Kodak Introduces 1200i Inkjet Printer

Kodak has introduced its new wide-format printing system, the Kodak 1200i. The system comprises the new 1200i inkjet printer, a customized RIP for point-of-sale and signage applications, Kodak Quantum inks, Kodak wide-format media, and the company's technical support.

Based on the Encad NovaJet 1000i technology, the 1200i is a 6-color (CMYKcm) thermal inkjet printer available in 42- and 60-in. widths. It employs the Kodak-branded Quantum dye and pigment-based inks, which have the same formulation as the former Encad Quantum inks. These inks are backward-compatible with the Encad NovaJet 1000i; Kodak and Encad ink brands can be mixed in the same printer.

The 60-in. 1200i can hit a maximum speed of 220 sq ft/hr at 600 dpi; in high-quality (“ultrafine”) mode, it produces 30 sq ft/hr at 1200 dpi. These numbers are similar to the 1000i.

The printer offers a number of improvements in the internal systems versus the 1000i, primarily with the print-cartridge design and Active Service Station (which automatically fills, primes, and cleans the ink cartridges), reports Kodak.

Price: $11,995 (42-in.), $16,995 (60-in.); price includes 1 year of warranty service.

This is the first printer since Kodak's purchase of Encad that will not feature the Encad badge. And, says Encad's Anna Rosemore, expect to less and less of the Encad badge in the near future: “The Encad and NovaJet brands will live on in all our legacy products, but will be replaced by the Kodak brand from the present into the future. While Encad and NovaJet have been successful longstanding brands, the Kodak brand will be utilized for all products, services and organizations within the new Graphics Communications Group, emphasizing Kodak's commitment to the digital future of commercial printing.”
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The Encad nameplate is one of the oldest surviving badges in the wide-format arena. Based in San Diego, Encad got its start in 1981 as a manufacturer of pen plotters. It introduced the Novajet color wide-format inkjet printer in 1991, and followed up two years later with the NovaJet II. Kodak purchased the company in 2002. The company reports that it has sold more than 100,000 Encad printers since 1991. (Eastman Kodak: www.kodak.com; Encad: www.encad.com)