Kodak has drawn a name from its colourful past to launch the ink technology behind its recent Prosper Ultra 520 inkjet web launch.

The company says the new Kodachrome ink range for presses using its Ultrastream technology will give offset quality, achieving “the highest levels of colour rendition, image stability, and detail”.

Kodak uses a proprietary pigment micro-milling process, which creates pigment particles that are typically less than 50 nanometers with a narrow size distribution, and says competitive milling processes cannot approach these levels.

The finer pigments result in faster ink drying times and thin dried ink layers, resulting in less scattering of light, and richer and purer colours with “vibrancy”, and a wide colour gamut, without sacrificing image permanence.

Kodachrome was famously the brand name for Kodak’s colour transparency product in the competitive days of colour film.

Kodak claims the Kodachrome inks produce a 95 per cent larger gamut volume than SWOP (web offset) and a 39 per cent larger gamut than GRACoL (sheetfed offset). Because these properties mean the inks require less laydown to achieve outstanding colours, they help reduce the running costs of the inkjet press.

The water-based, low-humectant Kodachrome inks are more sustainable than conventional solvent-based inks, because they do not contain PVC or phthalates, making them safer for people and the environment.

With its printable water-based optimiser agents (primers), Kodachrome inks can be used for printing on practically any substrate. “Kodak has been pioneering inkjet production printing for 56 years, and our new Kodachrome inks are designed to deliver outstanding print results and maximise productivity and value for our customers,” Kodak executive chairman and chief executive Jim Continenza says.

Kodachrome inks played a “major role” in helping the recently launched Prosper Ultra 520 press deliver “outstanding offset-quality print” at high speeds, covering a broad range of applications.