MANUFACTURER INFORMATION

In 1993, Epson entered the inkjet printing market with the innovative Epson Stylus 800, and introduced its market changing printhead with Epson Micro Piezo technology, making a permanent technological advancement which remains at the forefront today. In 1994, Epson introduced the Stylus Pro, the world’s first 720 dpi colour inkjet printer. In 1998, the Epson Stylus Pro 800 was selected by NASA for the STS-95 mission and Epson introduced the first colour inkjet printer with built-in USB connectivity. Epson continues to develop breakthroughs in technology and applications as print, projection and display needs evolve, building on more than 60 years of innovation of Seiko Epson, which began as a watchmaker.

Epson SureColor SC-T printers incorporate a number of Epson proprietary technologies including Micro Piezo, PrecisionCore, Variable Sized Droplet Technology (VSDT), Exotic Thin Film Piezo (TFP), Low Vibration Meniscus Control and UltraChrome Inks. Epson SureColor T Series (technical) printers are the latest generation of printers from Epson, building on the success of the Stylus Pro Series.

Epson introduced the award-winning proprietary piezo-electric technology, called Micro Piezo in 1993, and Micro Piezo has made Epson inkjet printers renowned for their high quality output, reliability, and low running costs. Today, Epson is the only company that uses the piezo-electric printhead throughout its inkjet printing device range, from the smallest personal photo printer to the largest industrial system. Epson Micro Piezo technology fires ink droplets onto a surface by applying an electric charge to piezo-electric elements, which bend when an electrical charge is passed through them. Using piezo-electric technology, the amount of ink pulled into and expelled out of the nozzles can be very accurately controlled by varying the electrical charge given to the piezo-electric elements. This enables the printhead to eject ink droplets in a range of precisely controlled sizes. Ink droplets are propelled instead of heating the ink, which results in a wider range of printing applications and media compatibility, including paper, and industrial applications, fabric printing, indoor filter fabrication and applying patterns to electronic circuit boards. Epson Micro Piezo technology minimises impact on the environment because it uses ink very efficiently and places ink droplets accurately, to prevent wasted paper. The printheads last the lifetime of the printer.

Epson PrecisionCore printhead technology delivers Epson’s renowned industry-leading output quality at high speed. Inch for inch, the high-resolution Epson print chips are one of the fastest inkjet printing technologies in the world. PrecisionCore piezo elements each fire nearly 50,000 times per second. PrecisionCore has up to triple the nozzle density of conventional Epson piezo printheads. The nozzles are roughly 20 microns in diameter and deliver small, round, repeatable dots about 40 microns across. This dot precision creates sharp text and fine lines. PrecisionCore uses the power of the piezo crystal to increase reliability. The piezo element generates a voltage that can detect in milliseconds, whether its firing normally and self diagnose its health. The automatic nozzle check system uses advanced ink droplet detection to eliminate misprinting caused by nozzle clogging. Ink drops with an electrical charge are read by a sensor which takes less than 15 seconds, requires no media and consumes only a miniscule amount of ink. PrecisionCore’s micro-mechanical firing elements avoid material limitations faced by heat-based systems. More colourful and durable ink formulations with higher concentrations of colorants and binders can be used compared to heat-based systems, allowing for printing on a much wider range of substrates. PrecisionCore Scalable Technology is designed for products ranging from industrial systems such as large-scale label presses to desktop printers. Its modularity allows PrecisionCore print chips to be arrayed in both moving serial and fixed line printhead configurations.

Epson Variable Sized Droplet Technology (VSDT) refers to the capability of Epson’s Micro Piezo printhead technology to eject ink droplets of different sizes by varying the electrical charge give to the piezo-electric elements. Epson’s SureColor printers can achieve variable sized ink droplets as small as 4 picoliters. Such superior precision results in sharp, rich, and virtually grain-free text and images, key qualities strongly associated through the years with Epson’s renowned photo-quality prints. Epson Micro Piezo printheads run much cooler than thermal inkjet ones and can provide reliable operation for the life span of the printer. Epson ink cartridges do not require a printhead attached, making the ink cartridges more affordable, and environmentally friendly. Epson Micro Piezo printheads use less power than thermal inkjet printheads because the piezo-electric method of ink ejection is far more efficient.

The Epson SureColor SC-T3405N features the new Epson Micro Piezo TFP printhead, which includes Epson variable size ink drop technology, delivering superb quality prints with smooth gradations and grain reduction at high speed with a print resolution of up to 2400 dpi. The advanced Micro Piezo TFP printhead features higher performance and greater durability with 800 nozzles for each colour (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and 800 nozzles for black.

The Epson Exotic Thin Film Piezo (TFP) printhead and Low Vibration Meniscus Control technologies are the latest advancements in the SureColor T Series printers and deliver a superior level of ink placement accuracy and extraordinary image quality. The Epson TFP is the highest resolution 1-inch wide high performance inkjet printhead with 800 nozzles per colour. It is capable of using separate ink channels simultaneously. Epson Low Vibration Meniscus Control technology delivers highly accurate dot shape and high precision impact point control for extreme dot placement accuracy by precisely controlling the curvature of every ink droplet within each nozzle before releasing it onto the media. There is an ink repelling coating which dramatically reduces nozzle clogging. Variable size droplets, as small as 4 picoliters, decreases the print times and optimises the image quality.

The award-winning Epson UltraChrome Ink developed for the latest generation of inkjet professional printers is a significant advancement in print technology. Epson has developed several variations of UltraChrome Ink, for different needs and applications. Epson UltraChrome inks are available in High Dynamic Range (HDR), Hi-Gloss, Hi-Gloss 2, K3, K3 with Vivid Magenta, GS, XD, and XD2.  Epson UltraChrome XD2 aqueous pigment ink colours include cyan, yellow, and magenta, and black. UltraChrome XD2 uses specially formulated resin-encapsulated pigments which stabilise quickly and are extremely water resistant.