Digital Reproduction Print Technical Information

Epson Stylus Pro 9900 Ultrachrome HDR ink
The epson stylus pro 9900 (44 inch) and epson stylus pro 7900 (24 inch) are ten color printers equipped with epson ultrachrome hdr (high dynamic range) ink. This ink set incorporates orange and green to substantially exaggerate the colour gamut and increase digital printing opportunities within the package and remote proofing market segments. The increased gamut and black density that can be achieved from this ink makes it ideal for fine art reproduction and photographic reproduction onto inkjet canvas, fine art paper, and other high quality inkjet media. 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 shiny photo paper in an amazing 5 minutes.

This generation of ultrachrome hdr ink delivers scaled down graininess in skin tone areas, smoother tonal gradation from shadows to highlights, splendid short term colour stability and great long term lightfastness, highly exact colour control with neutral black and white, and high gloss levels on water resistant prints. Portrait and wedding photographers should therefore notice a significant improvement of image quality when printing fine detail photos especially where skin tones are involved.

Epson's ultrachrome hdr ink is a high density resin coated pigment ink formulation with three level black ink applied science utilizing photo black, light black and light light black. There are also the standard cartridges from older models, such as cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta, yellow, orange, and green. One of the great features is that similar to the Epson 9880 and Epson 7880 series, the matte black cartridge is included on-board and can be automatic-swapped with photo black.

The stylus pro 7900 and stylus pro 9900 have epson's micropiezo tfp (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 (assist) strategy combine do away with down time by minimising and detecting nozzle clogging beforehand, and do away with paper waste utilized for the duration of the cleaning process.

Reduced costs are realised through the entry of two high ability ink cartridges (350 and 700ml) which bestow to a lower cost per millilitre of ink, and increased value to the high volume production printmaker. The ink cartridges likewise reduce the need to oftentimes replace cartridges which promotes greater unattended printing, especially overnight.

Epson's assist applied science 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.

UltraChrome™ K3 Ink Technology R2880 Printer K3VM inks

Epson UltraChrome K3™ ink technology represents a turning point in the history of inkjet printing. Inspired by our past generations of pigmented ink technology, Epson's all new 8-colour ink set incorporates three unique levels of black, which along with new colour pigment technology, dramatically improves both colour and black and white prints. Imagine producing archival prints with amazing colour fidelity, gloss level, and scratch resistance, while providing stable colors from the moment prints exit the printer.
Incorporating high density pigments, Epson UltraChrome K3 produces prints with an extremely wide colour gamut allowing the reproduction of colors that were originally envisioned at the point of capture. With its expanded colour gamut and breakthrough 8-colour system, no other ink set can reproduce the three dimensional lifelike quality and stunning photographic feel of Epson UltraChrome K3.

Utilizing a unique three level black ink technology, Epson UltraChrome K3 ink significantly improves overall gray balance while enhancing midtone and highlight detail yielding a smoother tonal range. And by virtually eliminating metamerism and bronzing, both black and white and colour prints can be produced with the look and feel of a traditional photograph while utilizing all the advantages of a digital workflow.

Epson UltraChrome K3 ink incorporates High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation™ Technology along with unique screening algorithms and Light Light Black ink that significantly reduces gloss differential. There is no longer any compromise for professionals that require glossy prints that have excellent longevity and durability.
With two different black ink modes - Photo Black and Matte Black - Epson UltraChrome K3 provides an innovative solution to optimize the black ink density for various media types. Photo Black ink can be used for all media types with professional quality results. The optional Matte Black ink significantly increases black optical density when printing on matte and fine art type papers. This innovative solution enables the use of just one printer for all media types.

Epson's unique driver technology takes full advantage of the new three-level black ink system, allowing the production of the highest quality neutral and toned prints from a single ink set. In addition, proprietary Epson screening technology, developed specifically for black and white printing, produces outstanding image quality with no colour crossover or colour cast. For the first time photographers can make sellable black and white prints without going into a darkroom.