Epson Transforms Commercial Sign Making Industry With New Epson Stylus Pro GS6000

Monday, March 24, 2008; Posted: 04:00 AM

sponsor

LONG BEACH, Calif., Mar 24, 2008 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX) -- IINK | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- Epson America Inc. today entered the outdoor commercial printing industry with the introduction of the Epson Stylus(r) Pro GS6000, offering technical advancements poised to dramatically impact the professional sign making market.

Featuring Epson UltraChrome(r) GS ink, a new solvent-based ink technology with eight individual colors, including an all new orange and green, the Stylus Pro GS6000 produces the industry's widest color gamut for unparalleled output quality on nearly any solvent-based media. The printer's new Dual-Array MicroPiezo(r) AMC(tm) print head has been uniquely engineered for the demands of high-production solvent printing. The Stylus Pro GS6000 is also the fastest 64-inch wide roll-to-roll printer in its class, with print speeds of up to 340 sq. ft. per hour for banner-quality printing, up to 180 sq. ft. per hour for everyday production and up to 91 sq. ft. for photographic signage output.

"The Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 represents a significant turning point for the solvent-based printing market," said Reed Hecht, product manager, Epson Professional Imaging. "We worked very closely with the industry for guidance to ensure that it exceeds the needs of today's commercial outdoor printers. The result is a printer that helps sign makers maximize profits while gaining competitive advantages with superior quality, performance and reliability, with lower impact on the environment and worker health."

Developed exclusively by Epson, UltraChrome GS ink achieves an extremely wide color gamut, resulting in signs that feature entirely new degrees of color fidelity and accuracy that are otherwise unattainable with any other solvent technologies on the market. Furthermore, prints from this solution offer superior resistance to scratching and dry extremely fast, eliminating the need for special dryers. The Stylus Pro GS6000 with Epson UltraChrome GS ink also accommodates a wide range of leading solvent media for a vast array of commercial printing applications, including outdoor banners, billboards, automotive and bus wraps, construction and barricade signs, and photographic tradeshow graphics, where high quality images and precise, accurate color is essential.

Epson UltraChrome GS ink is a new generation of solvent-based chemistry that allows commercial sign makers to integrate safer signage printing technology without sacrificing output quality. Unlike competitive solvent technologies, Epson UltraChrome GS delivers virtually odorless printing without the need for special ventilation or air purification systems. In addition, the ink does not contain Nickel (Ni) compounds, minimizing the harmful impact on the environment and employees.

The Stylus Pro GS6000 is easy to use and maintain, integrating features that enable sign makers to reduce total cost of ownership for greater profitability. Another new feature introduced in conjunction with this printer and ink technology is myEpsonPrinter.com(tm). This unique Web-based printer information and management system enables commercial printing professionals to monitor print jobs and consumables virtually in real time, including tracking ink and media consumption, managing printers at remote locations, robust reporting, and intelligent support, allowing Stylus Pro GS6000 printer owners to manage their Epson printer investment.

"Having worked with solvent printers for over 10 years, I can honestly say that I have not seen a printer that demonstrates the level of quality and speed that the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 delivers," says Larry Spevak, CEO of ColorBurst(r) Systems Engineering. "Its performance and quality coupled, with ColorBurst's new robust RIP, will be unmatched in this market segment."

Included with every Stylus Pro GS6000 is the ColorBurst Professional Production RIP, an entirely new, full-featured Postscript Language Level 3TM compatible RIP and Print server. In addition to robust layout functionality, the RIP is Pantone(r) licensed for accurate spot color matching, offers support for ICC output profiles and incorporates a new multi-threaded/multi-processing architecture for extremely fast job processing.

The Stylus Pro GS6000 is a powerful tool for any size printing company. Additional features and benefits include:

* Industry-Leading Print Quality: Eight-channel, high-performance, Dual-Array MicroPiezo AMC print head produces a maximum resolution of 1440 x 1440 dpi with a droplet size as small as 3.7-picoliter and features a new ink repelling coating technology to dramatically reduce nozzle clogging * Broad Industry Support and Media Flexibility: Support for multiple solvent media suppliers and compatibility with a wide range of third-party RIP manufacturers and workflows * Robust Automatic Take-Up Reel System: Efficient take-up reel for unattended production of large print runs * Intelligent Preventative Maintenance System: Four-mode automatic cleaning system maintains optimum print quality and integrates simple user-focused maintenance process for less downtime * High Performance Media Heating System: Individually controlled pre, platen and post heaters for optimum media support in which temperatures are controlled via a front control panel or front-end RIP software * Intelligent High-Capacity Ink System: Eight individual 950 ml "hot-swappable" ink cartridges enable sign makers to avoid production downtimes and maximize profitability * Superior Connectivity: Standard connectivity includes USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet port

Availability, Service and Support

The Stylus Pro GS6000 will be available in July 2008 through authorized resellers for $28,995 (MSRP). It is supported by a standard Epson Preferred(sm) Limited Warranty. This one-year program includes toll-free advanced telephone access Monday through Friday and usually next-business-day on-site service in the unlikely event of any hardware failure. Optional Epson Preferred Plus Service Plans are also available, offering one or two additional years of protection.

About Epson America Inc.

Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transactions terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.

Note: Specifications and terms are subject to change. Epson and Epson Stylus are registered trademarks and Epson UltraChrome GS and MicroPiezo AMC are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. MyEpsonPrinter.com is a trademark and Epson Preferred is a service mark of Epson America Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these trademarks.

This news release was distributed by PrimeNewswire, www.primenewswire.com

SOURCE: Epson America, Inc.

Epson America Inc. John Jatinen 562.290.5173 john_jatinen@ea.epson.com

Walt & Company Andrew Staples 408.369.7200 x1056 astaples@walt.com