By Lisa Reider, Senior Product Editor, Scanners and Environmental

As financial pundits and industry analysts wave their fingers, shouting “I told you so!” at the news of Kodak filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a conversation with the people this announcement affects the most reveals that it is not all doom and gloom. In a recent conversation with Sue Cardot, Kodak’s worldwide director for BSSG Outbound Marketing and Communications, and Jackie Horn, Kodak’s worldwide marketing manager for Document Imaging, they seemed confident that their day-to-day operations wouldn’t be significantly impacted, and that the BLI award-winning Kodak-branded line of scanners, software and services would live on and continue to expand.

According to Kodak, its Document Imaging business, now part of the “Enterprise Services and Solutions” portion of the company’s newly formed commercial division, is one of the strongest areas for the company in terms of continued product growth, with a 15- to 20% increase in 2011 (compared to 2010). “Digital and Functional Printing” (its commercial printing operations) and “Graphics and Entertainment and Commercial Film” (commercial consumables), which also fall under the commercial division, remain a significant part of Kodak’s strategy.