Epson Ink Cartridges

Following on from Canon's lead in utilising Semiconductor manufacturing techniques for their latest print heads, Epson have just announced their next-generation Micro Piezo print head as their future core technology and expects it to be a growth driver for the company in the coming years.

By utilising its existing semiconductor manufacturing expertise, Epson has engineered an inkjet print head capable of producing 360 dots per inch - which is the highest for a piezoelectric technology print head. This doubles the density of its current print heads.

This new design will result in much speedier printers, enabling them to design much smaller printers and expand the range of inkjet printing applications. You can read the full article on the technology of the print head.

Epson's current Piezo print head has a nozzle count of 180 per row, producing a print density of 180 dots per inch or dpi. The obvious way to increase print density and therefore speed would be to increase the number of print nozzles in each row. The current technology is engineered using machine tools and has reached its maximum density possible. So the researchers not only had to rethink the design of the print head, but also needed to find a different way to manufacture it - the answer is to be found in wafer Fab technology - photolithography.

Simply halving the size of each unit in order to double the number of nozzles would only result in the same print speed, so the researchers had to find a way to maintain the same droplet volume, even while shrinking each piezo unit by roughly half.

The solution lay in a complete makeover of the piezo element which controls ejection of the ink. The current piezo element is made up of 16 layers of material and measures about 1 millimeter in length with a layer thickness of 25 microns. By utilising the photolithographic techniques and applying them to a thin file of piezo material, Epson has created a microscopically small piezo element just 1 micron in thickness. This has enabled them to produce a piezo unit measuring almost half the effective area of the current unit so that they can double the number of nozzles on the print head, all the while maintaining the same size of ink droplet. This can be used either to accelerate print speed to to make smaller print heads for smaller printers that will deliver the same output as current models.

This new technology also allows the print head to be used for a range of inks, including dy and pigment types, solvent inks and ultraviolet cure inks used in industry.

Here at Stinkyink towers we are waiting with baited breath to see the fruits of their labours, in reduced costs and faster printers - maybe?

We got some new photos taken of our great Stinkyink team (I'll chuck in a thumbnail here which you can look at for an example of our beauty), and for some reason unknown to me I decided it was a great time to tidy my desk. Maybe some unconcious desire to make my desk as clean and pretty as my face? It's definitely a thinker....

Whilst tidying, I discovered some Epson ink cartridges information I was meant to have bought to light recently regarding an obvious movement by the company to quell customers 'annoyance' at small cartridge sizes when the cartridges could obviously hold so much more. Let me introduce you to....

The T1306 Ink Cartridges

This new product selection from Epson is the Stag range of cartridges. They have the following ink capacities, making their printers ideal for the home market that their printers are aimed at.

• T1301 Black ink cartridge - 25.4ml
• T1302 Cyan ink cartridge - 10.1ml
• T1303 Magenta ink cartridge - 10.1ml
• T1304 Yellow ink cartridge - 10.1ml
• T1306 Multipack of ink cartridges - 30.3ml

The extra large black, coming in at under £22, provides great value printing for all the general day-to-day printing you need, and the 10ml of ink for each colour will give a great number of photo prints. 50% larger than their smaller cartridge counterparts, the T129 selection of Apple cartridges, this is a good start from Epson to help you save money.

If on the lookout now, or expecting to be soon, for new machines to run in your home, this is a great starting point for your browsing. Keep it up Epson, this is a great start.

Epson Ink – Claria™ Photographic Ink.

With the advent of digital photography in the early 2000's the holy grail of the printer manufacturers has been to keep up with the incredible advances in camera and memory technology and allow users to output prints that are worthy of their subject. Only a couple of years ago if you wanted professinal quality prints you had to visit a shop or pop them in the post for developing.

Nowadays however, with the advances in ink, printer and paper technology you are able to produce photo labe quality results at home which also means that you are able to manipulate the pictures via your PC before printing them.

