Epson Stylus Photo R2400 A3+ photo printer is announced today. The Epson R2400 features Epson’s UltraChrome K3 8 colour inkset to deliver the ultimate in both black and white and colour printing. Prints are lightfast for up to 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black & white. The Epson R2400 supports paper sizes ranging from 100 x 148mm to A3+ and a wide range of media, including premium photo and art paper. The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 has an advanced black and white mode that allows users to take control over the hue and tone of black and white images. The Stylus Photo R2400 also uses Epson’s Micro Piezo print head and Variable-sized Droplet technologies. Price of the Epson R2400 is £599 / $849 and it will be available in June.

Check out the photo gallery from the European Press Launch

Epson Press Release

Epson® announces the most advanced colour and black & white A3+ photo printer

Featuring Epson’s state-of-the-art UltraChrome™ K3 ink technology, the Stylus Photo R2400 is an affordable inkjet solution for photographers looking for high quality results from a desktop printer at an affordable price.

May 10, 2005 – Launched today, Epson unveiled its latest inkjet printer, the Epson Stylus Photo R2400. Boasting Epson’s revolutionary UltraChrome K3 8-colour ink technology - the same ink technology employed in Epson Stylus Pro large format printers for professional users - the Stylus Photo R2400 allows high end amateur and professional photographers to confidently produce professional quality for both black & white and colour photographs up to A3+.

The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 features many benefits to make it the ideal entry product for professional photo printing. It supports paper sizes ranging from 100 x 148mm to A3+, and produces professional-quality black & white and colour results on a wide range of media, including premium photo and art paper. Semi-professionals can enhance and simplify the workflow from image selection through to final printout, even for camera RAW files, through a comprehensive suite of software from Epson’s Creativity Suite, including Epson RAW Print, Epson Easy Photo Print, Epson File Manager and Epson Darkroom Print.

The Stylus Photo R2400 employs Epson’s unique Micro Piezo™ print head technology to deliver superior results. By delivering ink through microscopic nozzles measuring a fraction of the diameter of a human hair, the printer can accurately replicate finely detailed images. The printer also incorporates Epson’s Variable-sized Droplet Technology, which automatically adjusts the size of the droplet according to the image content.

With results surpassing silver halide printing, Epson’s UltraChrome K3 ink delivers the ultimate in black & white and colour printing. The three black inks offer more neutral graduations in colour and black & white prints, resulting in life-like replication of skin tones required by professional photographers. The third black ink – light light black – gives excellent greyscale performance and smoother tonal reproduction for the ultimate in high quality black & white and colour photographs.

The new ink boasts many features to make it ideal for those unwilling to compromise on quality. Featuring 8 individual cartridges, the UltraChrome K3 inkset produces an extremely wide colour gamut. This allows accurate reproduction of saturated colours, whilst light inks allow smooth gradations for the printing of watercolour, pastels and crayons. Furthermore, images will look good in any lighting conditions, thereby giving photographers and artists’ greater control over their artwork when exhibiting in a gallery.

The Epson UltraChrome K3 ink set is lightfast for up to 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black & white*, making it the ideal choice for artists producing work for use in galleries, or those who need the confidence to reassure their customers that the artwork they purchase will look good for longer.

Epson Stylus Photo R2400 key features summary:
· Photographic prints up to A3+ size
· Will print on a wide range of materials including premium quality photo paper and art media
· Micro Piezo printer head technology for greater accuracy for finely detailed images
· Epson Creativity Suite including Epson RAW Print, Epson File Manager, Epson Darkroom Print to enhance and simplify the workflow from image selection through to final print out, even for camera RAW files
· UltraChrome K3 ink, delivering exceptional results including:
o 3 black inks deliver the most advanced black & white digital photographic results to date
o Wide colour gamut resulting in accurate reproduction of saturated colours and industry proofing standards
o Prints look good in any lighting conditions
o Colours stabilise shortly after printing
o Advanced black & white mode allows users to take control over hue and tone of black & white images
o Outstanding durability, with a lifespan of up to 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black & white*

*Please refer to www.epson.com for test conditions

Epson USA Press Release

Epson Introduces Another Breakthrough Product for Fine Art Photography with the New Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and Epson UltraChrome K3 Inks

New Eight-Color Epson UltraChrome K3 Pigment Inks Provide Stunning Archival Color and Black and White Prints up to 13” Wide

LONG BEACH, Calif. - May 10, 2005 - Epson America Inc. has once again changed the world of photography with the introduction of the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and Epson UltraChrome K3 inks.  This new printer, coupled with its innovative ink technology, offers   professional and fine art photographers the most advanced ink jet technology available to date.  The Epson UltraChrome K3 pigment ink set ensures both a wider color gamut and superior black and white output with print permanence ratings that are perfect for gallery exhibits.  With three levels of black and advanced
driver controls, the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 enables users to create professional-quality prints on a wide variety of media.

Replacing the award-winning Epson Stylus Photo 2200, the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 will be the printer of choice for professional and fine art photographers, as well as serious amateurs.

