Kodak Marks 40th Anniversary of Technology for High-Speed Continuous Inkjet Printing

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Kodak’s development of continuous inkjet (CIJ) technology in 1967 ushered in a new era in print production and business communications. The introduction of Kodak’s high-speed continuous inkjet printing solutions turned the time-intensive production of materials requiring variable data, including direct mail, transactional documents, tickets and business forms, into an efficient, fast process.

Forty years later, through innovative technology enhancements in color, speed, and quality, continuous inkjet printing has expanded into market segments such as newspapers, packaging, and book printing, and recently even created a new communications category, TransPromo.

“The advent of Kodak’s continuous inkjet printing technology marked a true watershed that extended beyond the printing industry,” said Frank Romano, professor emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Print Media. “It improved the way that businesses communicate with customers through bills, statements, and personalized direct mail; led to new products such as instant lottery tickets; and spawned a range of new technologies based on Kodak’s core technology. It even changed the way that magazines, catalogs, and direct mail were addressed.”

Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology started when a small group of engineers and scientists set out to demonstrate the viability of a new printing technology called binary continuous inkjet. From those early days in a research lab with one jet on a drum printer, Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology has evolved to encompass the industry’s highest speed (500 fpm), outstanding print quality (300 x 1200 dpi), and lowest cost of total ownership for high volume printers, says Kodak.

With the company’s binary continuous inkjet technology, a print head with 2,700 nozzles delivers 445 million drops of ink per second, allowing for very high speeds. The continual production of drops in each nozzle maximizes reliability by preventing mechanisms that can lead to nozzle clogging.

This continuous inkjet technology drives two systems. The KODAK VERSAMARK D-Series Systems continuous inkjet solutions for high-volume digital printing offer a broad range of printing systems with a comprehensive selection of printing features and functions to print variable information on- or off-line. The KODAK VERSAMARK V-Series Printing Systems for high-volume printing are built on a modular platform that allows flexible system growth and a clear upgrade path from block to spot to process color.

“Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology has set the standard for providing customers with the highest speed, highest volume digital printing since 1967,” said Isidre Rosello, general manager, Inkjet Printing Solutions, Kodak. “The spirit of innovation that resulted in development of the core technology over the last four decades is stronger than ever. In the coming years, Kodak will be leading the way with new advancements, applications, and opportunities for continuous inkjet printing.”

A series of special events and activities roll out during the coming months to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology. A logo commemorating the milestone will be included in communications about the 40th anniversary of Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology.