Kodak has developed optimised water-based ink and primers for its high-speed Stream and UltraStream continuous inkjet technologies that the company says enhance the benefits of both technologies in all applications.
Branded as Kodak Ektacolor Inks and Kodak Optimax Primers, the new products are part of a wider launch that reflects the company’s heritage in advanced materials and chemicals as well as in colour capture and reproduction.
The Inks used in the Stream-based print family, including the Prosper 7000 Turbo, Prosper 6000 and Prosper Imprinting Systems, are formulated to yield brighter, clearer, punchier print at speeds ‘faster than any other commercial inkjet system on the market’. Ektacolor Inks are available for both pigment and dye-based applications (Prosper Imprinting Systems only), for versatility.
Like the recently announced Kodachrome inks for the high-quality Ultrastream Technology systems, including the Prosper Ultra 520, the Ektacolor Inks are manufactured using Kodak’s proprietary pigment micro-milling process, which creates extremely fine nanoparticle pigments with a very narrow size distribution. The finer pigments make the ink easier to jet, reduce light scatter and deliver ultra-thin dried ink layers as well as a ‘superior’ colour gamut. Lower levels of humectants result in faster drying, even when printing at coverage on difficult substrates.
The use of Optimax primers allows users of Kodak inkjet presses to avoid the need for inkjet-treated papers and other speciality substrates. The primers are said to improve ink receptivity, ink adhesion, rub resistance and image quality across a wide range of substrates, including paper, cardboard, plastic, film, and even metallised materials.
The Optimax Primers are further claimed to facilitate the recyclability of printed products by improving deinkability. They are offered as anEnhanced Primer for coated papers and a Standard Primer for uncoated papers.
Jim Continenza, executive chairman and CEO, Kodak, commented, ‘Along with our high-speed continuous inkjet technologies, these inks and primers create a complete inkjet ecosystem with perfectly matched components, all developed and manufactured in-house by Kodak. This helps printers produce a huge variety of applications efficiently, productively and profitably.’