Epson's Photographic ink is branded as Claria™ ink and combined with Epson photographic papers which are optimised for the printer and ink will give outstanding output, with long lasting prints. Printers that are available with this technology are the:

Epson Stylus Photo RX560

Epson Stylus Photo R265

And    Epson Stylus Photo R360

Claria™ ink also produces great results on other types of documents from letters to web pages.

The Benefits of using Claria™ ink are:

1. Premium quality photo printing. Photographs printed with ™ photographic inks are rich, deep and the highest quality – even better than traditional photolab prints,
2. Superior Glossiness. ™ photogrpahic ink provides superior glossiness to the photos, especially when priting on Epson Ultra Glossy Photo Paper
3. Long Lasting photos. In combination with genuine Epson photo paper, up to 200 Years (if kept in an album)
4. Fade Resistant. Prints made with ™ inks are comparable to photo lab prints. This is thanks to a stronger dye molecule structure, making ™ photographic ink much more resistant to light and ozone than conventional dye ink
5. Water Resistant. If you combine ™ photographic ink and Epson Photo paper your photos won't be damaged by spilt water or wet hands

Finally ™ inks are available in 6 individual ink cartridges, so you only replace the colour that you have used, saving you time, hassle and money

Epson Ink – UltraChrome Ink

Epson's new UltraChrome ink is an improved version of Epson's archival Colourfast ink and has been developed for the latest generation in inkjet professional printers, Epson UltraChrome ink is one of the most important advances made in desktop printing. Achieving superb colour expression on a variety of media is made possible by an increas of the density of pigment content in the ink, which also provides for a much wider range of media support. Even with greater pigment density, each particle has an extremely smoorth and uniform resin coating, enusring superbly sharp image reproduction on both speciality media and plain paper along with marked improvements in light and water resistance.

Durability

The pigmented colourant improves light and gas resistance, Since the pigment colourant exists in its particle form, only the surface is affected by light and gas, and the colour inside remains vivid. Epson UltraChrome ink utilises this property of pigment ink effectively achieving superior light and gas resistance.

Some Secrets behind long life;

Photo-quality glossiness is largely determined by printing surface flatness. The flatter the surface, the more glossy the output. Pigment inks do not penetrate the surface of the paper. Instead, the colourant particles remain on the paper surface, forming a microscopically fine terrain of hills and valleys that sap prints of some of their lustre and brightness.

The flattening of this pigment terrain thus became the subject of intensive research. The problem for the development engineers was in getting these colourant particles to cling tightly and consistently to the paper. Without any preparatory processing, particles of pigment sprinkled on the surface of a piece of paper soon lose their grip and fall off so some way had to be found to make these colourants dissolve in water and stick to the page after they dried.

The researchers efforts culminated in the development of pigment inks in which colour particles are dispersed evenly within water, that bond tightly to the paper even after drying, and which offer a dramaticall wider colour gamut. The inks also create a flat and smooth surface on the paper.

Gloss optimiser, known as the "eighth ink," is produced from these same particles of high-density resin. The resin particles are microscopic and have no colour themselves, They fill in tiny gaps between inks and also cover white ares on a print as well as areas that ordinary ink rarely covers. The Gloss optimiser thus has the efffect of virtually eliminating print surface roughness, thus minimising complex reflections of light and creating a rich gorgeous gloss finish.

Every colour under the rainbow is naturally produced by a complex mixture of the three primary colours; Yellow, Magenta and Cyan. For printing Black is added for four basic colours. However, expressing subtle colour differences with the three primary colours makes for some very complex mixing and layering of colours. With the addition of new Red and Blue cartridges, the levels of layering needed are reduced which means that the print surface is less apt to become bumpy giving a smoother glossier finish.

The new inks help professional photographers to create perfect photographs in both colour and black and white, in which grey inks help to perfectly reproduce subtle tone variations.

Though water resistant, pigment ink has had a reputation for being inferior to dye inks in terms of glossiness and colouration. By adding new colours of ink, and by developing Gloss Optimiser, Epson has succeeded in producing prints whose quality transcends that of even traditional photographs.

