David Savastano, Editor11.15.18
For digital printer manufacturers, developing their own inks is beneficial for a number of reasons. In particular, having control of their own inks ensure that the inks are matched perfectly with the printers and printheads, guaranteeing that consumers will be pleased with the results.
Epson, having been an industry leader for more than three decades, is particularly noteworthy for its work on the hardware, printhead and consumable sides of the digital printing field. The company actually leads the inkjet industry with the number of patents it holds, a testament to its creativity.
“Epson has been producing printhead technologies for over 30 years and manufactures hardware, printheads, and ink technologies for printers of all sizes, from desktop applications to industrial applications, offering a wide range of business models to enable output for use and sale,” said Reed Hecht, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America Inc. “Today, Epson holds the most inkjet patents worldwide.”
Epson is well known for its home printers, but it also has created printers for the label market (ColorWorks and SurePress), textile (SureColor F-Series) and wide-format (SureColor P-Series and SureColor S-Series). Epson’s inks include the traditional CMYK, plus Light Magenta, Light Cyan, Light Black, Matte Black, Orange, Green, Violet, Red, Silver and White inks.
Epson also creates the full gamut of inkjet ink technologies, including water-based, solvent-based, pigment and UV-curable inks. At Labelexpo Americas 2018, Epson showed its SurePress L-6034VW press, featuring low migration LED UV curing ink, and its SurePress L-4533AW, a seven-color digital label press that uses water-based inks.
Hecht noted that Epson’s interest in formulating inks dates back 30 years to the company’s beginnings in the inkjet field. The company continues to place great emphasis on ink formulation and manufacturing, as it can help open new markets such as textiles. An example is the Epson UltraChrome ink line, inks that provide superior lightfastness designed for the wide-format printing market.
“Epson places a huge importance on the development and manufacturing of ink technology because it alone can drive new markets and opportunities,” Hecht observed. “For example, Epson developed the UltraChrome DG (Direct to Garment) ink technology, then manufactured a corresponding product, the SureColor F2000, predecessor to the SureColor F2100, to serve the direct-to-garment t-shirt/cotton textile market. It has since become best-in-class technology and has garnered a large share of the
DTG market.”
Hecht noted that when it comes to inks, Epson places an emphasis on both quality and environmental friendliness.
“Epson prides itself on the unique chemical characteristics found in its ink technologies and strives to continue developing inks that exceed customer expectations while being safer for the environment,” Hecht said. “To meet these expectations, Epson has strict quality controls and processes that help to create consistent ink technology, despite the scale of production or overall formula complexity.”
Ultimately, developing the inks along with the other critical components is essential to make sure that everything works perfectly together.
“Ink technology is just one portion of the entire system that also includes the printhead, ink delivery system, and media,” Hecht said. “Epson is one of the few companies that develop the entire system to deliver the customer a complete solution optimized for their application.
“The key features that customers look for are quality, consistency, durability, cost and application intended,” Hecht added. “Epson manufactures the entire system around the ink, including the printhead, ink delivery system and media to work together to exceed customers’ expectations on quality, durability, cost and consistency.”
Epson America Inc.
3840 Kilroy Airport Way
Long Beach, CA
Tel: 562-981-3840
www.epson.com
Specialties: Water-based, solvent-based, dye-sublimation, pigment and UV curable inkjet inks for home, ofice, photography, signage, textile and label markets.
Epson, having been an industry leader for more than three decades, is particularly noteworthy for its work on the hardware, printhead and consumable sides of the digital printing field. The company actually leads the inkjet industry with the number of patents it holds, a testament to its creativity.
“Epson has been producing printhead technologies for over 30 years and manufactures hardware, printheads, and ink technologies for printers of all sizes, from desktop applications to industrial applications, offering a wide range of business models to enable output for use and sale,” said Reed Hecht, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America Inc. “Today, Epson holds the most inkjet patents worldwide.”
Epson is well known for its home printers, but it also has created printers for the label market (ColorWorks and SurePress), textile (SureColor F-Series) and wide-format (SureColor P-Series and SureColor S-Series). Epson’s inks include the traditional CMYK, plus Light Magenta, Light Cyan, Light Black, Matte Black, Orange, Green, Violet, Red, Silver and White inks.
Epson also creates the full gamut of inkjet ink technologies, including water-based, solvent-based, pigment and UV-curable inks. At Labelexpo Americas 2018, Epson showed its SurePress L-6034VW press, featuring low migration LED UV curing ink, and its SurePress L-4533AW, a seven-color digital label press that uses water-based inks.
Hecht noted that Epson’s interest in formulating inks dates back 30 years to the company’s beginnings in the inkjet field. The company continues to place great emphasis on ink formulation and manufacturing, as it can help open new markets such as textiles. An example is the Epson UltraChrome ink line, inks that provide superior lightfastness designed for the wide-format printing market.
“Epson places a huge importance on the development and manufacturing of ink technology because it alone can drive new markets and opportunities,” Hecht observed. “For example, Epson developed the UltraChrome DG (Direct to Garment) ink technology, then manufactured a corresponding product, the SureColor F2000, predecessor to the SureColor F2100, to serve the direct-to-garment t-shirt/cotton textile market. It has since become best-in-class technology and has garnered a large share of the
DTG market.”
Hecht noted that when it comes to inks, Epson places an emphasis on both quality and environmental friendliness.
“Epson prides itself on the unique chemical characteristics found in its ink technologies and strives to continue developing inks that exceed customer expectations while being safer for the environment,” Hecht said. “To meet these expectations, Epson has strict quality controls and processes that help to create consistent ink technology, despite the scale of production or overall formula complexity.”
Ultimately, developing the inks along with the other critical components is essential to make sure that everything works perfectly together.
“Ink technology is just one portion of the entire system that also includes the printhead, ink delivery system, and media,” Hecht said. “Epson is one of the few companies that develop the entire system to deliver the customer a complete solution optimized for their application.
“The key features that customers look for are quality, consistency, durability, cost and application intended,” Hecht added. “Epson manufactures the entire system around the ink, including the printhead, ink delivery system and media to work together to exceed customers’ expectations on quality, durability, cost and consistency.”
Epson America Inc.
3840 Kilroy Airport Way
Long Beach, CA
Tel: 562-981-3840
www.epson.com
Specialties: Water-based, solvent-based, dye-sublimation, pigment and UV curable inkjet inks for home, ofice, photography, signage, textile and label markets.