Inkjet & Digital Printing
Kodak Expands Inkjet Portfolio and Retail Availability with the New ESP 5 All-in-One Printer
Friday 25. April 2008 - Kodak Printers Receive Top Scores in Cost-of-Printing and Print Permanence
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) continues to change the way the world prints at home with its new KODAK ESP 5 All-in-One (AiO) Printer. The newest device in Kodaks consumer inkjet printer portfolio offers the latest in design and performance, providing a high-quality, easy-to-use printing system at a significant value. It leverages Kodaks premium, low-cost ink that allow consumers to print more photos and documents for their money.
“Kodak is delivering on its promise to end ink profiteering and to bring people affordable, premium ink with the introduction of the new KODAK ESP 5 All-in-One printer,” said Randy Brody, worldwide marketing director, Inkjet Systems at Kodak. “We are focusing on delivering easy-to-use products that provide superb-quality and save up to 50 percent on everything they print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers*.”
The KODAK ESP 5 AiO Printer ($169.99 U.S. MSRP) features a small, sleek design with print, scan and copy capabilities. It has a large 3″ color LCD display along with memory card and USB slots to allow consumers to view, edit and print with or without a computer. The KODAK ESP 5 uses Kodaks high-quality pigmented inks that come in a simple two-cartridge setup – a full black cartridge ($9.99 U.S. MSRP) and a five-ink color cartridge ($14.99 U.S. MSRP).
Growing Channel Presence
Kodak continues to expand its global reach. With its revolutionary inkjet business model and groundbreaking consumer value proposition, Kodak has added additional premier retail accounts to its international distribution channel including consumer electronics, office superstore, warehouse and mass merchandising outlets. New retail partnerships in existing markets include Target Retail Department Stores in the U.S., as well as London Drugs and Canadian Tire in Canada. Beginning in the second half of 2008, Kodak will broaden its current distribution network of more than 8,000 retail stores by expanding into Latin American countries.
Top Scores in Cost-of-Printing and Print Permanence
A leading industry research firm, QualityLogic, Inc., recently conducted tests of ink yield of Kodak AiO printers and other leading consumer inkjet printers. The results confirm that one year after launch, KODAK AiO Printers continue to offer consumers the best ink value compared to competitors similar consumer inkjet printers. Kodak estimates that consumers who use KODAK AiO Printers can print up to twice as many pages for every dollar spent on ink compared to the industry average.
Recently the printers were tested extensively by a leading independent permanence testing laboratory, Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR). According to the results of the industrys first five-factor print permanence test, spearheaded by WIR, the KODAK AiO Printers and premium pigment-based ink achieved the highest level of overall print permanence of any current consumer desktop printer system tested by WIR. The KODAK AiO Printers, ink, and media achieved WIR Display Permanence Ratings and Album/Dark Storage Ratings of greater than 125 years.