Inkjet & Digital Printing

Kodak Announces First Stream Printhead Installation in Europe

Wednesday 27. May 2009 - meiller direct expands digital personalization capabilities with groundbreaking technology

meiller direct, one of Europe’s largest providers of direct marketing services, is the first European beta customer for Kodak’s Stream Printhead.

Kodak’s Stream Printhead is a monochrome continuous inkjet solution for inline digital printing on high-speed web devices such as offset presses and inline finishing equipment. The technology enables commercial printers to bridge between offset and digital printing, extending business and revenue opportunities by adding value to printed pages.

meiller direct recently held an open house at its headquarters in Schwandorf, Germany, to unveil its four Stream Printheads from Kodak. Currently a user of multiple KODAK VERSAMARK Printheads, the company produces several million direct mail pieces, catalogs, and other personalized print materials daily. The higher resolution and speed, and wider substrate range that come with the Stream Printhead will enable meiller direct to meet the unique needs of its diverse customer base in the automotive, retail, banking, and insurance industries.

“We demand the highest quality in our print materials, and the benefits offered by Kodak’s Stream Printheads are enormous—much sharper type, finer details, and better rendering of gray levels,” said Achim Groth, Production Manager, Finishing, meiller direct. “What’s more, the results of our initial trials on glossy coated papers have been equally impressive. Kodak’s Stream technology will greatly enhance our capabilities, and this is only the beginning.”

“Stream is the product of more than 40 years of Kodak inkjet innovation combined with Kodak’s unique imaging science capabilities,” said Kevin Joyce, Worldwide Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Digital Printing Solutions, Kodak. “Kodak’s Stream Printhead opens up new business opportunities for print service providers by enabling high-speed variable data printing with offset class output. Combining the power of personalization with the reliability, productivity, cost and quality of offset helps print service providers become even more valuable to their customers as marketing service providers.”

“Like any printing company, we are constantly trying to strike an optimal balance between quality and costs. The operating and material costs of laser printing are extremely high,” added Groth. “Kodak’s Stream Printheads deliver quality that is every bit as good as laser but at significantly faster web speeds and far less expense. An attractive value-added alternative is now available to our customers who previously insisted on laser printing for quality reasons.”

Kodak’s Stream Printhead, which features flexible mounting options, integrates seamlessly with web offset presses and a variety of web finishing equipment to add variable data to offset printed materials at 1,000 fpm (305 mpm) with a resolution of 600 dpi. With this speed and resolution, the Stream Printhead allows users to print variable data inline, saving time and money over a traditional, two-step process that combines offset pre-printed forms and offline laser imprinting. With a print width of 10.56 cm (4.16 in.) and pigment-based inks that offer fade, scratch and water resistance, the Stream Printhead increases throughput and eliminates the need for additional standalone print devices.