Consumables

Kodak Awards 5 Diamond Rating to Mitsubishi Paper Mills SWORD iJET Gloss in Paper Rating Program for PROSPER Presses

Thursday 08. November 2012 - Kodak has awarded the SWORD iJET Gloss from Mitsubishi Paper Mills (MPM) a 5 Diamond rating on the Paper Rating Program for KODAK PROSPER Presses, the highest rating within the Paper Rating Program. The Kodak 5 Diamond rating is awarded to a media that equates to "offset quality" within the rating structure. MPM has collaborated closely with Kodak in the United States as well as in Japan in order to develop a product that meets such a high rating distinction.

Launched by Kodak earlier this year, the Paper Rating Program relies on the collection and analysis of quantifiable data to determine the performance characteristics of any substrate. Kodak measures the image quality using a wide variety of factors and then identifies that substrate using a rating system that ranges from one diamond to five diamonds. The rating helps customers make smart purchasing decisions.
SWORD iJET 4.3 Gloss is a premium, glossy media designed to run on today’s high-speed continuous feed inkjet presses. In many applications, SWORD iJET Media does not require post printing lamination or liquid UV. SWORD iJET Media is an FSC-certified media that provides excellent ink adhesion, remarkable drying characteristics, universal ink compatibility, and a wide color gamut.
“We are very pleased with the performance of SWORD iJET Gloss, and its 5 Diamond rating is a testament to the R&D and Manufacturing excellence at Mitsubishi. Their support for our direct mail customers using KODAK PROSPER Presses has been outstanding. The offset class image quality metrics achieved by this new gloss paper truly makes it a world-class inkjet paper,” said Don Burns, Kodak’s Business Development Director for Media.
SWORD iJET Media will initially be available in a basis weight of 127.9 gsm in both gloss and matte surfaces. To support the many high-speed inkjet applications that require a gloss product, future products with the gloss surface include heavier weights to meet the caliper specifications for mailers, reply cards, and other printed products, as well as common market thickness such as 104.7 gsm, 157 gsm, and 186 gsm.
“It is an honor to have our new paper recognized by Kodak with a 5 Diamond rating. Kodak engineers and research people have been very supportive throughout our product development programs, and our customers are very pleased with the print quality of SWORD iJET Gloss printed on the PROSPER Press,” noted Kunio Suzuki, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited.
Kodak developed the Paper Rating Program to help printers and publishers make more informed decisions about the right combination of quality and price when evaluating substrates for each of their print jobs. In assessing paper surface capabilities, there are six metrics that can quantify and characterize the image quality expectations for each paper type. These tests are conducted under standardized conditions and results are simplified by Kodak into the five-diamond rating system. Customers will immediately know the image quality potential of a given paper, and with data, can make application-specific decisions based on economics and quality.
Hundreds of papers are being evaluated and paper manufacturers continue to improve surface quality and economics through what they learn. The program will be ISO certified and is rolling out globally throughout the year.