The Epson 11880 Printer

For those who never thought Epson was capable of releasing a brand new series of printers only a few years after they released the Epson 9800, Epson 7800, and Epson 4800 series - think again. This comes as a huge surprise to most of the artists and photographers who have had difficult times getting their hands on an Epson 9800 for months and in some cases years, but it is the truth.

The first printer to be announced is the Epson 11880 which will be 64 inches wide and offers increased color gamut, increased printmaking speeds, and larger print cartridges - and that is just the beginning. At face value, the Epson 11880 might appear to be a glorified version of the Epson 9800 printers. Essentially that is exactly what it is, however, in a marketplace as competitive as the fine art and photographic industry, continual innovation and upgrading is crucial. Epson has definetely stepped to the plate with the Epson 11880. Beware Canon and HP.

The most influential printmakers in the fine art printmaking business are already planning how they are going to implement this printer into their businesses. Many of them, who had already decided to purchase Canon printers for the increased width capability but had not yet "pulled the trigger" on it, have decided to wait a few more months for the Epson. Examples such as this prove how obvious it is that Epson has garnered a fiercely strong and extraordinarily loyal following over the years since it first introduced the Epson 10000 printer. Sure, Epson has had their share of delivery hiccups and other problems, but in all reality it hasn't phased them a bit. Despite the minor successes of HP and Canon as a result of their entry into this niche, Epson has still gained market share. Most experts believe that they will continue to do so with the Epson Stylus Pro 11880. Only next time around, business owners are going to think twice before they step out and spend the big bucks on another brand of printer when has become obvious that Epson is releasing new and improved technology approximately every three years.

How The Epson 11880 Differentiates Itself

Rather than discuss every single feature of the Epson 11880, let's focus on the key features that set it apart from the crowd. Let's analyze the things you should know about this Epson 11880 printer if you are a business owner currently shopping the marketplace.

First of all, there is no fine art and photographic targeted inkjet printer from anyone other than Epson that is 64 inches wide. Most of the others are instead only 60 inches wide. Although some might argue that they dont need the extra four inches, would you not want the extra four inches if it didn't cost you any extra money? Enough said. The fact is, you are making an investment into a wide format printer for your business, and any smart investor knows that the extra four inches may come in handy some day when you get a large print job and are able to go "two-up", or print both side by side, at the same time. The 64 inch factor is just giving you more value for your buck.

Now, let's analyze print quality differences.

Epson is expecting big things from its vivid magenta ink technology, they have even given it the tagline of being "industry defining". Developed by the Epson engineers and chemists, the vivid magenta inks supposedly are high density pigments that are extremely unique in today's marketplace in that they will deliver significant improvement in blues and purples. Furthermore, they are expected to reduce gloss differential as a result of their high-gloss microcrystal encapsulation technology. According to Epson, they expect these new inks to provide stable color immediately after printing, which addresses the issue with previous versions of printers and competitor printers that have a tendency to color shift in the short term. Amazingly, Epson expects that the black density can reach an astounding 2.55 dmax with an L* value of 2.9. We expect that these readings were taken on a print using Epson Luster Photo Paper.

Product Overview

The all-new Epson Stylus Pro 11880 represents the ultimate expression of Epson Stylus Pro printer engineering (this new Epson Stylus Pro Series is also available in the 44 inch Epson 9880 and the 24" Epson 7880 . Produced by a small team of specialists, each printer is scrutinized. And, each incorporates our latest technologies, including an innovative, new MicroPiezo® TFP™ print head, real-time automatic switching between Matte and Photo Black inks, automatic nozzle verification and cleaning, and more. The result is the world’s most advanced 64-inch wide, photographic printer.

Epson UltraChrome™ K3 Ink is the standard by which all other professional-level ink technologies are measured. Now enhanced with our groundbreaking Vivid Magenta pigments, our newest generation of ink technology requires only eight colors, including a three-level Black technology, to significantly raise the level of quality for professional color and black-and-white prints.

Features
• NEW professional media handling up to 64 inches wide
• NEW Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta ink technology
• NEW Epson MicroPiezo TFP print head technology
• NEW Epson AccuPhoto HD screening technology
• Automatic Black ink mode switching
• NEW nine individual, high-capacity ink cartridges: 700 ml (fill vol.)
• NEW standard USB 2.0 interface and GB Ethernet
• NEW native, 16-bit printer drivers for Mac OS® 10.5
• Versatile paper handling — handles roll or cut-sheet media from letter size up to 64 inches wide
(accommodates posterboard media up to 1.5 mm thick)

Technology Overview

Print head technology that’s ahead of its time

All new, 9-channel MicroPiezo TFP print head
• Print head designed to handle 9 separate ink channels
• One-inch wide, high-performance print head with 360 nozzles per channel
• Low vibration meniscus control for highly accurate dot shape and placement
• All-new ink repelling coating to reduce nozzle clogging

