Rochester, NY, August 23 --
Lee Enterprises, which publishes 56 dailies and more than 300 weeklies,
classified and specialty publications across 23 states, has signed an agreement
to acquire 31 KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetters, along with Kodak’s
Workflow and Screening, in a move to improve quality and increase output at
production facilities across the United States.
“With Kodak’s thermal digital solutions, we expect to produce a better
looking product for our readers and advertisers, while saving time in
production that will give our editorial staff more deadline flexibility,” said
Brian Kardell, VP of Production and Chief Information Officer, Lee Enterprises
Inc. “We have already been using KODAK Platesetters and Workflow in five
subsidiaries and experiencing process control and cost savings, convincing us
to make this major investment to upgrade our printing operations.”
Lee Enterprises is the fourth largest newspaper publisher in America in
terms of dailies owned. Based in Davenport, Iowa, Lee’s newspapers have a
combined daily circulation of 1.6 million and 1.9 million on Sundays, while its
weekly publications reach 4.5 million households.
“Lee Enterprises is a major newspaper publisher facing many of the same
business challenges that other newspaper publishers are grappling with daily.
The TRENDSETTER NEWS Platesetters and Kodak’s workflow systems deliver fast and
reliable imaging, with features that help reduce costs and speed up the
production cycle,” said Karen Mitchell, Regional Marketing Manager Newspaper
Segment, Kodak.
Dailies installing Kodak’s thermal digital solutions in 2007 include: The
Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.; Billings Gazette, Billings, Mont.; The
Southern Illinoisian, Carbondale, Ill.; Casper Star-Tribune, Casper,
Wyo.; The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y.; Independent Record,
Helena, Mont.; Missoulian, Missoula, Mont.; Rapid City Journal,
Rapid City, S.D.; The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho; The
Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.; Sioux City Journal, Sioux City, Iowa;
The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah; Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa;
Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis; and St. Louis Post
Dispatch, St. Louis.
The TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal CTP Device comes in five models, ranging
in speed from 60 to more than 240 plates per hour to suit newspaper printing
facilities of all sizes. The KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Platesetter delivers fast,
reliable imaging with a standard file format interface for newspaper production
systems. It is available with semi automatic or fully automated plate loading
and unloading. The machine to machine accuracy of the KODAK SQUARESPOT
Thermal Imaging Heads, combined with the binary nature of thermal imaging,
achieves consistent and repeatable halftone dot structures.
The KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow System helps newspapers deal with last
minute changes easily, without causing delays. Based on the latest standards
and proven technology, PRINERGY EVO Software delivers exceptional PDF
processing capabilities. A flexible PDF workflow featuring proven color
management, late stage editing and imposition, and advanced screening options
to optimize output on TRENDSETTER NEWS CTP devices, PRINERGY EVO helps
deliver the end to end automation, speed, control, and flexibility that
newspapers need to accommodate tight editorial and ad deadlines, and output
large numbers of pages quickly.
KODAK STACCATO Screening produces high fidelity, artifact free images that
exhibit fine detail and more impactful color in newspapers. STACCATO
Screening creates images without halftone rosettes, screening moiré, gray
level limitations, or abrupt jumps in tone—with no impact on RIPing or
rendering time. KODAK SQUARESPOT Imaging Technology enables the fine dot
structure of STACCATO Screening to be a reliable and practical solution
for newspaper printing and an effective competitive edge
for publishers.
KODAK NEWSMANAGER Workflow System, a powerful PDF workflow management tool
for high performance newspaper prepress, enables a flexible, automated workflow
from edition plan to plate production. Based on open standards, it easily
integrates into existing systems. The NEWSMANAGER Workflow System is scaleable
to meet all needs, from contract printers to metropolitan, national and
international newspapers with multiple print sites.
KODAK PREPS Imposition Software supports POSTSCRIPT, PDF, EPS, DCS and TIFF
source files. It works with all KODAK and many major third party workflow
systems. PREPS Imposition Software helps prepress professionals remove even
more manual steps from their preferred workflow by providing digital
imposition. PREPS Software enhances production efficiency by integrating more
thoroughly with various workflows and accepting more than 200 types of file
inputs. PREPS Imposition Software also enhances prepress efficiency and enables
postpress reliability by automatically generating bar codes that can be read by
WST and Muller Martini bar code readers.
KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. Named Best Support
Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, KODAK Service and
Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These
professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize
productivity, and minimize business risk.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7
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; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell
their story through moving or still images.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
For more information about Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, visit www.graphics.kodak.com. For
downloading photos from Kodak’s image library, visit: www.kodak.com/go/gcg_images.
(Kodak, Trendsetter News, SquareSpot, Prinergy Evo, Staccato, NewsManager and Preps are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)