57 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 354 - May / June 2025 which are used across the PROSPER range. Howard said: “We continue to use our nano-particulate pigment-based inks, allowing us to run lower humectants which gives us brighter colours at a lower cost and requiring less drying than our competitors.” Humectants are substances such as glycerine which are added to inks to prevent moisture loss, ensure ink flow, and prevent nozzle clogging. According to Kodak, the reduction in humectants enables faster drying times and improved print quality. PROSPER printheads can be configured up to 12 across, creating a customised solution to fit the needs of a variety of applications. Depending on the configuration, systems can include up to 12 print stations and 24 printheads, which can be integrated into existing equipment using Kodak or third-party mounting solutions. Printers can start with monochrome printing and later add spot and process colours as their business requirements change. Wider Perspectives Inkjet solutions have developed in practically all sectors of print, including in the wide-format and dye-sublimation markets. Mimaki offer a range of solutions in the wide-format inkjet space, with a raft of new releases in recent years. The new Mimaki TS330-3200DS was added to its offerings in 2024, first demonstrated to the UK market at The Print Show. The 3.2m-wide hybrid printer is capable of both direct-to-textile and sublimation transfer paper printing, allowing users to select the most suitable printing method based on the fabric and application. A chosen partner of Hybrid Services, the exclusive Mimaki distributor in the UK and Ireland, Soyang Hardware is able to distribute a range of Mimaki solutions. Speaking of what to look out for when capabilities to existing printing or finishing equipment, with the aim of helping printers take advantage of new business opportunities and streamline processes. Companies therefore have the possibility of increasing the profit potential of their production facilities without the expected financial investment of a full switch to digital. Randy Vandagriff, senior vice president of Digital Print at Kodak, comments: “PROSPER Imprinting Systems offer versatile, highly efficient solutions that establish digital printing capabilities in various applications and market segments without compromising the productivity of the equipment on which they are installed.” According to Vandagriff, its PROSPER printheads “deliver the high speeds and print quality necessary for integration with sheetfed and webfed offset, flexo, and gravure presses, as well as post-press and packaging converting machines.” The aim of these continuous inkjet imprinting solutions is to offer printers an easy transition to inkjet technology and, as Vandegriff puts it: “The ability to capitalise on opportunities in variable print through a hybrid approach”. As with Carter, Vandagriff stresses the importance of smart integration and automation, highlighting Kodak’s new PROPER Print Bar technology. “The new KODAK PROSPER Print Bar takes seamless print output and automatic colour-to-colour registration accuracy in hybrid colour printing to a new level,” he asserts. Launched by Kodak at drupa 2024, the PROSPER Print Bar offers enhanced automatic colour-to-colour registration capabilities, with the aim of cutting down on waste and reprints. The solution also includes a new ‘Smart Stitch’ functionality helping to ensure consistently high print quality with seamless wide-format output. The technology is available in pre-configured monochrome and CMYK options as well as custom configurations to accommodate a variety of applications. Vandagriff also echoes Carter’s emphasis on choosing an inkjet manufacturer with strong pre-sales support. Speaking of Kodak’s credentials in that area, he comments: “As we are the single-source supplier of the total solution, including printheads, controllers, inks, primers and integration solutions, customers can be sure we can support them quickly and reliably when they are faced with new market challenges.” Kodak presented other PROSPER solutions at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2025, running live demonstrations of its PROSPER 7000 Turbo, which it has dubbed the world's fastest web-fed full-colour inkjet press. The PROSPER 7000 boasts a top speed of 410 metres per minute (mpm) running a wide range of substrates from 42 to 270gsm. Speaking to Print Monthly at the event, Josh Howard, senior director of Inkjet Research and Development at Kodak, said: “We took our existing press, the PROSPER 6000, which was already the fastest press of its kind, and made it even faster by enhancing our writing system technology to go 35% faster. It is now truly the fastest press in the entire world. “Driving our PROSPER 7000 is a world class digital front-end with the ability to create individual pages on a line-by-line basis at a compression rate not seen anywhere else in the world. This allows us to do a truly variable print at full engine speed of 410mpm.” Among the features of the PROSPER 7000 press that Howard highlighted was its EKTACOLOR inks and printheads, ▼ The KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems add digitally-powered inkjet printing to existing analogue workflows RISO, a manufacturer of inkjet solutions, has recently celebrated 20 years of developing solutions for inkjet printing. The company was originally founded in Japan in 1946 by 22-year-old Noboru Hayama Factoid INKJET PRINTERS
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