Skip to main content

SpencerLab White Paper Recognizes KODAK NEXPRESS Press for Highest Quality Photographic Printing

A new white paper from the SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory explains the methodology, image samples and measurement results of an independent comparative Photographic Image Quality study. The study’s key findings, announced in September 2011, reveal that the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Digital Production Color Press achieved the highest overall rating in photographic print quality, demonstrating the best all-around performance across the majority of attributes evaluated. The white paper, showing complete details of this study, is now available at www.kodak.com/go/nexpress andwww.spencerlab.com.

The technical paper shows that the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Press has best-in-class realism for sky, water, and foliage, combined with high realism for skin tones, which is paramount in photographic printing. It also has best-in-class sharpness and high smoothness, and the best monochrome/neutral gray output. Other devices evaluated in the study included the HP INDIGO 7500 Digital Press, XEROX iGen4 Press, and XEROX Color 1000 Press.

      According to the report, the experienced team at SpencerLab evaluated glossy and matte prints produced by each press manufacturer at their in-house facilities, choosing the optimum print settings intended for best photographic quality. The study was commissioned by Kodak, and print runs were supervised on-site bySpencerLab personnel.

“Known for its expertise in the testing and analysis of digital color output, SpencerLab conducted a thorough, unbiased, third-party test of the printing devices from Kodak, HP and Xerox. To see the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Platform confirmed as the leader in photo image quality is an accomplishment that we are extremely proud of,” said Steve Fletcher, General Manager, Digital Printers and Presses, Kodak.

      Meeting the needs of commercial printers, photo product printers, direct mail houses, in-plant printers, and data centers, the NEXPRESS SX Digital Production Color Platform with Print Genius offers exceptional quality and productivity. New features include speeds up to 131 ppm, a longer sheet size (26″/660 mm), smaller ink particle size with the new KODAK NEXPRESS HD Dry Ink, new Fifth Imaging Unit Solution Light Black HD Dry Ink, and a new matte printing effect option.

Printing on more than 700 standard offset substrates, the smaller ink particle size of the KODAK NEXPRESS HD Dry Ink reduces grain and provides smoother continuous tones for photo-quality output. The KODAK Light Black HD Dry Ink Solution uses proprietary algorithms to substitute the light black for specific colors, resulting in smoother skin tones while maintaining superb detail for high-end photo applications. The NEXPRESS SX Platform now includes a new matte fuser roller that allows you to expand your array of finishes ranging from matte to satin to high gloss. The matte effect, completed inline, produces a matte look for printed pages or photos. Enabling the matte finish is a simple, fifteen-minute component change. The result is a rich aesthetic effect that rivals offset.

      The KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solution enables a number of unique features for photo professionals, from watermarking and protection coating to glossing and inline dimensional printing, which is unique in the industry. The Fifth Imaging Unit helps customers differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market.

      Detailed product information can be found at www.kodak.com/go/nexpress, and a video on the NEXPRESS SX Platform can be viewed at http://bit.ly/NexPressSXPlatform.

Kodak is a global advisor and provider of integrated services to help companies transform and optimize their businesses. Through a network of service professionals in more than 120 countries, Kodak provides technical, professional, consulting and managed services to enable customers to focus on growing their businesses,maximizing productivity, and more effectively managing risks. All KODAK Products and Software are backed by KODAK Service and Support. To learn more, please visit www.graphics.kodak.com.

About SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory

Celebrating over 20 years of service, SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory, an independent test division of Spencer & Associates Publishing, Ltd., has earned international recognition for its expertise in Color Print Quality and its evaluation of key performance metrics of digital printing systems. SpencerLab is broadly respected as a leader in unbiased, third-party benchmarking of digital imaging and printing systems.

Leading vendors and firms for whom printing is mission-critical have relied upon SpencerLab to provide Print Quality, Ink/Toner Yield and Cost-per-Print, Throughput Speed, Usability, Reliability and Availability analyses for a variety of printing technologies—ink-based, toner-based, and many others. SpencerLab provides leadership in quantitative and qualitative comparisons—test and evaluation services, benchmark test software/hardware, and focus group management.

For more information, visit www.spencerlab.com.

About Kodak

As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of images, information, and printing to enrich their lives.

In the graphic communications industry, Kodak serves customers in the printing, publishing, packaging and enterprise markets with intelligent solutions for competitive advantage and greater return on investment.

Comments