Kodak discontinues various professional printers and scanners, maintains service and support through 2010.(Industry news)

In response to the shifting focus in the professional imaging marketplace, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., is discontinuing production of the Kodak Professional RP 30 and SRP 30 laser printers, and the HR 500 Plus and HR Universal Scanners. Kodak will continue to support existing equipment in the market through October 2010.

"Make no mistake, we're committed to the lab and studio space," says Christopher S. Van Zandt, Americas Region, SPG manager for Professional Output, Kodak. "We're taking this as an opportunity to refine our product portfolio."

Kodak will concentrate its efforts in the professional lab market by supporting workflow architecture--including devices from other equipment manufacturers--professional media and processes, as well as pro lab category support. Leading this activity will be the Kodak Professional Endura media, lab software architectures such as Kodak Professional Digital Print Production Software (DP2) in the United States, and Kodak Professional Pro Series Software Suite in Europe, as well as the Kodak Pro Lab Resource Center.

Kodak and the professional lab industry have undergone a major transformation to digital imaging in the past few years. Due to the increase in digital capture, pro lab use of high-productivity film scanners has decreased significantly, and demand for additional or replacement productive scanning units has dropped to almost ...