October 2000
Epson Launches the AcuLaser C8500 Intelligent Colour Laser Printing for the Busy Business & Graphics Environment
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, Epson (UK) Ltd. today announces the launch of its fast, versatile, and intelligent full bleed A3 colour laser printer, the AcuLaser C8500. The new addition to Epson's award winning laser range creates high quality, smooth, images quickly and efficiently. High quality speeds of 6ppm colour and 26ppm mono, ensure it is the perfect mono and colour printing solution for a variety of printing requirements; for example, desktop publishing, spreadsheets, concept proofing, marketing collateral or simply creating hard copy of Web pages.
The AcuLaser C8500 incorporates unique Epson AcuLaser image technologies to produce superb print quality. Its impressive resolution of 9600 x 600 dpi ensures it produces smooth and finely detailed images, eliminating those frustrating dotted and jagged edges sometimes found in colour text or graphs. It also distinguishes between photographic images, text, or line drawings and will automatically alter the line screening and colour correction on each page. This ensures that images are produced with excellent gradation and colour, while text remains vivid and clear.
This new laser also features advanced printer drivers to ensure efficient data compression, keeping the computer and network resource requirements to a minimum. What's more, where a job consists of individual colour and mono pages, each will be printed at the appropriate rated speed for the optimum combination of quality and throughput. This makes the AcuLaser C8500 one of the fastest colour laser printers in its class.
Handling paper couldn't be easier with the AcuLaser C8500, it will print from B5 up to true A3 with full bleed and crop marks. Paper input capacity can be increased up to an impressive 1400 sheets through differing configurations featuring 1 or 2 optional 500 sheet paper cassettes. Printing on both sides of the page up to A3 is achieved with an optional duplex unit. The Epson AcuLaser C8500 can also handle a wide variety of media from standard plain paper to 220gsm card.
Andrew Semple, Senior Product Manager for Business Products comments, "Epson has once again proven its ability to provide superior colour laser printing solutions. We have developed an innovative and user friendly colour laser printer, to obtain optimum performance and quality. Advanced users will appreciate the extensive options to further control quality, speed and layout. Business users can simply rely on the intelligent Epson technology to produce outstanding professional documents"
Epson AcuLaser C8500 Features Summary
· High speed printing up to 6ppm colour or 26ppm mono
· High quality output with Epson AcuLaser 2400dpi RIT
· Versatile paper handling up to true A3 with full bleed and crop marks and Optional Duplex unit
· Powerful 266Mhz Controller with Epson Dual RIP Technology
· True Adobe® PostScript™ 3 available
· Memory capacity expandable to 768Mb
· 400 Sheet paper capacity expandable up to 1400 Sheets
· Standard 10/100BaseTX Ethernet Interface
· Straight paper path handling media up to 220 g/m2
The Epson AcuLaser C8500 range consists of four models:-
Standard Epson AcuLaser C8500
400 Sheet paper capacity
64Mb
10/100 BaseTX Ethernet Interface
Epson AcuLaser C8500PS
Standard Unit + 256Mb memory + PostScript 3™
Epson AcuLaser C8500DT
Standard Unit + 192Mb memory + 2 x 500 Sheet Cassette Unit + Duplex Unit + Hard Disk Drive
Epson AcuLaser C8500 PSDT
Standard Unit + Adobe® PostScript 3™ +2 x 500 Sheet Cassette Unit + Duplex Unit + + 384Mb memory + Hard Disk Drive
Epson Stylus Pro 9500 and Epson Stylus Pro 7500 - with pioneering ink technology for fine quality large format prints
The new Epson Stylus Pro 9500 and its "little brother", the Epson Stylus Pro 7500, place the ingenious options of the Epson New Ink technology at the disposal of professional inkjet printer users. This is of particular benefit in pre-press, where a colour-stable printout is required as soon as possible after a proof has been put together. These new inks are additionally recommended for any other type of application that demands high fade resistance and colourfast printouts.
The new models possess all the characteristic qualities of the tried-and-tested Epson dye ink technology: high resolution, excellent print quality, large colour gamut and Epson Quick Dry inks, ensuring that printouts are available immediately with no loss of production time. Coupled with this, the Epson Stylus Pro 7500 and 9500 embrace the benefits of the newly developed inks.
Epson New Ink technology
Colour stability as a mark of quality
The use of the Epson New Ink technology lends further improvements to the exceptional quality of print outs from the Epson Stylus Pro 9500 and the Epson Stylus Pro 7500.
The Epson New Ink technology means Epson printers can now for the first time combine:
· outstanding print quality
· very wide colour gamut (comparable to currently available dye-based ink system)
· very fast "drying" printouts
· extremely long term colour stability
· colour stability within a very short time after printing
Epson Stylus Pro 9500 features include:
Professional, photo quality prints on 1118mm wide media with a 3mm border on both sides
Supports cut sheet media from A3 to BO+ size
6-colour Micro Piezo Technology, specially selected print heads and up to 1440 x 720 dpi resolution
Printing speeds of up to 6 m²/h
User-friendly intuitive operating panel
Two paper roll holders inside the printer as well as the straight media path ensure that different types of paper can be changed quickly and easily
Straight media path and automatic paper thickness identification make it possible to print on Poster Board up to 1.5 mm thickness
Quick Dry inks, paper basket and the large volume (220 ml) ink cartridges
Optional paper take-up roller
Available from August 2000
Guide Price 12000 Euro's ex vat
Epson Stylus Pro 7500 features include:
Professional, photo quality prints on 610mm wide media
One paper roll (maximum 45m)
Supports cut sheet media from A4 to A1+ size
Printing speeds of up to 5 m²/h
The ink cartridge capacity is 110 ml and the Stylus Pro 7500 can be equipped with a stand as an optional extra
Available from August 2000
Guide Price 5900 Euro's ex vat
Notes to editors:
As the specialists amongst the range of professional inkjet printers offered by Epson, the Stylus Pro 9500 and Stylus Pro 7500 fulfill the specific demands of large format printing, particularly through incorporation of the Epson New Ink technology. Both printers are compatible with all current PC systems as well as the Mac platform. They are equipped with drivers for Windows 95 and 98, Windows-NT and Windows 2000 as well as Macintosh OS Version 8.0 and above. In addition, all renowned RIP manufacturers have committed to support the Epson New Ink technology.
