Epson President announces production and industrial print strategy
And a new professional print product line-up to deliver performance, economy, ecology and choice

drupa stand 5/A0, 3rd-16th May 2012, Dusseldorf, Germany

29th February 2012 – Confirming its commitment to the commercial print industry, Epson has announced its ‘Engineered for Print’ strategy and its significant new line-up of digital products and technologies for production and industrial print applications.
The ‘Engineered for Print’ strategy represents Epson’s focus on developing unique products and technologies for customers in the signage, label, photo, and textile markets, with goals of doubling its product line-up in the next few years and quadrupling revenue from industrial printing.
During drupa 2012, the company will be showcasing its next-generation SurePress “X” label press, which incorporates new single-pass Micro Piezo line head technology, and which will also be the first Epson product to utilise UV ink.
Furthermore, the company has announced its move into the digital dry lab sector, detailing its forthcoming SureLab SL-D3000, for high quality, on-demand photo and card printing, which will be demonstrated at drupa. Other developments on display at drupa will include next-generation aqueous and dye inksets to support the range of new products.
When commenting on Epson’s vision for production and industrial printing, Mr Minoru Usui, President of Seiko Epson Corporation and Micro Piezo pioneer, said: “We are confident that our commitment to delivering customer value through unique solutions and outstanding support will help us expand in production and industrial printing. In the next few years, my goal is to double revenue from large format printers, and increase revenue from industrial printing by four times.
“This will be a very big year for us. In fact, I see it as the starting point for the next stage of Epson’s growth.”
drupa 2012 highlights
Epson’s considerable investment into Micro Piezo and ink technology is driving the company’s development of a rapidly expanding range of professional-level digital solutions for all forms of media. At drupa, Epson will demonstrate products, inks and substrates for design and prepress, large format signage and label printing applications. Highlights include:
Label converting: Epson has placed a significant focus on developing a range of products to suit the specific requirements of label converters.

For the first time, Epson will demonstrate a completely new line head technology based on Epson’s latest Thin Film Piezo printheads. The new technology will be incorporated into a next-generation press – code named SurePress “X” – and will be the first Epson product to use LED-curable UV ink.
The SurePress “X” is designed to deliver rapid printing of both short and mid-run labels and will be compatible with a variety of both paper and film substrates.
POS & signage: Building on the success of the Epson GS6000, the 4-colour SureColor SC-S30600 will also be shown, delivering impressive flexibility for multiple POS, display, signage and décor applications. The new printer features the latest Epson TFP Micro Piezo printhead and uses Epson’s new UltraChrome GS2 ink-set. At €13,995 it has the lowest price of any printer in its class and the lowest energy consumption – up to seven times lower when compared to the alternative major competitive printing technology.
Commercial photo printing: The new 6-colour Epson SureLab SL-D3000 is an easy-to-use digital dry lab for high quality photo prints and cards up to A3 size. It features Epson printheads, new Epson UltraChrome D6 dye ink and image processing technology, and is ideal for on-demand print services in traditional minilab retail environments. Due to its ability to print on to matte surfaces, the SureLab SL-D3000 also offers significant business opportunities for traditional print shop owners, searching for new business possibilities. The SureLab is available in two configurations and will be commercially available from August.
Textile printing: Epson’s drive to play a prominent role in the digital textile printing industry is reinforced by the company’s announcement that it has become a 50 percent shareholder in ForTex, a leader in the development of digital textile inks and chemicals.
Design & prepress: The latest models in the market-leading range of 24-64 inch width aqueous inkjet Epson Stylus Pro printers will demonstrate their considerable flexibility for prepress and in-house agency proofing, short-run display and package prototyping applications.
New ink technology: Epson has just launched the next generation of odourless and nickel-free UltraChrome GS2 Ink for use in the new SureColor printer for signage applications. As an expansion to its aqueous UltraChrome inks, Epson has leveraged its expertise in fine art and professional printing to develop UltraChrome D6, a unique, six-colour dye ink system for the Surelab digital dry lab. Finally, for the label convertor market, Epson will demonstrate its first UV ink for printing to uncoated paper and film label substrates during drupa.
‘Engineered for Print’ principles
Epson’s new production print products and initiatives have been developed in response to feedback from the industry. They form part of Epson’s ‘Engineered for Print’ strategy, in which it commits to offer:
• Performance: highly productive products with key features to help print businesses become more efficient
• Economy: products that are economical in their use of paper, energy and consumables
• Ecology: environmentally-conscious products
• Choice: a wide variety of products, consumables and services, engineered specifically for print businesses
Epson is committed to the long term development of precision imaging technologies. Its established Stylus Pro printer range for photography, fine art and proofing applications has built a 65% market share worldwide.

