Epson USA Press Release 16/09/04

EPSON ONCE AGAIN EARNS TITLE OF OFFICIAL PHOTO PRINTER OF MISS AMERICA PAGEANT

EPSON Stylus Photo 2200 Features Ultrachrome Ink Technology to Help Contestants Remember Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience With Brilliant Prints That Will Last for Generations

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - September 16, 2004 - Contestants competing for the title of Miss America 2005 this week will be able to share and preserve their memories of this pinnacle of achievement with photographs that will last for generations. For the fifth year in a row, pageant officials have selected an archival printer from Epson America Inc. as the competition’s official photo printer.

From rehearsals to the final competition itself, long-time Miss America photographer Bruce Boyajian is photographing contestants’ activities and then printing the images using the award-winning EPSON Stylus Photo 2200 to be sure the prints last. He chose the archival printer because it delivers an unmatched combination of stunning image quality and longevity on a variety of media types with light, water and smudge-resistant EPSON Ultrachrome ink technology.
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Photography gives us the chance to relive our memories, and the best way to do that is to show the ultimate product, which is the print,” said Fabia Ochoa, group product manager, specialty photo printers, Epson. “Epson’s advances in print permanence have been designed to keep important memories, like this milestone in these women?s personal and professional achievement, lasting a lifetime.  For a tradition like the Miss America Competition, we know that the prints can?t just look good today but also must look good for generations to come.”

“We want the photographs to be as special as each of these outstanding young women,” said Art McMaster, president and CEO of the Miss America Organization. “The Epson printers enable us to give the contestants the highest-quality photographs quickly and conveniently that they will treasure for the rest of their lives.”

EPSON Stylus Photo 2200 ? Best Combination of Image Quality and Durability
By using the seven-color EPSON Ultrachrome inks, the EPSON Stylus Photo 2200 is able to print images at fast speeds with a larger color gamut than the previous generation.  These unique pigment-based archival inks reproduce the color range, density and saturation of dye-based inks, making this printer the best in its class with its photo and color quality and superior fade-resistance. This printer also can print stunning black and white photographs with the addition of a lower density black ink, which helps produce more neutral grays. The printer offers a resolution of up to 2880 x 1440 dpi using droplets as small as four picoliters, which produces an equivalent dot size to a two-picoliter dye-based droplet. The printer uses Epson?s exclusive Micro Piezo? ink jet technology for creating incredible detail, beautiful skin tones and an ultra-wide color range that is ideal for photography.

Designed to address the needs of a variety of photographers, the EPSON Stylus Photo 2200 has a large printable area up to 13? x 44?.  The printer also features true BorderFree photos in six popular sizes including 4? x 6?, 5? x 7?, 8? x 10?, letter, 11 x 14? and 13? x 19? on glossy papers, as well as 4?, 8.3? and 13? edge-to-edge borderless printing on roll paper. A roll paper holder is included with the printer, in addition to a convenient, built-in automatic cutter that will easily cut borderless prints on roll paper straight out of the printer, virtually turning the printer into a mini-photolab.

About Epson
Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, photographic, business and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.