Specifications

The Digital Fine Print Course

Printing a Fine Print

Epson K1, K2 and K3 Inksets

Epson’s Ultrachrome inksets are available in three generations, K1, K2 & K3. While they

all exhibit the same archival stability, their other attributes differ substantially.

Colour Gamut and Linearization:

These 2D gamut projections indicate some of the characteristics of each inkset relative to

the RA4 (Lambda/Kodak Endure E) photographic paper colour gamut. A 3D gamut com-

parison reveals even greater differences.

Epson’s K1/K2 printer drivers lack any facility to linearize the printer and therefore sig-

nificantly compromise the resulting printer profiles. With the K1 2100, 4000, 7600, 9600

printers it was necessary to reduce the printer’s overall gamut by using the driver settings

that gave the most linear response. The alternative was expensive third party RIP soft-

ware. But all of this has dramatically changed since the K3 2400, 4800, 7800, 9800 print-

ers which include a third black ink and are ‘pre-linearized’ in the factory. For example:

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