Red Fluorescing Dry Ink for Kodak Nexpress
2010/06/07
At IPEX 2010 Kodak Introduced Virtually Invisible Ink for the Nexpress Production Presses
This new ink allows clear bar codes to be printed inline and can encompass variable data printing, allowing each printed piece to be marked with unique information. The new ink creates opportunities for current Nexpress Press customers to offer new services to their existing customer bases and enter new markets. It will allow commercial printers to expand their digital print operations into secure documents and other businesses, and will provide book printers with new ways to take advantage of inventory management and automation improvements. Commercial printers can also use the clear bar code for their internal workflow for downstream finishing and binding operations.
Adding to the diverse capabilities of the Kodak Nexpress Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions with Print Genius, Kodak is introducing a new virtually invisible clear ink. Kodak Nexpress Red Fluorescing Dry Ink is clear to the naked eye, but becomes red fluorescing when illuminated with an appropriate ultraviolet (UV) light source. The ink can be used to print unobtrusive images and non-reproducible bar codes on various printed materials, which then can be read with specialized bar code readers. The Nexpress Red Fluorescing Dry Ink enables a wide range of security and inventory management applications, including certified documents, such as medical prescription pads, drivers’ licenses and event tickets.
This new ink allows clear bar codes to be printed inline and can encompass variable data printing, allowing each printed piece to be marked with unique information. The new ink creates opportunities for current Nexpress Press customers to offer new services to their existing customer bases and enter new markets. It will allow commercial printers to expand their digital print operations into secure documents and other businesses, and will provide book printers with new ways to take advantage of inventory management and automation improvements. Commercial printers can also use the clear bar code for their internal workflow for downstream finishing and binding operations.
Kodak worked with bar code reader pioneer InData Systems to develop a red fluorescing dry ink application that would be widely adaptable in the field, allowing it to be printed on a variety of backgrounds. InData Systems of Skaneateles, N.Y. is a world leader in bar code reading products designed for the bar code security industry, which uses covert or hidden bar codes for product authentication, tracking, and information retrieval.