The Prosper 5000XLi was announced yesterday at the Hunkeler Innovationdays in Switzerland.

It features a raft of enhancements including a new press management system called Intelligent Print System (IPS), which continuously measures and learns from how the press is performing. Existing Prosper 5000XL users can upgrade to the XLi specification.

Howard Hunt joint managing director Lucy Edwards said the company had been testing the upgrade for about a week. "We're seeing initial signs of improvement although we are still testing it," she said.

"We're seeing definite improvements with the IPS system, and the operator functionality and operator interaction is better, it's easier to use.

"It's also much easier to change from colour to mono," she added.

Howard Hunt has had the Prosper press on trial since February 2011.

Kodak also announced a new nano-particulate pigment ink for the Prosper system, said to produce more durable results on coated papers.

The four-back-four 5000 XLi has a maximum print width of just over 62cm and a maximum print speed of 200m/min.

Kodak described the press as "the fastest, most accurate writing engine on the market." The new version has been beta-tested at Mercury Print of Rochester, New York, which upgraded its 5000 XL to the new specification.

At the Hunkeler event Kodak also highlighted the growing adoption of its Prosper S-series imprinting heads for hybrid printing applications on sheetfed presses.

Separately, it showed a technology demonstration of a new turbo mode for its NexPress sheetfed digital press, together with a "long sheet" option for larger formats on the device.