Epson’s Latest Generation Of Ultra Hi-Definition Photo Printers

Taking photos is a snap. But today’s consumer wants to do more than just capture memories. They want to print them, frame them, mount them in a scrapbook, use them for baby announcements, add them to invitations, or create their own greeting cards with coordinating envelopes or wrapping paper. In short, they want a multipurpose solution that helps them express more about their personalities by unleashing their creativity. The answer lies with Epson’s newest line of Ultra Hi-Definition models – the Epson Stylus Photo R280, RX595 and RX680 – unveiled today by Epson America, Inc.

Designed especially for photo enthusiasts and creative hobbyists, Epson’s Ultra Hi-Definition printers produce exquisite photos with extraordinary ease. Moreover, these newest models handle everyday printing needs, giving users the freedom and flexibility to print just about any project imaginable, all from a single product. Epson’s dry-to-the-touch Claria™ Hi-Definition Inks and ultra-fast print speeds let users hold and admire their work immediately without fear of smudges.

“Our newest generation of Ultra Hi-Definition products produce legendary professional-quality photos, yet are easy enough for anyone to use,” said Steve Semos, product manager, Epson. “Each model has an abundance of intelligent, automated technology that eliminates the guess work for consumers, such as automatically turning dark, overexposed or faded images into brilliant photos or correcting red eyes. In combination with our Claria inks and wide-range of Epson papers, these prints can last until the 23rd century.”

With Epson, speed is not sacrificed for quality. All three Ultra Hi-Definition models – the Epson Stylus Photo R280 photo printer, Epson Stylus Photo RX595 all-in-one and Epson Stylus Photo RX680 all-in-one – deliver a dozen 4”x6” photos in as fast as 2 minutes, 17 seconds . Users may choose their preferred format – bordered or borderless photos in popular 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 8”x10”, and letter (8.5”x11”) sizes as well as a variety of specialty media. Each printer takes advantage of Epson’s exclusive MicroPiezo® print head with DX5™ “smart nozzle” technology, which produces up to five sizes of ink droplets for the sharpest detail and smoothest gradations.

Shared Features of the Ultra Hi-Definition Product Line

The Epson R280, RX595 and RX680 share a number of innovative features developed specifically for photo enthusiasts and creative hobbyists. These include:

• Picture perfect: Epson’s Auto Photo Correction feature delivers beautiful photos effortlessly by automatically correcting dark, backlit and washed-out photos, while adjusting skin tones and enhancing the richness of scenery .
• Prints in a flash: A dozen 4”x6” photos come out in as fast as 2 minutes, 17 seconds and text documents print at up to 38 or 40 ppm, depending on the model2.
• Incredibly durable prints: Epson Claria Hi-Definition Ink produces gorgeous glossy photos that are instantly dry to the touch as well as smudge, scratch, water, and fade resistant. Additionally, these photos can last more than 200 years1.
• Brilliant colors: Epson’s six-color Claria ink produces rich, deep hues and vibrant, realistic colors. Claria ink looks beautiful on a variety of surfaces and sizes, giving users ultimate creative control. For added convenience, each model uses individual ink cartridges so consumers only have to replace specific colors as needed.
• Detailed photos: Epson’s advanced MicroPiezo print head featuring DX5 technology offers smart nozzles that can each produce and precisely place up to five sizes of ink droplets. These innovative nozzles are more efficient than those that can only produce one droplet size. As a result, fewer nozzles are needed to create exceptional photos and documents with remarkable color and detail at fast speeds.
• Borderless printing: Epson’s BorderFree® printing capability delivers borderless photos in 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 8”x10”, and letter (8.5”x11”) sizes with no perforations or edges to trim.
• Professional-looking CDs/DVDs: Epson enables users to print directly on ink jet printable CDs and DVDs, eliminating messy and sticky labels that can warp and potentially damage CD/DVD drives. Instead, users quickly and simply create personalized designs with Epson Print CD software (included) and print directly onto a CD or DVD using the convenient front-loading CD tray. Easily print over the entire surface area from the center to the edge of CDs/DVDs for a clean and professional look.

Details on the Epson Stylus Photo R280

The compact Epson Stylus Photo R280 is a single-function Ultra Hi-Definition photo printer that offers outstanding print quality for a remarkably low price. It has all of the shared features and performance offered in the Ultra Hi-Definition product line, including fast print speeds. Its slim design makes the Epson Stylus Photo R280 ideal for smaller spaces.

Details on the Epson Stylus Photo RX595

The Epson Stylus Photo RX595 all-in-one offers the same industry-leading print quality and performance of the R280, but adds scanning, copying and robust PC-free photo printing capabilities. It features a large 2.5-inch high-quality color LCD making viewing, selecting and cropping photos convenient and simple. Users may print directly from virtually all digital camera memory cards and USB flash drives or directly from digital cameras or cell phones via the PictBridgeTM connection or optional Bluetooth® device. Users also may view and print by date, which is particularly useful for photo enthusiasts with memory cards filled with hundreds of photos. Product highlights include:

• Photo quality scanning: Scans photos and more with 48-bit 1200×2400 dpi resolution; also scans directly without a computer to PDF and JPEG formats to USB flash drives and memory cards.
• Restoring and reprinting photos: Easily restore the color to old, faded or badly exposed photos with or without a computer using the RX595’s Photo Restoration feature. Users also can crop, enlarge or change a color photo to black-and-white or sepia.
• High quality copies of photos and everyday documents: Convenient copy feature enables users to duplicate, reduce and enlarge photos as well as quickly make copies of everyday documents up to 37 cpm2.
• Customized photo greeting cards: Enables photo enthusiasts and creative hobbyists to create their own photo greeting cards without a computer. Simply select a favorite photo from a memory card and combine with customized text and graphics using the scanner.

Details on the Epson Stylus Photo RX680

The Epson Stylus Photo RX680 all-in-one is the top of the line Ultra Hi-Definition printer. It comes equipped with a large 2.5-inch high quality color tilt LCD and enables PC-free photo printing through built-in multipurpose memory card slots, a PictBridge connection for digital cameras, USB flash drives, or optional Bluetooth device. The RX680 offers all of the features of the RX595 and adds:

• Two paper trays: Front and rear trays enable users to “set it and forget it” by putting their commonly used photo paper in one tray and plain paper in the other. Both trays are fully adjustable and hold up to 270 sheets of plain paper combined.
• Duplex printing: This feature enables users to print on both sides of the paper, which is particularly handy for creating newsletters, greeting cards, mailers, brochures, and the like.
• Auto Photo Correction with preview: Users can watch bad photos transform into gorgeous ones right before their eyes by simply pressing the Auto Photo Correction preview button. Auto Photo Correction combined with Epson photo paper gives users the best image quality possible without any extra effort.

Pricing and Availability
All three models will be available in September. The estimated street prices are $99.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo R280, $149.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 and $199.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo RX680. All Epson Ultra Hi-Definition printers are both Windows® and Macintosh® compatible. They are sold at major computer and electronics superstores and can be purchased through mail order, the Internet and Epson’s own retail site, www.epsonstore.com. The models are backed by the one-year Epson Limited Warranty and supported by telephone, e-mail and Web-based customer support and technical assistance. More information about Epson and its products is available by calling 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visiting the Epson Web site at www.epson.com.

About Epson
Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets. The company also is 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.