-ends-



Notes to Editor: Click on the image to download high resolution picture or email debbie@splashpr.co.uk

About Epson
Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader that is dedicated to exceeding the vision of customers worldwide through its compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies, with a product line-up ranging from printers and 3LCD projectors for business and the home, to electronic and crystal devices.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 78,000 employees in 99 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates.
http://global.epson.com/

About Epson Europe
http://www.epson-europe.com/Epson Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, is the Group’s regional headquarters for Europe,
Middle-East, Russia, and Africa. With a workforce of 1,594 employees, Epson Europe’s sales for fiscal year 2010 were 1,583million Euros. http://www.epson.eu

Environmental Vision 2050
http://eco.epson.com/http://eco.epson.com/

For further press information:
Leonie Davis, PR and Social Media Manager, Epson (UK) Limited, Direct Tel: (0)1442 227246, Email: ldavis@epson.co.uk
Melinda Williams, Splash!PR, Tel: (0)1580 241177, Email: melindaw@splashpr.co.uk

Epson launches SureColor SC-S30600 printer
Economical, eco-friendly 64-inch cuts signage production costs
Highlight at Fespa Digital and Sign & Digital events

07 February 2012 – Epson builds on the success of its wide-format printer range for signage and POS applications with the SureColor SC-S30600.
A 64-inch (162.6cm), four-colour (CMYK), roll-fed printer, the SC-S30600 sets a new price/performance ratio in this highly competitive sector.
Designed from the ground up to offer efficient and environmentally-friendly production at the lowest total cost of ownership, the SC-S30600 enables print firms, signmakers, digital copy shops and repro centres to expand their service offering.
The SC-S30600 can produce everything from posters, signs, banners, backlit panels and POS materials to vehicle wraps, interior decorations and exhibition displays. A wide range of roll media is supported, allowing users to print reliably and cost-effectively on vinyl, PVC and clear film, photographic paper and a range of popular banner substrates.
Richard Barrow, senior product manager at Epson Europe, says: “Setting up the SC-S30600 is fast and easy. Loading heavy media rolls, usually a two-person job, can be handled by one operator with ease thanks to our unique jack. And media tensioning, traditionally only accessible from the front of the printer, is controllable from both front and rear, so operators don’t waste time going back and forth. This reduces set-up time and maximises productivity.”
Epson’s precision engineering and proven Micro Piezo printhead technology ensure continuous and trouble-free operation, minimising maintenance and lost production time.
High-volume workloads are handled with ease, with print speeds from 7.3 to 29.4m2/hour depending on printing mode; the former being typical for indoor poster use and the latter for outdoor banner applications. There is also a maximum quality mode for the most demanding close inspection work, which uses the printer’s full resolution of 1440 x 1440dpi.
Epson has developed a new ink – Epson UltraChrome GS2 – designed to work perfectly with the SC-S30600 and Epson’s new generation of TFP printheads. UltraChrome GS2 builds on the strengths of UltraChrome GS (used in the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000) with a new yellow formulation that is lightfast for longer. UltraChrome GS2 is odourless, nickel-free and requires no special ventilation, allowing the SC-S30600 to be used in an office environment.
Costs and environmental impact are reduced with the printer’s ENERGY STAR-qualified power efficiency.
The Epson SureColor SC-S30600 will be demonstrated on the Epson booth (E20) for the first time worldwide at FESPA Digital 2012 (21st-24th February in Barcelona) and for the first time in the UK at Sign & Digital (Stand E70, 27th-29th March at the NEC, Birmingham). The printer is available from March 2012, priced at £11,995

Key Features
Prints on a wide range of coated and non-coated media up to 64 inches (162.6cm) wide
Single-operator roll media loading via easy-to-operate jack system
Easily-accessible front and rear media tensioning control
Speeds of up to 29.4m2/hr (High Speed mode; 9.9m2/hr in Production mode; 7.3m2/hr in High Quality mode, all on vinyl)
New Thin Film Piezo printhead for precise droplet formation and long production life
Enhanced ink requires no ventilation and is suitable for use in an office environment
ENERGY STAR-qualified power efficiency
Long-lasting prints – lightfast for three years outdoors without lamination with new UltraChrome GS2 Ink
Resolution up to 1440 x 1440dpi with multiple passes for smooth blends and fine detail
Ethernet and USB connection
Optional supply system for heavy rolls up to 80kg
Optional heater to dry prints faster in high productivity applications


-ends-

Notes to Editor

About Epson
Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader that is dedicated to exceeding the vision of customers worldwide through its compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies, with a product line-up ranging from printers and 3LCD projectors for business and the home, to electronic and crystal devices.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 78,000 employees in 99 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates.
http://global.epson.com/

About Epson Europe
Epson Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, is the Group’s regional headquarters for Europe,
Middle-East, Russia, and Africa. With a workforce of 1,594 employees, Epson Europe’s sales for fiscal year 2010 were 1,583 million Euros. http://www.epson.eu

Environmental Vision 2050
http://eco.epson.com/