Kodak’s Prosper digital imprinting system – which adds variable digital content to an offset newspaper product – has been updated with a new Stream-based 152 mpm (500 fpm) version.

Multiple Prosper Plus 5 units can be added across the web of a standard newspaper press to add variable data, coding, serialisation, personalisation and versioning, up to the width of the newspaper page.

The new system has 600 x 900 dpi resolution and flexible drop size options, with the maker claiming enhanced reliability for a variety of applications including direct mail and lotteries. Among users, German publishing giant Axel Springer used the technology to imprint codes on the cover of its daily Bild print tabloid, enabling readers who had bought a copy to access paywalled digital content.

The Stream technology is teamed with Kodak’s Ektacolor inks.

At the same time, existing products are being renamed, with the Prosper Plus 1/1W and Plus 2/2W becoming the Plus 10 and Plus 20, reflecting production speeds of 305 mpm (1,000 fpm) and 609 mpm (2,000 fpm) respectively. Kodak says existing S-Series customers will continue to receive full-service support, with upgrade options available.

Pricing and product management vice president Laura Cole said the new portfolio additions reflected continued investment and ongoing commitment to the print industry. “With the Prosper Plus 5, Kodak is helping printers modernise existing production assets, unlock new revenue opportunities and deliver the personalisation, traceability, and flexibility that today’s markets demand,” she said.