A new dimension in eight colour printing

Epson has launched two new large format printers for Professional Photographers, Fine Art Print Service Providers and Graphic Arts Professionals featuring the latest Epson print technologies and eight colour printing with Epson’s UltraChrome® K3 ink with Vivid Magenta.

The Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 are ideal for colour critical printing applications such as eye catching retail point-of-sale displays, contract and imposition proofs, photography, limited edition fine art print making and detailed colour maps.

The combination of Epson’s revolutionary Thin Film Piezo (TFP) print head and UltraChrome K3 ink with Vivid Magenta in the 24 inch Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and 44 inch Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 deliver superior print quality and productivity gains across a wide range of media print widths from 24 to 44 inches.

Epson’s one-inch wide MicroPiezo TFP print head features 360 nozzles per colour channel. With double the nozzle count of previous models, the Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 can print twice as fast as their predecessors.

Epson’s Ink Repelling Coating for the print head and automatic nozzle check combine to eliminate down time by minimising and detecting nozzle clogging before it becomes serious, and to eliminate paper waste used during the cleaning process. It 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 automatically starts.

The permanent nature of Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP print head eliminates the hassle involved in frequently replacing print heads, allowing users to print consistently for longer periods, without continuous interruptions.

Epson’s UltraChrome® K3 ink with Vivid Magenta comes in an eight colour ink set with high capacity ink cartridges available in 350ml and 700ml, and the Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 have automatic switching between photo and matte black ink, with both these features further improving printer efficiency, productivity and ink economy.

When combined with Epson genuine media, UltraChrome K3 Ink with Vivid Magenta achieves superb colour expression, giving it the ability to generate prints using a significantly expanded gamut – especially in blues and magenta – on both Photo and Matte Papers.

The highly concentrated resin coated pigment ink formulation provides graphic arts professionals with excellent short term colour stability within 30 minutes, while at the same time offering photographers and fine art print makers with amazing long term colour stability up to 200 years for black and white prints. 

For ease of use the Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 utilise a new media loading mechanism that requires no spindle, making it easier to change media and reducing overall downtime. Overall increased productivity can be achieved with the rotary paper cutter, and its heavy-duty design. The rotary paper cutter will improve cutting speeds, supports all types of media including thicker media and cuts through more at any one time. The user interface on the Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 has also been upgraded to a colour LCD for clearer communication between printer and operator.

To further help operators achieve absolute colour accuracy, the Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® 9890 can be configured with an optional SpectroProofer, enabling professional colour workflows by means of automatic colour calibration and verification. The SpectroProofer operates with a black or white backing of the measurement patch, ensuring conformity with the ISO-12647-7 standard for proofing.

The result is a simplified, faster and more efficient workflow, and mechanical scanning ensures repeatability and thereby reduces labour costs while delivering accurate output. To compensate for optical brighteners in media, the SpectroProofer is available in two models – with or without a UV cut filter. The flexibility of this option allows users in colour critical applications such as remote and contract proofing to generate a colour certification label for the proof.

Combined with the Stylus Pro® 900 series and 700 series printers, the new 890 series completes Epson’s large format printer range, providing print professionals everywhere with a choice of 4, 8 or 10 colour ink sets integrated into a new industrial print engine design that offers superior productivity, functionality and economy using the same award-winning print technologies that have made Epson the leader in high quality large format colour printing..

The Epson Stylus® Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus® Pro 9890 will be available from Epson Authorised Professional Graphics Dealers in November 2010 with recommended prices to be confirmed at a later date.