Eastman Kodak Company
KODAK Ultima Picture Paper with New COLORLAST™ Technology Delivers Inkjet Prints that Last More than 100 Years
Proprietary Technology Significantly Advances Inkjet Picture Longevity
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 29 -- Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the world's longest lasting inkjet photo paper — new KODAK Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST™ technology. The vast majority of prints made on this paper using photo-quality home inkjet printers will enjoy brilliant color and resist degradation longer than prints made on any other inkjet paper. When used with the latest inks from various manufacturers, photos printed on the paper will last for more than 100 years in typical home display without protection from gas and humidity.
Unlike some competitive longevity claims that only consider the long-term effect of light on prints, Kodak also factors in three other variables that play a significant role in picture degradation: heat, humidity and ozone. Based on that science, Kodak formulated its new Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST™ technology for everyday home display conditions — left unprotected on a table, placed under glass in a frame, or tucked away in a photo album — not just for highly-controlled, dark-storage environments.
"People are printing their pictures at home in record numbers, and they assume those pictures will survive for generations to come. It's taken innovation from Kodak, the world's most trusted picture company, to meet those expectations," said Laurie Spring, vice president and general manager of inkjet media, Digital & Film Imaging Systems, Eastman Kodak Company. "A picture is only as good as the paper on which it's printed. Choosing the right paper is as important as selecting the right camera, the right scene, and the right printer."
Leveraging over a century of imaging and materials science, Ultima Picture Paper starts with the same high quality, ultra-stable, resin-coated base paper as Kodak's traditional silver-halide photographic papers. Then five coating layers are applied, three on the front and two on the back, to deliver a precise balance of image quality and stability.
The key to this balance is the proprietary, three-layer ink-receiving composition. Using a unique blend of mordants (additives to "fix" the dyes) in the bottom two layers, along with nanoparticulate ceramic particles in the top layer to further stabilize the image, Kodak scientists have engineered a significant leap in longevity and color reproduction.
New KODAK Ultima Picture Paper is now available in both high gloss and satin finishes, with 4 x 6-inch, 5 x 7-inch (high gloss only) and 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet sizes.
For additional technical details, please visit www.kodak.com/go/inkjet/.
Ultima Picture Paper can be paired with KODAK EASYSHARE software, available for free download from www.kodak.com, to take advantage of the exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature. This incorporates proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help WINDOWS OS users get even more vibrant, true-to-life prints from home inkjet printers, while significantly reducing the trial, error and waste usually associated with home photo printing.
The award-winning KODAK EASYSHARE consumer digital photography system — consisting of cameras, software, printer and camera docks, inkjet and thermal papers, and accessories — makes it simple for anyone to take, organize, share, and print high quality digital pictures. More information on KODAK EASYSHARE products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare.
About Eastman Kodak Company and infoimaging
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images for memories, for information, for entertainment. The company is a major participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras and flat-panel displays), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images). With sales of $13.3 billion in 2003, the company comprises several businesses: Health, supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Commercial Printing, offering on-demand color printing and networking publishing systems; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Display & Components, which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers optics and imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Digital & Film Imaging Systems, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services.