User`s guide

EPSON
Print Quality — EPSON PerfectPicture Imaging System
PRINTERS
383
ORDER & INFO. [phone] • FAX: [phone] [phone]
1-800-947-9927 • www.bhphotovideo.com
Print Quality – Droplet Size and Epson Variable Sized Droplet Technology
Most Epson Stylus printers produce ink droplets so small that you cannot
see them with the naked eye. The smaller the droplet size, the better the
print quality, assuming all other factors are the same between two printers.
The advantages of using a smaller droplet size are:
• Less visible printed dots, especially apparent in flesh tones and in high-
light (or the lightest) areas of a photograph.
• Greater range of tones for smoother transitions from one color to another
(also referred to as gradations), especially evident in low density (or high-
light) areas.
As the droplet size decreases, however, more droplets need to be placed on
the page, which reduces print speed. With Epson Micro Piezo print heads
and Epson Variable Sized Droplet Technology, however, the printer uses
three different size droplets. It uses the smallest droplet in low to medium
density areas only, and medium and large droplets in medium and high density areas. This technique results in the best print quality (with
dazzling highlights and better fill in solid areas across a wide range of colors) without sacrificing speed.
Print Quality—Four-color versus Three-color printing
Epson does not have any three-color models,but its entry-level four-color model is price-competitive with many three-color units.Additionally,some competi-
tive four-color printers do not use true black in photographs,and instead use three-color printing with composite black.This is because these printers use
pigmented black ink which cannot be mixed with their dye-based color inks.When printing photographs,these printers produce blacks that may have a
blue or green cast,and photos have a loss of shadow detail.Epson’s four-color printing with the use of true black in photos has many advantages over
three-color printing,including:
No cartridge swapping—One three-color CMY cartridge and one
black cartridge is always installed; no need for “special photo ink”
Text is printed with true black and true black is also used in color
graphics
The use of true black in photos produces greater contrast in images
Separate black cartridge is more economical than mixing three
color inks to create black
You must swap the black and color cartridges depending on the
document being printed
The printer mixes the three colors in full intensities to produce
black, which usually has a grayish/green appearance
Photographic images lack contrast and have less detail in shadows
Color cartridges are depleted quickly when printing composite black
The droplet size of EPSON printers is measured in picoliters
or microns. Here is how they differ:
Picoliters:
A picoliter is a measurement of ink volume and represents the
amount of ink that is projected through the print head nozzle.
Epson printers that use dye inks use the picoliter measurement
because dye inks are absorbed into the paper and the size of the
droplet varies on different types of papers. The smallest picol-
iter size of a Stylus Photo printer is 2 picoliters.
Microns:
A micron is a measurement of the pigment ink particle size. Epson
printers that use pigment inks use the micron measurement
because pigment inks sit in the crevices of the paper and the pig-
ment size is consistent and does not get absorbed into the paper
fibers, like dye inks do. A micron is one-millionth of a meter. The
smallest particle size of Epson Archival Ink is 0.1
microns.
Print Quality - Built-in Photo Quality Printing
All Epson Stylus printers have built-
in Photo Quality printing, while
many competitive
products require special or
optional photo inks. Epson’s
printing advantages are:
You never have to swap an
ink cartridge to get laser-
quality black text, superb
photo quality photos, or
both on the same page. You
can produce photo quality
output on all media. There is
no added cost for photo cartridges.