Tags: Kodak NexPress / Kodak Prinergy

* Slough-based printer makes major investment in innovative KODAK Technologies

X1 in Slough, UK, one of Kodak’s key customers has installed a KODAK NEXPRESS S2500 Digital Production Color Press as part of a £1m investment package geared towards doubling the company’s turnover in the next 18 months. The installation includes KODAK NEXPRESS Dimensional Clear Dry Ink, which applies a three-dimensional effect on a wide array of print products. “Our investment in Kodak’s innovative new technology will enable us to drive the business forward. We can now offer our customers a more comprehensive service, from design and branding, litho and digital printing through to direct mail and fulfillment,” says Tim Lance, X1′s Sales Director.

Before the investment, X1 was printing less than 20% of its work digitally. This is set to change with the fully automated KODAK NEXPRESS S2500 Press. The company predicts that in two years time 50% of its jobs will be printed digitally.

Tim Lance continues: “Today’s commercial environment demands a near instant response to customer requests, and favors personalized communication and one-to-one marketing. With the KODAK NEXPRESS Press, we can offer database-driven, five-color variable printing as well as unique branded products using the KODAK NEXPRESS Dimensional Clear Dry Ink.”

Tim Lance, X1's Sales Director

The company is using KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions on the NEXPRESS S2500 Press to apply a striking ‘raised’ effect to business cards, direct mailings and brochures. “With Dimensional Printing, we can produce a 3D effect and create exciting, stand-out products for our customers,” says Lance. “The solution is at the vanguard of print technology and is perfect for marketing and communications agencies that want to create high-impact campaigns. It is ideal for companies that want to re-brand and change their corporate identities using creative design and print. The NEXPRESS Press  is the only digital cut-sheet press that produces 3D raised printing inline.”

X1 sees a high demand for individual and creative print and expects this trend to continue. “The tactility and individuality of products created using this technology is stirring up a lot of interest,” states Tim Lance. “With Dimensional Printing, we are able to offer our customers highly individual, personalized products.  Being able to provide something different, something unique is part of the X1 philosophy – it’s all about strengthening and building new relationships with customers.”

With the company moving jobs previously printed using the litho process to the NEXPRESS Press, the KODAK machine is in full-time use. “We print a lot of educational brochures in black and white,” says Tim.  “With the ability to collate inline, it makes sense to print them on the NEXPRESS Press, from where they go seamlessly to our finishing department.”

X1 is also using the NEXPRESS Press for variable data mailings, printing runs of up to 5,000 for bespoke and targeted mail campaigns.

The company uses KODAK Web to Print Solutions as well as KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow for color management and screening optimization. Lance has been impressed with the KODAK NEXPRESS Intelligent Calibration System (ICS), which enables users to ensure the uniformity of their printed output.  “The KODAK Technology is outstanding, in particular the Web to Print Solutions. We conducted some initial trials with some of our long-standing customers and now they’re all using it full time.”

At X1, online ordering has been added as part of the service package to its customers.  This does not mean the company has stopped talking to its customers, however.  Tim Lance points out that his business is all about people, and he believes strongly in the value of regular personal communication.  What the KODAK Web to Print Solutions are doing at X1 is streamlining and improving the ordering process experience. Once customers have discussed and agreed the job, they can go online and place their order, monitor progress and relax knowing their job will be dealt with efficiently.

“These are exciting times,” concludes Tim Lance.  “We are taking full advantage of the latest print technologies and combining them with the power of the internet and social media to reach out to more customers. Our strategy for the future is to grow our customer base and double our revenue.  Our working partnership with Kodak and the investment in its technology is pivotal to achieving this goal. We are investing in cutting-edge technology now, so that when the economic upturn comes, we are perfectly placed to take advantage of every commercial opportunity.”

About Kodak

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

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(Kodak, Nexpress and Prinergy Evo are trademarks of Kodak.)