Kodak's Graphic Communications Group Delivers on Strategy at Graph Expo.

CHICAGO -- Kodak launches new products, expands distribution capabilities, presents one face to the customer at North America's largest commercial printing exhibition

Eastman Kodak Company is delivering on its digitally oriented growth strategy at Graph Expo, North America's largest commercial printing exhibition.

Exhibiting for the first time under the Kodak banner (Booth 1697), Kodak's Graphic Communications Group is highlighting one of the broadest portfolios in the industry for high-end digital print production; demonstrating expanded distribution capabilities; emphasizing integrated workflow solutions; and unveiling a new marketing campaign.

The Graphic Communications Group--which consists of Encad, Inc., Kodak Versamark, Inc. and NexPress Solutions, Inc. --has a product portfolio that meets the requirements of commercial printers and in-plant operators, as well as data centers and digital service bureaus. Kodak has assembled a portfolio--from pre-press and on-demand digital color and monochrome production printing to wide-format inkjet and transactional printing--that delivers the variety of applications that the industry needs.

"We see digital technology as opening unlimited opportunities in the industry, and we are committed to helping customers unlock the opportunities of the digital future today," said James Langley, President, Graphic Communications Group, and Senior Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. "At Graph Expo, we are demonstrating one of the broadest portfolios in the industry and customers are seeing how Kodak can be their single supplier for digital production technology from image capture through workflow to output to market."

For instance, Mount Pleasant, Iowa-based Direct Mail Holdings is the first company to adopt Kodak's portfolio of printing products to provide total management of the printing workflow and process across multiple sites. Kodak is working with Direct Mail Holdings to integrate workflow and software interfaces across all of Kodak's platforms, including systems for four-color and monochrome digital printing from Kodak Versamark, NexPress and Encad. Kodak press and color management experts will "fingerprint" offset and digital presses to ensure consistent output across print platforms. The goal is to make a true distribute-and-print workflow possible, with all sites running the same workflow and maintaining the same print quality from computer-to-plate and offset to four-color digital presses and wide format.

"Our vision is to deliver customer direct mail pieces from image file to mailing within 24 hours, and Kodak is the company that can help us achieve this vision," said Randy Seberg, President, Direct Mail Holdings. "We chose Kodak because we believe a collaboration with one total solutions provider enables us to provide complete management of the workflow across a variety of platforms."

New Marketing Campaign

Built around the theme of "no limits," the marketing campaign from Kodak's Graphic Communications Group will be on full view at the company's Graph Expo booth, and will run in industry trade magazines throughout the remainder of 2004. The campaign uses images--windsurfing, snowboarding, high jumping and surfing--to express a sense of limitless opportunities through depictions of individuals achieving ultimate performance levels in their sports.

The ads will appear in key industry magazines to build awareness of Kodak's broad portfolio of systems for high-end digital print production, and capture the excitement of new business and marketing opportunities made possible by digital printing technology. The first ads appear in the pages of Graphic Arts Monthly, American Printer and Printing Impressions.

The "no limits" theme extends throughout the marketing efforts of all the companies that make up the Graphic Communications Group. Encad, Kodak Versamark and NexPress Solutions are all using the theme.

Growing Momentum

"We have made tremendous progress in the last few months," said Langley. "At drupa in May, we presented a group of Kodak businesses with leading-edge technology in the fastest growing segments of the printing industry. We are successfully integrating the businesses we have acquired, and we are seeing growing momentum with our technology, customers, distribution and marketing efforts."

Other highlights at Graph Expo include:

--NexPress is demonstrating the fifth-imaging unit. The system is now optimized for PANTONE Color reproduction for both the four-color CMYK press and the new NEXPRESS intelligent color solution employed by the NEXPRESS 2100 digital color press with the fifth imaging unit. The fifth-imaging unit enhances workflow and output from the NEXPRESS 2100 digital production color press with NEXPRESS intelligent color, coating and glossing solutions.

--Kodak Versamark is using its array of continuous inkjet printing systems and components to demonstrate the versatility of its technology. The company reached an agreement with Emtex to integrate the Emtex VIP and VDE output management software with KODAK VERSAMARK printing systems and resell them to the Emtex customer base, delivering complete solutions to improve the efficiency of high-volume, mission critical document production and facilitate personalized customer communication.

--Encad will highlight the ENCAD NOVAJET 1000i wide format inkjet printer, recently awarded the GATF InterTech award as one of the most promising new technologies of the year. Leveraging Kodak's technology and expertise in the photography market, Encad also is introducing four new media for wide-format inkjet printers, designed specifically for professional photographers and proofing applications.

About Kodak's Graphic Communications Group

Kodak's Graphic Communications Group consists of Encad, Inc., a maker of large-format inkjet photo printing machines, media and inks; NexPress Solutions, Inc., a leader in on-demand digital color and monochrome image printing systems; and Kodak Versamark, Inc., a world leader in high-speed, 100% variable data printing. The Graphic Communications Group also includes Kodak's 50 percent interest in Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG), a joint venture with Sun Chemical. Additionally, Kodak intends to make its Document Products and Services organization--including market-leading, production and desktop document scanners, microfilm, worldwide service and support--part of the Graphic Communications Group, effective January 2005.

The Graphic Communications Group serves a variety of customers in the in-plant, data center, commercial printing and digital service bureau markets with a range of equipment that spans large-format inkjet printing and digital monochrome printing to on-demand digital image-rich color printing and transactional communications.

Kodak, Digimaster, Encad, NexPress, Novajet and Versamark are trademarks of Kodak.