Stphane Livain, Kodak GSS vice-president of marketing for EAMER, said the Violet Print plate "fits perfectly with the entry-level market".

The B2 plate, the commercial version of the VioletNews plate was launched last year by KPG. Capable of line screens of up to 200lpi and runs of 200,000, it is already in use at more than 100 sites.

Lotus Press in Dorset was the first named UK user of the plate, which is for ECRM, Heidelberg and Screen platesetters. So far, Kodak hasn't revealed plans to build its own commercial violet engine.

The launch came as Kodak presented a progress update on the integration of Creo, which it bought in June, and its plans to make digital imaging its main revenue source by 2008.

Israel Sandler, Kodak Graphic Communications Group (GCG) managing director of EAMER and former managing director of Creo EMEA, said the first priority, to integrate customer-facing teams, would be achieved this year.

"The most important thing is not to have two salesmen meeting in a customer's carpark and arguing over whose customer it was," he said.

Kodak GCG president Jim Langley said the integration would bring cost savings of around 83m by 2008, but declined to give specific figures on any job cuts.

Meanwhile, across all its divisions, Kodak's digital business overtook its analogue work for the first time in the third quarter of this year. Digital sales hit 1.07bn (1.58bn) over the period, a year-on-year rise of 47%, compared to 943m in the traditional analogue sectors, which was down 20%.

Kodak GCG
- Includes KPG, NexPress, Encad, Creo and Versamark

- Q3 2005 sales: 501m

- Synergies to bring 83m savings by 2008

- 2005 print sales: 40m