All new Epson AccuPhoto HD screening technology
• Advanced screening algorithm resulting in prints with superior color and clarity
• Maximum resolution of 2880 x 1440 dpi for incredibly sharp text and line art
• Extremely accurate, fine blends and photographic transitions

Variable-sized droplet with TFP technology
• Variable-sized droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters to greatly decrease print times while optimizing photographic quality
• Exotic Thin Film Piezo (TFP), along with low vibration meniscus control technology, to precisely control the curvature of every ink droplet within each nozzle before releasing it onto the media
(The result is extremely sharp and accurate placement of ink droplets for class-leading photographic print quality.)

Epson PreciseColor™ manufacturing
In order to ensure consistent printing between multiple Epson Stylus Pro printers of the same model, Epson has enhanced the manufacturing process to include colorimetric calibration. Eliminating the need for internal calibration devices, this system evaluates and adjusts each printer’s performance at the manufacturing stage, producing consistent color output from printer to printer.

Automatic print head alignment technology
• Built-in sensor that reads printed data for highly precise alignment of all color channels
(aligns both single and bi-directional print modes)

Automatic nozzle verification and cleaning technology
• Built-in sensor that quickly verifies nozzle status without using any media;
automatically cleans the print head if any problems are found – even partially clogged nozzles

Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta ink technology

Industry-defining, 8-color, pigment-based ink system
• High-density pigments for an extremely wide color gamut
• Radically new formulation of Magenta pigments for extremely vibrant blues and purples
• Professional print permanence ratings for truly sellable prints
• High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation™ technology for reduced gloss differential
• Superior scratch resistance from improved pigment and resin chemistry
• Color that’s stable immediately after printing – no short-term color shifting
• Black density up to 2.5 with an L value of 3.9* (depending upon the media)
*Data based on Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper (260)

Three-level Black ink technology
• Simultaneously uses Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black ink
• Significantly improves the printer’s gray balance while eliminating color casts
• Delivers outstanding midtones and highlights for a smoother tonal range
• Virtually eliminates the metamerism and bronzing of basic pigment chemistry
• Enhances the ICC profiling process for ColorSync™ and ICM™ workflows

Automatic, real-time Black ink mode switching
Printers can automatically utilize two different Black ink modes – Photo Black or Matte Black. This innovative solution optimizes the Black ink density for various media types, dramatically improving the final print quality.

The standard Photo Black ink mode can be used for any media type with professional results. However, for certain Epson media such as Velvet Fine Art, Enhanced Matte, and UltraSmooth® Fine Art, using the optional Matte Black ink mode instead will dramatically increase your black optical density for even better print quality.

Professional media handling
• Versatile media handling — prints on virtually any media type, in roll or cut-sheet format, up to 64 inches wide
• Unique, front-loading, straight-through media path through which all media is loaded
• Accurate loading of cut-sheet media up to 64 inches wide in a variety of weights, including posterboard up to 1.5 mm thick
• Automatic media bar code tracking and identification system for efficient use of roll media
• User-adjustable, dual-tension roll media spindle that accepts either 2- or 3-inch media cores
• Built-in automatic cutting system that supports most media types
• Standard, automatic roll media take-up reel for unattended production of large print runs
• Optional, retractable, fabric-based media bin that safely captures multiple prints up to 64x36

Unique printer activity lighting system
•Nine individual, amber LED lights that provide live feedback about ink and printer activity

For more information on Epson 11880, see below:

Epson 11880 General Information
Epson Stylus Pro 11880 AccuPhoto HD Screening Technology
Epson 11880 & the Vivid Magenta Inks
Reviewing the Epson 11880 Printer
Epson 11880 Vivid Magenta Ink Compatibility
Epson 11880, Epson 9880, Epson 7880 - MicroPiezo AMC Printhead
Epson Stylus Pro 11880 Overview of the Thin Film Piezo
The Epson Stylus Pro 11880 Auto-Roll Media Take-Up

About Epson

Epson is a global leader in imaging products including printers, 3LCD projectors and small- and medium-sized LCDs. With an innovative and creative culture, Epson is dedicated to exceeding the vision and expectations of customers worldwide with products known for their superior quality, functionality, compactness and energy efficiency. Epson is a network of 87,626 employees in 117 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and to the communities in which it is located. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., the Group had consolidated sales of 1416 billion yen in fiscal 2006. Epson Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, is the Group’s regional headquarters for Europe, Middle-East, Russia and Africa. With a workforce of 2,400 employees, Epson Europe’s sales for fiscal year 2006 were 2,104 million Euros.