Singapore, 15th September 2005 - Following the successful launch of the EPSON Stylus Pro 4800, Epson, the world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions has announced the launch of the EPSON Stylus Pro 9800and EPSON Stylus Pro 7800. Targeting industry professionals in the fields of photography, graphic arts and pre-press, the EPSON Stylus Pro 9800 and EPSON Stylus Pro 7800 debut as the first 44" and 24" printers powered by the revolutionary EPSON UltraChrome K3 pigment inks for permanence, consistent, vivid colours that stabilize quickly, and advanced black and white printing.

Epson's UltraChrome K3 ink features higher density pigments designed to increase quality for both professional colour and black and white prints. It utilises a unique three-level black ink system that uses black, light black and light-light black to allow industry professionals to achieve a more stable and accurate gray balance. Users can also utilise the Advanced Black and White Photo mode to produce an expanded tonal scale never before achieved with a digital printer.

"The demanding work environments of the photography, printing and pre-press industries mean that professionals need to have accurate and consistent prints in the shortest possible time in order to maximise efficiency," said Mr. Shaun See, Manager, Digital Image, Branded Products Division, Epson Singapore. "The features of the EPSON Stylus Pro 9800 and EPSON Stylus Pro 7800, coupled with the use of Epson's revolutionary UltraChrome K3 ink, will allow users to go beyond their boundaries, achieving levels of details and vivid colours that will exceed their expectations."

Quality, Consistency and Permanence with EPSON UltraChrome K3 inks
Professionals in the pre-press proofing and photography industries work under demanding environments where quality, consistency, colour stability and permanence are vital. Epson's UltraChrome K3 ink gives today's professionals a wider gamut for colour printing and powerful control over black and white prints with smooth gradation in highlights and shadows, reducing bronzing and metamerism for accurate, high-quality prints that last over 300 years*.

Epson's UltraChrome K3 ink utilises the Epson Micro Encapsulation technology, enclosing each pigment particle in a transparent resin to protect it from fading and discoloration as well as excellent scratch and water resistance.  Its quick dry capability means colours are able to stabilize within a short time and do not change after drying, thereby creating consistent prints which are long-lasting and durable. Ink cartridges are available in two sizes, 110ml and 220ml, to suit different user needs.

Superior production speed for cost efficiency
Both new offerings from Epson contain a high performance eight-channel print head with 180 nozzles for improved printing speed and resolutions of up to 2880 by 1440 dpi.

The Micro Piezo Head used in EPSON Stylus Pro printers incorporates Variable Sized Droplet Technology to produce different size ink droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters depending on the image and type of media used. This improves not only the evenness of the ink relative to the surface of the print, but also reduces ink consumption, translating into a more cost effective printing solution.

Flexible paper handling with a wide assorent of media types
Cut sheets up to 17 inches wide and in weights up to 1.5mm in thickness can be loaded from the manual feeder located at the rear of the printers while the roll paper spindle handles both 2" and 3" paper cores. The precise paper feeding mechanism found on the unit assures high quality, perfectly aligned output, while finished prints are delivered to a handy paper basket which keeps prints flat after printing.

The EPSON Stylus Pro 9800 and EPSON Stylus Pro 7800 are available now through Epson's dealers and resellers, and is expected to retail for S$10,186 and S$6,093 respectively.

*Black and white light fastness when printed on EPSON UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper.  Source - Wilhelm Imaging Research dated 1 July 2005.

About Epson Singapore
Epson is the world's leader in digital imaging solutions as well as printer manufacturing. The company's Singapore operation is also the Regional Headquarters of Seiko Epson Corporation. The company markets and supports Epson printers, scanners, projectors, electronic devices including liquid crystal displays, semiconductors and system devices in the ASEAN, South Asia and Oceania territories (with exception to support for electronic devices in Oceania). Epson is dedicated to creating products for the home and business markets to meet consumer needs.

About the Epson Group
Epson is a global leader in imaging products including printers, projectors and 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 85,647 employees in 115 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 1479.7 billion yen in fiscal 2004.