Kodak, a global manufacturer of commercial print and advanced materials and chemicals, has announced its new Kodachrome Inks for inkjet production printing. The new ink, the company says, enables presses using Kodak’s Ultrastream continuous inkjet technology to achieve the highest levels of color rendition, image stability, and detail.
Kodachrome Inks helps the recently launched Kodak ProsperUltra 520 Press, which utilizes Ultrasteam technology and delivers high-quality offset-quality print at high speeds covering a broad range of applications.
Color vibrancy and consistency
Kodachrome Inks provide exceptional vibrancy and color consistency on a wide range of substrates. The secret lies in Kodak’s proprietary pigment micro-milling process, which creates pigment particles that are typically less than 50 nanometers with a very narrow size distribution. Competitive pigment milling processes cannot approach these levels.
The finer pigments created by this unique process result in faster ink drying times and very thin dried ink layers. This means less scattering of light, richer and purer colors with extraordinary vibrancy, and an exceptionally wide color gamut without sacrificing image permanence.
Kodachrome Inks produce a 95% larger gamut volume than SWOP (web offset) and a 39% larger gamut than GRACoL (sheetfed offset). Because these properties mean the inks require less laydown to achieve outstanding colors, they help reduce the running costs of the inkjet press, the company said.
Making continuous inkjet more sustainable
The water-based, low-humectant Kodachrome Inks are said to be more sustainable than conventional solvent-based inks. They do not contain PVC or phthalates, making them safer for people and the environment.
Together with Kodak’s proprietary range of printable water-based optimizer agents (primers), Kodachrome Inks can be used for printing on practically any substrate. The optimizer agents improve ink receptivity, ink adhesion, rub resistance, and image quality on most types of paper, plastic, and film.
“Kodak has been pioneering inkjet production printing for 56 years, and our new Kodachrome Inks are designed to deliver outstanding print results and maximize productivity and value for our customers,” said Jim Continenza, executive chairman and chief executive officer, Kodak.
“Kodachrome Inks, together with our high-speed Ultrastream Inkjet Technology and optimizer agents, create efficient digital solutions for cost-effective printing of a broad range of applications. This enables customers to shift more work from traditional printing processes such as offset to digital, opening up new opportunities for increased revenue and profits.”
