Epson launches UltraChrome High Dynamic Range 10 colour ink in 2 new printers

Sydney 30 May 2008:  Epson today announced the launch of two advanced ten colour large format printers with optional integrated spectrophotometer that will change the way print professionals use large format printers

The Epson Stylus Pro 7900 (24 inch) and Stylus Pro 9900 (44 inch) are Epson's first ten colour printers equipped with a revolutionary new pigment ink technology - Epson UltraChrome HDR (High Dynamic Range) ink. This ink set incorporates orange and green to considerably expand the colour gamut and increase digital printing opportunities within the package and remote proofing market segments.

Epson's UltraChrome HDR ink is a high density resin coated pigment ink formulation with three level black ink technology - photo black, light black and light light black - plus cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta, yellow, orange, and green. Matte black is also included on-board and can be auto-switched with photo black.

This generation of UltraChrome HDR ink delivers reduced graininess in skin tone areas, smoother tonal gradation from shadows to highlights, excellent short term colour stability and outstanding long term lightfastness, highly accurate colour control with neutral black and white, and high gloss levels on water resistant prints.

Reduced costs are realised through the introduction of two high capacity ink cartridges (350 and 700ml) which contribute to a lower cost per millilitre of ink.  These new high capacity ink cartridges also reduce the need to frequently replace cartridges which promotes greater unattended printing.

The Stylus Pro 7900 and Stylus Pro 9900 have Epson's MicroPiezo TFPT (Thin Film Piezo) print head with 360 nozzles per inch for each of the ten active ink cartridges.  Epson's Ink Repelling Coating for the print head and Automatic Ink Detection (AID) system combine to eliminate down time by minimising and detecting nozzle clogging before it becomes problematic, and to eliminate paper waste used during the cleaning process. 

Epson's AID technology uses a sensor near the print head that counts the electrical charges on the ink droplets as they are fired.  A lower than expected electrical charge means insufficient ink was fired, so the print head cleaning process starts automatically.

In comparison with current 8 colour 24 inch and 44 inch printers, print speed is dramatically increased, with the Stylus Pro 7900 completing an A1 (720x720dpi) sellable quality print on Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper in an amazing 5 minutes.

Epson's optional integrated spectrophotometer with mounting device uses the latest X-rite technology to provide automatic colour measurement data to the printer, allowing user profiling and linearisation, enabling professional colour management while at the same time reducing labour costs.

The spectrophotometer works with both Epson colour management software and third party RIPs.  For customers using the Epson printer driver, the Epson software performs the complete process from print to measure, automatically, and can calibrate all resolutions at the same time.

Epson's new 16 bit Macintosh printer drivers combine many years of colour expertise with the superior colour range and tonal gradations of the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 and UltraChrome HDR ink.  With 16 bit processing more information is preserved as 16 bit traces the original image data with higher frequency than 8 bit processing. As a result, 16 bit images can now be faithfully reproduced from Adobe Photoshop CS3, delivering smoother gradations and greater image detail.

The Stylus Pro 7900 and Stylus Pro 9900 use Epson's latest colour Look Up Table technology, an advanced algorithm that optimises colour consistency under different light conditions and further reduces image grain giving much smoother colour gradations.

These new high end printers in the Epson large format range will compliment Epson's Stylus Pro 450 and Stylus Pro 880 series, and are perfect for anyone who requires consistently high quality colour prints including pre-press and printing companies, reprographic companies, quick printers, professional photographers, photo labs, fine artists, museums and galleries, and graphic design studios.

Specifications of the Stylus Pro 7900 and Stylus Pro 9900:

• Professional media handling up to 24 inch wide (Stylus Pro 7900)
• Professional media handling up to 44 inch wide (Stylus Pro 9900)
• Epson's UltraChrome HDR pigment ink technology
• 11 individual high capacity ink cartridges (available in 350 or 700 ml capacity)
• Automatic switching of photo and matte black inks
• Optional integrated spectrophotometer
• Epson Micro Piezo TFP print head with VSDT
• Automatic Ink Detection Technology
• Epson's advanced image processing technology
• Faster print speeds - up to 36% reduction in print time
• Maximum 2880x1440 dpi print resolution at 3.5 pl droplets
• USB2.0 and ethernet connections standard

The Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and Stylus Pro 9900 will be available from selected authorised Epson professional graphics dealers in late spring at prices to be announced.