Epson Inks: What You Need To Know

Ink makes all the difference when it comes to choosing a printer. The types of inks used by the company can make a big impact on the quality of the print results and the oerall cost of running the machine. If you're considering buying an Epson printer, here's an overview of the ink options you'll have.

Dye Inks vs. Pigment Inks

In order to understand the benefits of various Epson inks, it's important to know the difference between two basic ink types: dye and pigment;

Dye inks saturate the surface of the paper they're printed on. This can be good and bad. Good, because the ink sinks below the surface of the paper, presenting a smoother surface for light to reflect off. This makes colors generally sharper and clearer. Bad, because dye inks are more vulnerable to bleeding if they come in contact with water. Dye inks also typically don't fare as well as pigment inks when exposed to light and gas; they tend to fade more quickly.

Pigment inks are more long-lasting when exposed to light and gas, and they are resistant to bleeding when in contact with water. Pigment ink particles typically rest on top of the paper, rather than sinking in. This makes for a rougher surface, causing the light to be scattered and colors to be less brilliant and sharp.

Epson has come a long way in developing technology that makes pigment ink colors much sharper—and dye inks less likely to bleed.

Types of Dye-Based Epson Inks

Four-color ink. Epson's typical four-color dye inks are designed for general-purpose home printing. They are resistant to smudging in contact with water, if they're printed on Epson's glossy paper.

Claria. Claria ink is Epson's photographic dye ink. It's designed to be used with the company's high-gloss photo paper in photo printers, including the Epson Stylus RX560, the R265, and the R360.  Claria ink has a richer and deeper color range than the company's other dye inks, and the photos printed with this ink have sharper colors even than traditional photo lab prints. For a dye-based ink, Claria is also remarkably resistant to bleeding when in contact with water, as well as fading in contact with gas or light. The inks come in six color cartridges, rather than four.

Epson's Pigment Inks

UltraChrome. Epson developed UltraChrome as a replacement for its older Archival Colorfast ink. UltraChrome is generally used in professional printers, and it's designed to produce particularly sharp images and colors.

Epson's UltraChrome ink pigments are about twice as dense as Epson's other ink lines, which gives the printer the ability to express a wider range of colors and shades. Since these are pigment-based inks that are not water soluble, they tend to be very resistant to smearing when the page gets damp. UltraChrome is also resistant to light and gas exposure, and tends not to fade as much as other inks with the passage of time.  UltraChrome is often used for signage, professional graphic art printing, and photography printing. It's also an excellent choice for archival ink; depending on the paper it's printed on, this ink can have a display life of over 75 years. This ink prints on any quality paper, including high-gloss.

DURAbrite. DURAbrite inks are pigmented inks generally used for small office and home office printers. This is a durable ink that will produce professional-looking results even on plain white paper, but it can also print well on photo-quality paper.  DURAbrite ink cartridges produce smaller droplets than other ink lines, resulting in finer and sharper image quality. Unlike other pigment dyes, DURAbrite is designed to penetrate near the surface of the paper. The surface presented to light is smoother and more reflective, which also improves the quality of the image.

Like other pigment inks, DURAbrite won't bleed when in contact with water. Although it does penetrate the paper near the surface, the ink does not become absorbed by individiual paper fibers and is less likely to bleed. DURAbrite prints on plain, matte, and some gloss papers.

Epson sells a wide range of printers for both business and home use. The type of ink a printer uses, however, can make as much difference in your costs and result as the printer itself. Consider inks when choosing a printer, and you'll be more likely to get the results you're looking for.

Epson have been outdoing themselves recently, with innovations such as print head technology being added to their astounding repertoire of Industry-Firsts. But they may have struck gold with their new range of high quality ink designs.

If I said the names Cheetah, Hummingbird and Husky, you would probably think I had overdosed on nature programs and were stating a very odd animal food chain. Whilst that may yet be the case, it is also the names of Epson’s photo cartridge ranges. Tailored towards quality image for all user levels, from the home to professional, they offer outstanding print potential. Yet few consumers know the difference between them, so read on and discover the beauty of their new offerings.

