We recently announced the new Kodak NexPress SE Digital Color Platform at the Print' 09 Media Days. Reflecting on the words in the press releases and looking at the competitive samples that we shared with the media, it is clear that all leading digital press suppliers are providing products with outstanding quality and performance. This is true in comparison with each other and with the benchmarks of offset and even photo printing. All the leading suppliers have been investing diligently to tackle the great influx of new digital pages over the last three to four years. Unfortunately, we all seem to be using the same words to describe our products- 'great quality, best productivity'- and so how do print providers begin to sort through their options?

From a customer communication view, our challenge is to move beyond the sameness of the words to demonstrate why the NexPress SE Class is such an innovation in print quality, productivity and capability. Proving the point with print examples is one very effective means. We did just that at the Print '09 Media Days and you'll see the samples again at Print '09. The reactions from those in attendance ranged from surprise at the boldness of laying our samples side by side with competitors to clear pleasure at viewing the hard evidence that we mean what we're saying about quality and capability.

Looking at one print and not an entire print run, however, can be a misleading exercise. That is where the words and comments from our customers speak for us. SE Class components were part of an extensive field trial worldwide and through the use of video shorts, we're beginning to capture customer testimony about the quality, productivity and flexibility they now see. The result is more compelling than some wordsmithed PR piece. While polish may be lacking, the sentiments are genuine. Combining real-world print samples and technical analysis with real customer feedback is a potent mix.

The goals of the SE Class solution are to help our print customers achieve greater profitability by delivering unique and differentiated applications with unconstrained productivity at an offset class quality and capability level. As digital printing press buyers evolve and mature from innovators and early adopters to the early majority, the reasons for buying a digital press are changing. These repeat and new customers are now purchasing solutions first and foremost to achieve profitability- not just to be the first shop with a digital gizmo. Productivity is essential to profitability, but productivity is much more than speed. Productivity is reliability, print quality, throughput, uptime and, most importantly, application range. More, high value applications mean more revenue opportunity and more margin for our customers.

The SE-class strengthens these NexPress benchmark advantages against other offerings on the market while retaining the unique capability to print a wide range of profitable applications. One look at the samples of our award-winning Kodak NexPress Dimensional Printing and you can easily see what we mean by 'unique and differentiated'. In addition, our standard Clear Dry Ink provides in-line, full speed coating and watermarking and, with the Kodak NexPress Glossing Unit, creates beautifully glossed material without the waste and recyclability concerns of lamination of other coatings.

What do you think about the first model from the SE Class lineup?

Since joining Kodak at the end of 2007, a key part of my role is evangelist for flexo, internally and externally of Kodak, and globally to grow the flexo industry. To date I have been to Europe, North, Central, and South America plus Asia. As I travel all over the world visiting Flexo printers and trade shops, as well as other packaging printers, I learn a lot that people like me to share.

It has been suggested that as I do this I could share my findings in a blog series titled "Where in the Flexo World is Dr John?"



The latest trip was to Colombia, my first to South America and now completing a full count for continents visited except Antarctica. In the current economy, Colombia was a real surprise. There are a few reminders of their troubled past, like each motor bike rider is required to have ID vests, but the country has had 8 years of stable government. Everywhere you look there is construction, investment, and signs of growth (they did not take the bad loans as in the US) and their economy is only a little soft, but doing very well.

What we saw at every printer visited were new investments, many presses less than a year old in every site, the newest and most advanced technology, and a client list of who's who for the top packaging brand owners. They also are keen to listen and learn more to improve the print quality they can achieve. They employ many engineers, and apply total quality management and preventive maintenance throughout their operations. They are often self sufficient operations, with film blowing or ink manufacture operations.

There are some of the best analog printers we have ever seen, achieving resolutions and results that mean that going to traditional LAMS digital plates will be a clear step backwards for them.

It is clear that much of the print is for local use, but increasingly it is for export to the US and Europe, and with the investments they are making now, there is the potential that as the world economies recover and demand increases they will take high quality print from other countries in the Americas, and become a major export force, like Turkey does in Europe, especially flexible packaging.