Epson itself will be offering the Epson RIP Station 5100 Series III as a PostScript 3 RIP advanced color server based on EFI Fiery X2 and the Epson PostScript 3 software RIP. These PS configuration offerings expand the execution of graphics solutions to the fullest - either in terms of printing speed, print quality or creative scope.
Epson updates 4-colour printer range with emphasis on style as well as functionality
Epson revealed today the latest line-up in its range of four-colour inkjet printers. The four new printers will be introduced throughout the Autumn and have been updated to include some of Epson's latest Micro Piezo printhead and driver software improvements - as well as introducing some radical new designs.
Yasbir Sihan, Epson's senior consumer product manager, said, "As the inkjet market becomes increasingly competitive Epson has held on to its number one position by maintaining its inkjet technological lead, and differentiating its range of printers by focusing on aesthetic design."
Sihan added, "If you've got the best technology under a designer lid it isn't hard to see why the Epson range of inkjet printers are the most popular in the market."
The new entry-level printer from Epson is the Stylus Color 580. Printing in 1440dpi resolution it is the best value inkjet as a family printer and for first time buyers. A printer targeted at this type of customer must be easy to use, and that is why all the Stylus Color 580's printer operations are performed through the printer driver. In terms of design it has a new panel-less front so that the sleek lines of the printer casing are not disturbed.
The technological breakthrough - a print resolution of 2880dpi - is introduced in the Stylus Color 680 - this is twice the resolution of any previous Epson printer and the highest available in the market. The combination of a 4 picolitre ink droplet size and Epson's Variable Sized Droplet Technology results in astonishing quality without sacrificing speed, and make the Stylus Color 680 the ideal printer for the advanced home user. Not only does it feature industry-first printing technology but the Stylus Color 680 has a new rounded shape with a completely new design of output tray, which can be packed neatly over the printer to provide a compact and dust free printer when not in use. With the focus on design and aesthetics the printer is also available in a co-ordinating "Transparent Blue" version to complement the iMac and G3 industrial design.
As we move up the Epson four-colour inkjet range the next model designed with the business user in mind is the Stylus Color 880. At 2880dpi the Stylus Color 880 offers double the print resolution of the model it replaces, the Stylus Color 860, and with much faster print speeds the Stylus Color 880 is the ideal printer for all printing needs in a small office.
The Stylus Color 980 is designed for stand alone, workgroups and networked users who require a high speed business printer. It has a maximum print resolution of 2880dpi, the smallest ink droplet available on the market at 3 picolitres, and allows double sided printing. Available on both the Stylus Color 880 and Stylus Color 980, two methods of duplexing are offered: standard double-sided printing allows the user to select the odd numbered pages first and then reload and print the even numbered pages on the other side, and a booklet printing option that allows the user to make single fold booklets.
KEY FEATURES:
Epson Stylus Color 580
· New aesthetic design - panel-free
· Ultra-high 1440dpi printing resolution
· Epson Ultra Micro Dot 6pl with Variable Sized Droplet Technology
· Single interface - USB as standard
· Print speeds of 6ppm black and 2.6ppm colour
· Windows 98/2000/iMac and G3/G4 compatible
· PhotoEnhance 4 for image optimisation
Epson Stylus Color 680
· Breakthrough 2880dpi printing resolution
· New aesthetic design with innovative flexible paper tray - the Transparent Blue version features Blueberry colour to complement Blueberry iMac and G3 design
· Epson Ultra Micro Dot 4 picolitre with Variable Sized Droplet Technology
· IntellidgeTM ink cartridges for enhanced user feedback
· USB and parallel interfaces as standard
· Print speeds of 7.7ppm black and 7.7ppm colour
· Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/iMac and G3/G4 compatible
· PhotoEnhance 4 for image optimisation
Epson Stylus Color 880
· Ultra-high 2880dpi printing resolution
· Improved driver functions with Duplexing and book printing options
· Epson Ultra Micro Dot 4pl with Variable Sized Droplet Technology
· USB and parallel interfaces
· Print speeds of 11.5ppm black and 11.5ppm colour
· Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/iMac and G3 and G4 compatible
· PhotoEnhance 4 for image optimisation
Epson Stylus Color 980
· Ultra-high 2880dpi printing resolution
· Improved driver functions with Duplexing and book printing options
· Epson Ultra Micro Dot 3pl with Variable Sized Droptlet Technology
· USB and parallel interfaces
· Print speeds of 12.7ppm black and 12.7ppm colour
· Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/iMac and G3/G4 compatible
· PhotoEnhance 4 for image optimisation
SUMMARY
The Epson 4-colour inkjet advantages include:
· 2880dpi - this is the highest resolution available in the market today
· IntellidgeTM Ink cartridges - for easy monitoring of ink status *Stylus Color 680
· Variable Sized Droplet Technology - Epson combines the smallest dot size 3pl with high speeds across the range
· Internal power supply - Epson is the only manufacturer to supply the internal power supply, without the need for unnecessary wires
· Permanent print head - Epson's Micro Piezo printhead is permanent, so there are no additional costs when replacing cartridges, thereby keeping running costs down.