• DuraBrite - Home Printing
• Claria - Higher Quality Home Printing
• UltraChrome - Professional Quality Printing
• Concluding Comments

DuraBrite Ultra Ink – The Cheetah:

(Giraffe-multipack, Rhino-High Cap)

This is the first of Epson’s products, tailored towards the home printer user who doesn’t want a huge outlay. With the pigment based ink designed to work on plain paper, you don’t even need photo paper to get the quality image you crave, a real bonus to savings. Pigment ink is typically used for text, as it usually suffers from a loss of colour brightness and vividness. However Epson have invested in innovation for their pigment inks, and this resin coated DuraBrite inks has overcome this issue. With a beautiful glossy finish also protecting the ink which does not soak into the page, colours remain bright and visually pleasing, and with no soaking of the ink typically seen in dye based inks the image remains sharp, waterproof, scratch resistant and touch dry from the printer. You also have the viable option of double-sided printing, a very rare potential for image printing.

Utilising 4 cartridges in the printer, this range of inks is well worth a look if you want above-average prints without heavy expenditure on photo paper and inks.

DuraBrite Ink can be found across printers including the Epson Stylus DX4450

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Claria Photographic Ink – The Hummingbird:

Derived from the word Clarity, this ink is aimed at the home printer user who wants that little bit extra in their prints. Intended for us with Epson Glossy photo paper instead of ‘normal’ paper, this dye based ink is designed with colour in mind. It has the potential of a much wider colour gamut in an image than Dura Brite offers. This simply means each dot of ink on the page can be a greater range of colours. This enhanced colour coverage obviously means prints will be superior visually to previous cartridges, as the actual output will be so much closer to the image displayed on your computer or camera screen. The increased colour range is reflected in how many cartridges the compatible printers can take. Whilst Dura Brite ran off just 4 cartridges, Claria expands this to 6, with the addition of Light Cyan and Light Magenta. Additional cartridges will add to your printing cost, but it is not cost without a return. Below are the claimed benefits floating in from Hummingbird:

• Fade Resistant Print
• Quick Drying
• Water Resistant
• Scratch Resistant

A quoted image life of 98 years for a photo frame and 200 years for an album - quite a good start for a cartridge. This kind of light resistance is rare in a dye-based ink, and stems from a stronger chemical bond between the molecules of the ink. I won’t go into science any more for this but if you want further information, feel free to email me and I will splurge away.

Quick drying is a tantalising addition as well. With small benefits in being touch dry out the printer and no risk of smudging, it seems a nice feature. However, its main strength is apparent much earlier than this, in the actual printing process itself. Typically, dye-based inks experience a small amount of ‘bleed’, where the ink runs a small amount when applied to the page. Obviously, the faster the ink dries, the less bleeding experienced. This leads to a much crisper, sharper, image from your printer and is really a great little perk for Claria to advertise.

Next- water resistance for a dye-based ink, now that is impressive. A quick lesson here, dye based ink soaks into the page. Any form of moisture on the page after printing will lead to ink smudging over the image. How Epson have made the bond between their ink and paper(this claimed benefit is only in conjunction with Epson photo paper) is beyond me. Unsurprisingly, there is no information available on how this resistance comes about, but I know if I had such a valuable trade secret, I wouldn’t share it. Whether this is wholly accurate is another topic altogether, but I will wait for access to a compatible Epson printer running Claria ink before I get into that.

I don’t particularly understand scratch resistance for a dye based ink. The ink soaks into the page, as far as physical damage resistance goes, it is limited to the paper. Whether the ink actually increases the hardiness of the page is not mentioned, but if the gloss finish is resistant to any form of abuse but the most pointed of scratches, this can be a nice touch for images that won’t spend their life in a frame. Or if you are just plain awful at getting the photo into the frame in the first place!

