Eastman Kodak Co.

Rochester, New York-based Kodak announced the addition of John T. Anderson as flexo product manager, Americas, Packaging Products, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. Prior to joining Kodak, Anderson served as technical and education director of the Flexographic Technical Association, North America. He also held technical positions at the European Flexographic Technical Association and the Welsh Center for Printing and Coating at the University of Wales Swansea, both located in the United Kingdom. In his new position, Anderson will continue to grow sales of current products, while launching new products in the United States, Canada and Latin America. For more information, visit www.kodak.com.

In contemporary parlance, the three “Rs” connote environmental awareness rather than the fundamentals of education. “Reduce, reuse and recycle” is the rallying cry of a burgeoning green movement which seems poised to sweep in and rescue the printing industry from flat sales and declining markets. Yes, green is the new gold for manufacturers and distributors, as the focus on sustainability and eco-responsible practices is creating profitable opportunities and driving product development. It’s also generating a fair amount of questions and confusion. For starters, what do the various certifications mean, and how can copy clutter be avoided when displaying the respective logos on

Are you a Distributor looking to branch out and embrace—or at least investigate—the world of digital printing? Where do you start? What do you need? Who should you talk to? Randy Hardy, principal officer for Kings Park, New York-based Randy Hardy Associates, offers some suggestions. Digital Print Management Issues The first conversation should be with your staff. Discuss who has some knowledge and the desire to acquire more. Think about what you would like to accomplish, then develop a game plan, establishing dates for reaching goals, as well as identifying target customers who would be good prospects for the new services. Think about what are you

Kevin Joyce, managing director, United States and Canada region for Kodak’s Dayton, Ohio-based Graphic Communications Group, was honored by NAPL, the trade association for excellence in graphic communications management. He was inducted into the Walter E. Soderstrom Society in Chicago on Sept. 8 along with 11 other graphic communications industry leaders. Named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, a founder of NAPL, the Soderstrom Society is an honors organization providing industry leaders with the opportunity to exchange ideas, suggest improved practices and recognize the contributions of their peers, including print firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants and educators. For more information, visit www.kodak.com.

Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink.com—an online media organization serving the printing and publishing industries—launched a digital printing resource center. Headed by Frank Romano, professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, and sponsored by Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, it will provide content specific to digital printing, including Romano’s “Digital Thoughts,” top digital printing news and articles and relevant video footage from events such as On Demand, as well as past and upcoming webinars. For more information, visit www.whattheythink.com.

Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., presents its Versamark VX5000e high-resolution printing system, offering enhanced resolution of 300x1200 dpi for improved color quality, clearer images and text and sharper bar codes. The Versamark VX5000e can produce a wide variety of high-volume applications, including transactional documents, TransPromo documents, direct mail, books and a variety of print-on-demand outputs. With a web speed of 328 feet per minute, it produces high-volume output quickly, accurately and cost effectively. Up to 1,432 images per minute for U.S. letter-size documents and 1,348 A4 images per minute can be produced with a two-up, duplex configuration. In addition, ink drop size is concentrated on

According to industry experts, counterfeit wine could affect as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets. Eager to address the growing threat posed by producers of imitation wines, several of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries—including Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard—are employing a new, high-tech anticounterfeiting technology from Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., to protect their brands and customers. The Kodak anticounterfeiting technology prevents counterfeiters from duplicating product packaging using invisible markers that are added to printing inks, paper and other packaging elements. The markers are detectable only with proprietary handheld readers, which are leased to customers and

Looking back on some of the research Weymouth, Massachusetts-based Infotrends has produced, the company’s work has, on occasion, concisely predicted the future. Take a 2003 consumer report on digital cameras, which predicted the devices would eclipse nondisposable film cameras by 2008. Fourteen years ago, the company’s foresight was just as sharp, even in the relatively new digital print market. Partnering with Questex, the company which eventually acquired Infotrends in 2006, the group conceived of a show for a niche segment still hashing out its place in the market. When Charles A. Pesko, president of Infotrends, initially embarked on the project, he was reminded that

A round-the-clock operation with national and international clients, St. Louis-based Colortek is saving time and reducing labor expense while maximizing productivity through monitor proofing. The company selected Kodak’s MATCHPRINT Virtual Software to meet deadlines and strengthen collaboration between all levels of production, shortening the review and approval processes on most jobs from eight to two days. “We have lowered our consumable expenses by greater than 20 percent, and have saved equally in time spent on production,” said Rich Reichert, president of Colortek. “Even more impressive, though, is that we have improved accuracy and maintained consistency from proof to proof and day to day.”

Whether we choose to buy into it or not, every new year brings expectations—the new year in digital print is no exception. From constant improvements in CTP printing to advances in quality control and color quality, manufacturers and distributors have witnessed both the commercial and consumer printing markets’ adjustments to digital printing slowly gather steam since its introduction into the marketplace. With all of the changes the printing industry as a whole has undergone this year, what will the face of digital print look like in 2007? Observing the larger digital culture reveals the nation’s desire for customization, with the popularity of Web sites