Image World, a commercial printing company based in the Philippines, is set to become the first company in Southeast Asia to install the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Digital Production Color Platform. To gain a competitive advantage in the digital printing market, Image World chose the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Platform to improve print quality and advance the company’s expansion into new services featuring high-impact applications.    

Image World handles a variety of print jobs from marketing collateral to school diplomas. When the company wanted to start taking on larger-sized print jobs and offer more value-added services, Dr. Robert Sy, Chairman of Image World, knew the company needed a more versatile digital press than its existing equipment. With a 26″/660 mm long sheet option—delivering 27 percent more printable area than previous NEXPRESS Presses—and performance comparable to that of offset printing, the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Digital Production Color Press was an easy decision.

“The NEXPRESS SX3300 Press will enable us to print panoramic posters and photos, six-page brochures, as well as any size book cover. We’re excited about the color, speed, sharpness, and clarity of its print,” said Dr. Sy.

In an independent photo quality study completed by SpencerLab, the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Digital Press achieved an overall highest rating in print quality, demonstrating the best all-round performance across the majority of attributes evaluated.

The NEXPRESS SX Platform allows printers like Image World to pursue a variety of new printing applications, opening the door to new business opportunities and potential digital sales. In fact, the NEXPRESS SX Platform prints on more than 700 standard offset substrates, including coated, uncoated, FSC, plastics, magnets, linens, static clings, microperforated substrates, and more.

Like all NEXPRESS Presses, the KODAK NEXPRESS SX3300 Platform is equipped with Kodak’s Print Genius, a suite of quality control tools and options that allows printers to maintain peak quality throughout the production run for increased efficiency.

Image World also opted for the KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solution, which, according to Dr. Sy, was the defining factor in purchasing the NEXPRESS SX Platform. The Fifth Imaging Unit enables printers to provide watermarking, protection coating, high-quality glossing and spot color, MICR printing, gamut expansion, in-line dimensional printing and red fluorescing ink.

Unique in the industry for in-line digital cut sheet presses, dimensional printing is achieved by adding KODAK NEXPRESS Dimensional Clear Dry Ink to the Fifth Imaging Unit of a KODAK NEXPRESS Press. With the NEXPRESS Dimensional Printing System, printers can create collateral materials, direct mail, business cards, invitations and other applications that truly stand out. Characteristics previously unattainable with digital printing, such as a 3D tactile photo surface, dimensional or raised print, and distinctive textures, can easily be incorporated into the design of materials.

With KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit capabilities, Dr. Sy foresees the potential for bringing new value-added products to the company’s repertoire—such as photo books with dimensional effects and school diplomas with red fluorescing ink for added security.

“The most striking feature of the NEXPRESS SX3300 Press is the Fifth Imaging Unit Solution, which can do at least six special tasks: the dimensional raised printing that actually makes the desired section of the image palpable and gives depth to the printed material; the watermarking that can be employed to make it look like the design of the paper; the glossing, whether full or spot, that stands out very clearly and definitely shines better than lamination; the MICR that has all the capabilities to print bank checks; red fluorescing ink that can print security and barcodes visible only under UV light; and the RGB that enhances colors and makes the brand color of each company possible,” explained Dr. Sy.