Claria can be used in Printers such as the Epson Stylus Photo R285

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UltraChrome Ink – The Husky:

Epson’s pièce de résistance – UltraChrome pigment ink. As mentioned in DuraBrites section, pigment ink is typically associated with text, as it is widely known to have a larger potential colour gamut than dye based ink, but contain fewer colour brighteners. This meant the colours were less vivid on the page, but of a broader spectrum. Epson have got around this issue by developing an ink stated to be double the density of typical pigment ink, giving amazingly deep blacks and well defined colours. Furthermore, another typical pigment weakness has been shunned, its inability to print onto gloss paper effectively. The official techno-babble for this is “High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation Technology”. In terms that I can understand without bright flashing lights travelling past my eyes – the pigment ink has a resin coat which enables it to better settle on the page, and with quality Epson paper designed to accompany it the ink actually fuses to the page much like a dye-based ink soaking. This resin coating, coupled with the level surface from the particle fusion, leads to the gorgeous gloss finish with reflective properties incredibly close to the often used dye based inks. The images to the left (compliments of Epsons informative website) highlight these claimed benefits in visual form. You can see the better settling of the ink particles on the page, giving a smoother finish on the printed output, and the more even light reflection. A great concept, and from the test prints I ran on the Epson Stylus Photo R2880 the result really is phenomenal.

So, away from the technology, and onto the inputs!

This ink technology requires the printers to take a massive 8 cartridges – Deep breath now:

• Cyan , Light Cyan
• Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta
• Yellow
• Black, Light Black, Light Light Black

Poor Light Yellow must feel ever so left out. This isn’t even the total, with an extra cartridge lurking. The black within the UltraChrome world is actually two different cartridges, which you use depends on the material you are printing onto.

• Photo black – For glossy surfaces
• Matte black – For, erm, matte surfaces!

All these blacks do seem a bit OTT at first glance. Originally only taking 2 black cartridges, Epson announced a new black three years after release for the K3 range of UltraChrome inks. It provides a smoother gradient when the image changes in darkened areas. This removal of ‘tone jumping’ in the photo’s black and grey areas make the image appear so much sharper and well defined, the difference is staggering. For greyscale printing it is, at time of writing, essentially unsurpassed. When accompanied by the Vivid Light Magenta, the definition of skin tones is like you are printing a mini-person - it is that good.

Restocking your Epson printer for the UltraChrome range comes at quite a cost, but this cost translates into your prints. There is a reason this is built for professional usage, you will not be disappointed.

UltraChrome goes in a select few printers such as the Epson Stylus Photo R2880

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Conclusion:

I guess the best question to ask is, with all these differing brands and technological statements, do all the fancy terminologies obfuscate? Is it simply the more cartridges a printer takes – the better a photo prints? Anyone can use long words to put a positive spin on things - I like to think of myself as an articulate, eloquent purveyor of efficacious actuality (I write informative and helpful articles) – but it doesn’t make me better than other writers.

Ultimately, all of Epson’s glamorous claims really have substance behind them. The print quality I have viewed with my own eyes, and seen evidence of whilst researching, really does point towards a professional level of printing becoming more accessible to the home environment. Watch this space.

Epson have today released a major new update to their iPrint app for the Apple iPhone and iPad. By far the biggest enhancement to the app is the ability to print documents stored in cloud services like Dropbox, Box.net and Evernote straight to your iPrint enabled printer.

You can also save documents scanned on your Epson multi-function printer/scanner to the iPad and then send them by email.

Epson iPrint is free, and compatible with any device running iOS 4.1 or later. The app works only with Epson-brand printers.

You can download the app for Free from iTunes

Update - Mini Epson iPrint Review!

I've just tested the new iPrint app with an Epson Stylyus SX510W that we had knocking about for testing our range of Epson Ink Cartridges and despite an initial stumbling block where the app crashed, it's worked really well. The app found the printer without a problem and then proceeded to print a photo from my iPad 2 at speeds not much worse than printing over USB. My favourite part of the app however, is how it allows you to scale and rotate images in relation to the A4 page by simply pinching the screen, a feature that was incredibly intuitive to use!

The app also flawlessly printed documents from my Google docs account, and files stored in Dropbox. Authenticating with these services was as simple as entering my username and password, then I was able to browse just like I do on the web and click on the big print button.