Kodak has launched its new Ascend Digital Press for high-end packaging, retail signage and point-of-sale applications. The Ascend uses new Kodachrome dry inks that are indirect-food-contact safe, has five print units, and prints in CMYK plus a choice of 13 embellishment options – including opaque white, antimicrobial clear, foil, gold and pearlescent dry inks. There’s also an option for customized Pantone brand colours. The new Ascend is a duplex device and also the first electro-photographic (EP) printer designed to handle heavy, long-length substrates, with CMYK and flat-foil embellishments, in one pass.
It offers production speeds up to 572 m2/hour (5,280 sq.ft./hour). Its large sheet length of up to 122 cm (48”) means that the press offers 23% more print area than a B2 sheet. Handling heavy substrates up to 762 microns, the technology is multi-bit dry electrophotography with a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. “You get the best of both worlds with CMYK plus embellishments via the Ascend’s re-arrangeable print stations, and 8-minute changeovers that are 6 times faster than all our competitors,” said Jeff Perkins, Kodak’s VP of Digital Sales. The new press will be available in Q2 of 2022 in North America and Europe. Kodak is currently accepting pre-orders.