NEW YORK, Feb. 6 --
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) today entered the consumer inkjet industry
with a revolutionary new product line for the home.
KODAK EASYSHARE All-in-One Printers will enable consumers to affordably
print crisp, sharp documents and KODAK lab-quality photos at home using
premium, pigment-based inks that will save consumers up to 50 percent on
everything they print. The three new printers provide ultimate levels of print
quality and ease-of-use, while offering low total cost of ownership compared to
other leading consumer inkjet printers on the market.
“After today, the inkjet market will never be the same,” said Antonio M.
Perez, chairman and chief executive officer, Eastman Kodak Company. “We are
changing the rules in this industry to ensure that consumers can affordably
print what they want, when they want, easily and at the high level of Kodak
quality they’ve come to expect.”
“For far too long, people have felt restrained from printing due to the high
cost of ink,” Perez said. “Our new system gives consumers the freedom to print
documents and photos frequently, easily and affordably with exceptional quality
that lasts a lifetime under typical home display conditions. Our extensive
history in printing, combined with our legendary dedication to the consumer,
puts us in a unique position to revolutionize inkjet printing.”
Finally – Inks for People Who Like to Print
The KODAK EASYSHARE AiO Printers use Kodak’s premium, pigment-based ink,
priced at $9.99 for a cartridge of black ink and $14.99 for a five-ink color
cartridge (US MSRP). For every $15 spent on color ink and $10 spent on black
ink, consumers can print the same number of pages at half the cost of other
consumer inkjet printers.When the KODAK Photo Value Pack is purchased, a 4 x
6-inch photo costs as little as 10 cents per print.
According to a study by InfoTrends, the greatest obstacle to printing
at home is the cost of ink and supplies.
“For years, the high price of inkjet cartridges has kept consumers from
freely using their printers,” said Perez. “With affordable premium inks,
families can now create crisp documents and KODAK lab-quality photos at
home.”
All-In-One Printers Available in March – Featuring KODACOLOR
Technology
The KODAK EASYSHARE AiO Printers feature exclusive KODACOLOR Technology that
enables consumers to cost-effectively print crisp documents and KODAK
lab-quality photos. KODACOLOR Technology is a combination of four key
elements—pigment-based inks, micro-porous photo papers, color and image
science, and the Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) print head—that
deliver outstanding results for general-purpose printing of text and graphics
and stunning color photos that are sharp and vibrant.
- The KODAK EASYSHARE 5100 All-in-One Printer ($149.99 US MSRP), featuring
print, scan and copy capabilities, delivers high-quality documents and photos
for users who enjoy printing without limitations. The device can print and copy
up to 32 pages per minute in black and 22 pages per minute in color, and print
photos from PICTBRIDGE-enabled cameras without involving a PC.
- The KODAK EASYSHARE 5300 All-in-One Printer ($199.99 US MSRP) builds on the
5100’s features by offering a 3-inch color LCD display that enables photo
viewing and cropping directly from the printer. Memory card slots provide an
additional quick and simple way to print digital pictures without a PC.
- The KODAK EASYSHARE 5500 All-in-One Printer ($299.99 US MSRP) is the
perfect solution for home-office users and connected families who want to do it
all with no constraints. In addition to sharing the features of the 5100 and
5300 printers, the 5500 has fax functionality and includes a 2.4-inch color LCD
display, an automatic document feeder and a duplexer attachment.
Beginning in March 2007, the KODAK EASYSHARE 5100 and 5300 AiO Printers will
retail exclusively at Best Buy locations across the United States. The 5500 is
expected to begin shipping in May 2007. Online shoppers will be able to
purchase the printers in April 2007 at the KODAK Store (www.kodak.com).
Kodak Spills the Ink on the High Cost of Printing
Kodak’s unique marketing campaign for its inkjet solutions, which is
intended to raise awareness of the high cost of printing in the consumer inkjet
market, is being previewed at a launch event held today at NBC Studios in New
York City. The company also introduced a new Web site – www.inkisit.com – to provide consumers with
an entertaining look at issues surrounding traditionally high-cost ink.
The site includes interactive games; videos of a comedic, mock-TV show
called “Ink Is It”; a print-cost calculator for consumers to determine how much
they are currently spending on ink; and detailed information about the new line
of products. Over the next few months, Kodak will release several new videos,
introduce new prize contests and provide other interactive, consumer-oriented
features on the Web site.
“For too long, consumers have complained that ink costs too much; that
quality, durability and longevity is not good enough; and that printers are too
hard to use,” Perez said. “That stops today – because of Kodak and our
revolutionary approach to inkjet.”
Editor’s Note: For more information, including media b-roll,
product photography, podcast, and a blog posting by Susan Tousi, Kodak R&D
Manager, Inkjet Systems, go to:
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $13.3 billion
in 2006,the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy
focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their
life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products
and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere;
Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak
solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging;
Creative Professionals rely on Kodak technology to uniquely tell their story
through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on
Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help
improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and
across their enterprise.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
Kodak, EasyShare, and Kodacolor are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.
