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Kodak to Showcase Latest Innovations for Label and Package Printing at Labelexpo Americas 2016

Wednesday 14. September 2016 - Kodak will arrive at Labelexpo Americas 2016 riding the momentum of its comprehensive portfolio of label and packaging innovations that garnered significant attention in the sprawling Kodak Quarter booth at drupa 2016. At Labelexpo Americas 2016, Kodak will be in booth #5606 ("Kodak Studio") continuing this momentum at the show taking place from September 13-15 in Rosemont, IL.

“Labelexpo Americas is an event we look forward to every two years and one we’re particularly excited to be arriving at on the heels of drupa, where packaging and label printing was a huge focus for us across all divisions,” said Chris Payne, General Manager and Vice President, Flexographic Packaging Division, Kodak. “We’re always working to help keep printed labels and packaging a vibrant, effective and value-creating medium. ‘Print. For Good.’ has become a central mantra for us as we arrive at Labelexpo looking to remain a forward-thinking partner to the package printing industry and an innovator in improving the environmental footprint of printed labels.”

Enabling offset and digital print quality for flexo label production
Introduced at drupa 2016, the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System ’16 is the latest evolution of Kodak’s fully-integrated digital flexo plate-making solution and will be a focal point for discussion with visitors to the Kodak Studio. Powered by the NX Advantage, including new Advanced DIGICAP NX Patterning and patented Advanced Edge Definition technologies, the FLEXCEL NX System ’16 addresses a series of pain points for label printers in today’s print ecosystem. Kodak has a proven track record of customers using FLEXCEL NX technology to match flexo and digital print processes within their operations, keeping an ever-increasing number of label printers at the leading edge of their field and even winning business from offset and gravure print providers. Coming off the 500th sale of the FLEXCEL NX System at drupa 2016, FLEXCEL NX Plate volume is now growing by more than 20% year-over-year, four times the annual market growth of the flexo packaging market itself (according to Smithers PIRA’s ” The Future of Flexographic Printing in a Digital World: market forecasts to 2019 “).

Kodak will also be partnering at the show with MPS Systems, leading supplier of narrow-web flexo and offset presses for labels and packaging, to conduct live printing demonstrations in the MPS booth (#911) using KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plates. Twice daily, Doug Weiss, Business Development Manager at Kodak, will lead the special demonstrations focusing on how innovative flexo technology can enable label printers to better match flexo to digital, boost their image and text reproduction and tighten up job changeovers.

And as sustainable print practices climb the list of priorities for printers more and more each year, Kodak is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and ongoing innovation with a preview of next generation flexo technology in its ULTRA NX Experience Room. Driving the future of flexo, ULTRA NX includes all the proven benefits of the award-winning FLEXCEL NX technology with an environmentally-conscious plate processing solution.

Meeting the demands of brands for consumer impact
The KODAK PROSPER Press and S-Series Imprinting Solutions are both impactful options for labels and packaging printers, enabling variable and versioned printing for mass markets with digital print and hybrid technologies. Exhibitors can visit the Kodak Studio to learn about label versioning and customization for everything from beverage labels printed with water-based inks at a speed of 2,000 half-liter bottle labels per minute per print lane to food package printing with 4-inch lanes of customization at up to 3000 feet per minute.

A single source for Packaging Workflow needs
The KODAK PRINERGY Platform for Packaging transforms complexity into a competitive advantage by offering a truly customizable automated end-to-end workflow. Built to offer seamless integration across business, production and customer systems, PRINERGY Workflow’s future upgrades include significant enhancements to Maxtone SX Screening for four color applications, support for XMP Screening assignments from other workflow systems and compliance with the latest Ghent Workgroup packaging industry standards.