The acquisition, completed on 10 April, means Intermate has become part of Kodak's Print On Demand Solutions Group.

Kodak anticipates Intermate's knowledge in Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) systems, a hardware and software technology that links mid- to high-volume print systems, will improve the company's capabilities within transactional print.

Intermate develops hardware and software IPDS products aimed at distribution channels and integrating IPDS print technology software into products from printer manufacturers.

Kodak president and chief operating officer Philip J. Faraci said: "Kodak continues to see significant growth opportunities in the transactional print marketplace."

He added that the combination of Intermate's IPDS expertise and its strong relationships with strategic partners and OEM providers "will strengthen Kodak's existing Unified Workflow solutions and open new opportunities in data centre markets for us and our customers".

Intermate president Kenneth Christensen said: "Our engineering capabilities and IPDS technologies will only help to solidify Kodak's leadership position in the printing world. This is synergism at its best."

The Print On Demand Solutions Group provides Creo colour servers to Kodak as well as HP, Ikon, Konica Minolta and Xerox. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.