“Epson has a legacy of providing photographers and digital artists with the tools that enable them to express their vision.  The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and the new Epson UltraChrome K3 inks produce stunning color prints in addition to black and white prints that look and feel like traditional silver halide prints,” said Patrick Chen, product manager, photo imaging, Epson America. “Quite simply, this printer with its Epson UltraChrome K3 inks will redefine photographic printing in the industry with the next level of uncompromising quality, ease of use and print permanence.”

New Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink Technology
The Epson UltraChrome K3 ink set is a unique eight-color system designed specifically for professional and fine art photographers and digital artists who seek exhibit-level photo quality.  Inspired by Epson’s past generations of pigmented inks, Epson UltraChrome K3 uses higher density pigments to widen the color gamut.  In addition to cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta, UltraChrome K3 features a special three-level black ink system that simultaneously uses black, light black and light-light black to create professional neutral and toned black and white prints from a single ink set.

Epson UltraChrome K3 inks also boast output without color crossover or color casts. In addition to professional-quality black and white output, Epson UltraChrome K3 produces higher degrees of color fidelity and stable colors superior to that of other ink technologies on the market.  By using high-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation(tm) technology, Epson delivers improved pigment and resin chemistry to provide better scratch resistance and glossier prints.

The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 produces unparalleled black and white prints and gives the user the choice of two interchangeable cartridges-Photo Black or Matte Black.  This feature optimizes the black ink density for various media types, which produces richer blacks and higher contrast output. Professional results can be achieved with the Photo Black Mode on a variety of glossy media, and in Matte Black Mode on matte and fine art media such as Epson’s Velvet Fine Art, Enhanced Matte and UltraSmooth Fine Art. Both Photo and Matte Black cartridges are included with the Epson Stylus Photo R2400.

New Advanced Printer Driver Control
The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 driver is enhanced to provide users with unprecedented black and white image control.  The driver settings offer quick toning presets, separate controls for shadow and highlight tonality control, maximum optical density control, reduced gloss differential, and custom tone control.  Furthermore, Epson’s proprietary driver and screening technology offers users a unique method for converting color digital images into professional quality black and white prints.

About the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 - Key Product Features
The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 offers a multitude of features for digital and fine art photographers:
* Printing Method: Epson’s exclusive and award-winning drop-on-demand Advanced Micro Piezo(r) pigment ink jet technology delivers droplet sizes as small as 3.5 picoliters and resolutions up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi * BorderFree(r) Printing Sizes: Borderless printing without margins in popular 4 x 6”, 5 x 7”, 8"x 10”, letter (8.5” x 11”), 11” x 14”, 12"x 12”, 13” x 19”, and panoramic sizes
* High-Performance Print Engine Speeds: One of Epson’s fastest photo printers to date, printing an 11"x14” photo in as fast as 1 minute, 47 seconds*
* Water/Smudge-Resistant Prints: Epson UltraChrome K3 inks resist smudging or fingerprints related to high levels of humidity, moisture and water spillage**
*  Professional Media Handling: Three paths: Sheet, Rear (Roll and Single-Sheet Fine Art) and Straight-through for 1.3mm thick media; standard handling including BorderFree Printing, plus roll paper support (4”, 8.3” and 13”)
* Epson Paper Options: Enhanced Matte Paper, Velvet Fine Art Paper, Watercolor Radiant White, UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper, Matte Paper Heavyweight, PremierArt Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper for Epson, Premium Glossy Photo Paper, Premium Semigloss Photo Paper, Premium Luster Photo Paper, Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper, and Premium Bright White Paper
* Paper Sizes: 4"x 6”, 5” x 7”, 8” x 10”, letter (8.5” x 11”), 11” x 14”, 12” x 12”, 13” x 19”, B (11” x 17”), A3+, Super B (13” x 19”), user definable, plus 4”, 8.3” and 13” wide panoramic roll papers

Included Photo Software and Color Management Solutions
The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 comes with a Print Image Matching(r) Plug-in for Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) and four popular black and white filters from nik Color Efex Pro(tm) 2.0. These filters are downloadable from nik multimedia’s website and operate on both PC and Macintosh(r) platforms.  In addition, Epson RAW Print is also included for easy printing of RAW format image files.  Supported by Windows(r) 2000 and XP, Epson RAW Print works with the following cameras: Epson RD-1, Nikon(r) D70 and Canon(r) EOS Rebel.  Color management solutions include premium ICC color profiles, X-Rite(r) Complete Guide to Color Management, and an exclusive offer by X-Rite for Monaco(tm) EZ Color.

The EPSON Stylus Photo R2400 supports Windows 2000 and XP and Mac(r) OS X 10.2.4 or later with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire(r) (IEEE 1394) ports.

Print Permanence
Epson is always striving to offer products that produce fade-resistant and long-lasting photos.  The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 is a breakthrough product with its print longevity using new Epson UltraChrome K3 inks and a wide selection of Epson archival media.  The printer’s output is rated to resist fading up to 108 years for color and over 200 years for black and white.***

Pricing, Support and Availability
The Epson Stylus Photo R2400 will be available this month for an estimated street price of $849 through direct market resellers, specialty photo stores, computer superstores, on-line retailers, and Epson’s retail Web site (www.epsonstore.com).  The printer is backed by the one-year EPSON Exchange Warranty and is supported by the EPSON ConnectionSM, a customer support technical assistance line.