This is a country Tom Kowalski and I look forward to returning to very soon and continue to learn more before extending our introduction to Latin America with Walter Murillo, with a trip to several of the southern cone countries soon.

Two personal lessons from Bogota is that in traffic red lights and stop signs are only optional, but a U-turn will get you a special spot fine from the police, and yes you really need at least 3 hours at the airport for international flights.

Henry Stewart held it's annual Digital Asset Management Symposium on June 1 & 2nd  in New York City at the NY Hilton.  There were over 300 attendees at this years event to learn about solutions, best practices and network with peers in the corporate marketing, publishing  & broadcast markets.  Kodak's Marketing Workflow Solutions team was there with our partner Aprimo to talk to corporate clients about Marketing Asset Management, Digital Workflow, Brand Content Management and Enterprise Marketing Management Solutions.

In the Grow Your Biz blog post, "Your Chemistry Free Plate Requires Chemistry", I challenged Agfa's "chemistry free" messaging claiming that Agfa's "chemistry free plates" were neither free of chemistry nor is the chemistry itself free. The posting triggered many to ask and a few to pose the question on PrintPlanet.com, "what chemicals are in that 'chemistry free' solution?" Agfa replied with "Agfa rolled-out the Azura implementation with the preservative gum as the only 'chemical.'" Our point exactly...

Just this week, Simon Nias of PrintWeek reported that "Fujifilm will replace 'misleading' chemistry-free tag with 'low-chemistry' for plate ranges". Kudos to Fujifilm for challenging the credentials of "chemistry free"..

Agfa - the cat's out of the bag. It's your turn to revamp your misleading marketing slogans and be honest to your customers.

An author named Patricia Gallagher recently contacted us because she was "in a bind." She was scheduled to do a book signing in less than a week and her printer wasn't able to fulfill the order in time.

Patricia googled "print on demand," found Kodak, and called us. Our team connected her with a local printer, Alcom, located less than a half hour from her house. Alcom was able to turn the job around in less than two days, and far exceeded the customer's expectations.

Alcom printed the book using a KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press with WATKISS Booklet Maker, KODAK NEXPRESS Glossing Unit, and KODAK DIGIMASTER EX150 Digital Production System in their new digital book factory.



I share this story as a thank you to Alcom, a valued Kodak customer that deserves all the credit for this successful outcome. Kodak only succeeds if our customers succeed, and we commend Doug Yeager, COO; Rodger Weyman, Manager Prepress Digital Print; Sharon Tucker, Marketing Manager; Allyson Dorn, Production Planner; and the entire Alcom team on a job well done.

Thank you Patricia for putting your trust in Kodak and our customers and letting us share your story.

Dear Doug, Rodger, Sharon, Allyson, and Krista:

I am still pinching myself to make sure this is all real. How could I really have this beautiful book in my hands when just three short days ago, I was at a total loss about what I was going to do?

For a mom who is very low-tech and was just googling around on the Internet to have come across something about a Kodak NexPress printer, how I even got my call transferred to Kodak Public Relations and then to Alcom is unfathomable. The whole scenario happened, with one blessing after another, and within 48 hours, I had a van loaded with the highest quality book, with a beautiful cover and very classy paper stock.... all that I could wish for!

I know that all of you worked so hard to make this happen. I can't even imagine what it took for all of you to do it, but you did. Your ingenuity in handling the flap and photo concerns was so innovative. The book just looks STRIKING to me.

Everyone in my family loves the book. The cover is so attractive with the high gloss finish. We will be so proud to bring the books with us on Monday night.

One thing that struck me as so unusual in these stressful times - there seemed to be no "grumpy people" at Alcom. Everybody who I met while there, even a couple of employees in the parking lot and the receptionist, said that Alcom is the greatest place to work.

I thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

With gratitude and admiration for all that you do to help your customers,

Patricia Gallagher
Worcester, PA