When every other player, from digital vendors, to press manufacturers and consumables suppliers, are focusing on inkjet at Drupa, is seems strange that Kodak has opted out. Last week, the group said, it is in talks with prospective buyers about offers to purchase its Kodak Prosper enterprise inkjet business, along with the Prosper press platform, the Prosper S Series imprinting systems and related products.
The announcement has raised eyebrows in the Indian print industry; more so, as Jeff Clarke, CEO of Kodak, had previously described Prosper as one of Kodak’s “four growth engines”, alongside Sonora, Flexcel and Micro 3D printing.

When asked about the impact the operations in India, a statement from Kodak India stated, "In India, our industry leading portfolio of CTP devices, workflow software and dynamic line of offset plates are widely used by printers across the country. Globally, we are pursuing opportunities to leverage our expertise in materials science in new markets with opportunities for growth, such as our relationship with Carbon 3D and the copper-based touch screen sensor business. We also continue to invest in print."

The statement added, “The announcement does not change anything for Prosper customers, especially our commitment to the highest levels of service. Our ongoing commitment to print and to our customers in India remains steadfast. We remain committed to offset and flexographic print and we have businesses such as Flexcel NX packaging and Sonora process-free plate lines."

During the Drupa Media Days in Dusseldorf, Kodak announced several new products, including theNexpress ZX3900 digital production colour press, plus an addition to the process-free Sonora plate family and an enhanced version of Flexcel NX System.