COLOGNE, Germany, September 24, 2002 — Strengthening its industry leadership, Eastman Kodak Company introduced a new generation of versatile colour photographic papers for both optical and digital photofinishing operations that deliver exceptional colour reproduction and superior image longevity of a century and longer.
The new Kodak Duralife, Kodak Ektacolor Royal and Kodak Ektacolor Edge papers fuse the Company’s pre-eminent technical expertise with its commitment to provide consumers with consistently better and longer-lasting pictures. The new papers consistently produce the brightest, most saturated colours of any paper among its competitors available today on the market, whether the image was captured optically or digitally.
"By building upon our strengths, we continue to deliver the best paper for today, the best paper for tomorrow," said Rainer Scheithauer Marketing Director, Output Products, European, African and Middle Eastern Region, Consumer Imaging Division, Kodak. "We’ve listened to the voices of consumers and our customers. This new generation of papers represents an ideal marriage of how we can continue to provide innovative ways to help photofinishers print better pictures and increase consumer satisfaction with photography."
They also help remarkable print longevity in a variety of conditions. Whether photographs are hung on a wall or stored in albums, proprietary Kodak technology provides bright, sharp images that will last for a century or two.
The versatile new papers, which replace Kodak’s existing portfolio, also meet the growing needs of photofinishers and minilabs printing digital images – a key consideration as output becomes a more important element in Kodak’s strategy. Digital printing is expected to dominate the photofinishing industry in less than a decade, and Kodak’s new papers serve as the ideal solution through this transition by allowing photofinishers to maintain one inventory of paper for their optical and digital printing needs. An important element in Kodak’s strategy is to deliver the best pictures possible to the consumer.
The papers will be available on a stock turnover basis worldwide starting in the first quarter 2003.
Papers Provide Exceptional Quality
The new papers assure superior colour reproduction and colour saturation by reproducing softer and warmer flesh tones and more vibrant greens, blues and reds. They also provide greater detail. On the digital front, improved performance delivers sharper and crisper printing versus prior products as detected in text reproduction. The papers are also so fast – accepting an image in a nanosecond – that minilabs and photofinishers deliver superior pictures even when producing 10,000 digitally-enhanced pictures an hour on systems such as Kodak’s breakthrough I-lab.
Kodak’s state-of-the-art image-longevity enhancements promise that a family’s picture memories will last more than 100 years in typical home display, and more than 200 years in photo albums and other dark storage conditions. These papers are the ideal media for pictures that will last for generations to come.
The papers are formulated to work especially well with Kodak’s newest consumer films, and the complete system of Kodak films, papers and process chemicals delivers optimum image accuracy: crisp, clear text reproduction, and rich, compelling colours.
(Kodak, Duralife, Ektacolor and Royal are trade marks of Eastman Kodak Company.)