fourth consecutive year as a winner of one of the European Digital Press Association’s EDP Awards. The company received this coveted industry accolade in the “environmental ink/toner” category for its Kodak Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink, which was developed for Kodak Nexfinity and Kodak Nexpress digital presses.

Kodak Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink is an antibacterial and antifungal powder, designed to be applied during production on a Nexfinity or Nexpress Digital Press. It contains an antimicrobial agent that inhibits microbial growth on the final printed product to prevent unsightly discoloration, unpleasant odors, and polymer degradation issues. The new dry ink offers broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria, fungi, and mold. It is also currently being tested for activity against viruses.

Kodak Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink allows each printed piece to be provided with an antimicrobial coating in a simple in-line process without needing a separate processing step. This protective effect is long-lasting and does not wear off. It is suitable for use with products that are subject to touching by multiple users, which increases opportunities for bacteria or fungus exposure. Users can thus offer their customers prints with particular added value, provide critical products with a special protective feature, and generate more turnover. Typical applications cover a wide range of printed products such as photo books, menus, business cards, playing cards, manuals, book covers, and many more.

Kodak
EDP 2020 Trophy

The new Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink adds to the twelve different dry inks which Kodak has developed for the Fifth Imaging Unit of Kodak Nexfinity and Nexpress digital presses.

Explaining their decision to confer the award on Kodak, the EDP Awards panel commented, “Printing antimicrobial clear ink at high speed is something we all need today. Not only can this be used in glossy brochures but also for point of sale materials, placemats, and many more applications. Kodak Antimicrobial Clear Dry Ink changes the way we think about print.”

“We are excited to have won a prestigious EDP Award for our sheetfed digital press platform for the fourth time running. This latest honor is evidence of Kodak’s commitment to the ongoing advancement of our electrophotographic digital presses in line with newly emerging technology and application needs,” said Randy D. Vandagriff, senior vice president of Kodak & Digital Print business.

EDP is an alliance of 21 leading digital print periodicals from all over Europe. Since 2007, the annual EDP Awards have honored the best and most promising new innovations in presses and systems, software, substrates, inks, materials, enhancement solutions, and finishing systems for the digital sector.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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