KODAK NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink Earns Industry Recognition with a 2012 PIA InterTech Technology Award

Printing Industries of America (PIA) recently presented Kodak with a 2012 InterTech Technology Award honoring Kodak’s NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink’s innovative capabilities.

The KODAK NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink Solution helps printers provide increased security and fraud protection on documents, packaging, promotional, and direct mail materials and is part of the KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions portfolio.

This year’s InterTech Technology Award marks the third time Kodak has received PIA recognition for its Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions. In 2005, Kodak was recognized for the initial launch of the Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, and in 2009, for its addition of the new Dimensional Printing Solution.

“Security solutions can often be cost prohibitive, but with Kodak’s Red Fluorescing Dry Ink, printers have a real solution against counterfeiting that is both cost effective and easy to implement,” said Mark Bohen, vice president of technology and research at PIA. “This new technology can be used on a wide range of applications and opens the door for printers to pursue new market opportunities.”

The KODAK NEXPRESS Platform offers exceptional print quality and productivity to meet the needs of commercial printers, direct mail houses, photo service providers, and in-plant and transactional printers. Print providers can go a step further to differentiate their applications with the Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, which create a variety of enhancements, including spot colors, Kodak’s unique in-line dimensional printing, high-quality gloss, in-line watermarking, or coating in a single pass.

The Red Fluorescing Dry Ink Solution can be used to print inline on a wide range of substrates and appears clear until it is illuminated with an ultraviolet light source. The intensity of the red ink can be controlled by the amount of ink applied during the printing process, but it appears virtually invisible to the naked eye. Similar to other NEXPRESS Dry Inks, Red Fluorescing Ink does not contain VOCs.

As a security solution, Kodak Red Fluorescing Dry Ink is considered ideal for printing admission tickets, 2D and QR barcodes and limited-production print jobs where fraud and counterfeiting issues are a top priority. At Alcom, an integrated marketing communications company, Kodak’s Red Fluorescing Ink was used to combat counterfeit ticketing for major-league games. Alcom relied on the Red Fluorescing Ink to apply an invisible team logo on each printed ticket. Tickets were later checked at the admission gate using UV lighting, and any without the logo were immediately deemed unauthentic. The new feature helped Alcom eliminate its client’s counterfeiting concerns while providing a high-quality printed product.

“Red Fluorescing Ink is a great example of how Kodak provides its customers with differentiating solutions to help meet their needs,” said Steve Fletcher, Kodak’s vice president and general manager of electrophotographic printing solutions. “The combination of Red Fluorescing Ink and variable-data printing provides printers with fraud protection and security printing opportunities, and new capabilities often lead to greater customer satisfaction and additional business growth.”

Kodak continues to develop innovative solutions to maximize its customers’ investment in the NEXPRESS Platform. During drupa 2012, Kodak debuted several new Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, including gold, pearlescent and neon print solutions for expanded application possibilities. With these latest enhancements, printers will be able to add eye-catching colors and effects to their printed applications. Kodak plans to demonstrate these new solutions live at the Kodak booth during Graph Expo 2012.