Epson Stylus Color 600Q Reference guide

Epson Sales Training 9/05
This technical brief provides detailed information on the Print Quality, Flexibility, and Special Features of Epson ink jet
printers and all-in-one devices.
The core technologies used in Epson ink jet printers work together to produce award-winning print quality, and
each component is equally important in delivering exceptional print quality.
Epson Micro Piezo technology
Produces smaller droplets with
precise size and placement
High resolution printing
High resolution allows the printer
to produce greater detail in photos
and sharper text and line art
Epson AcuPhoto Halftoning®
Generates fast, color-accurate
results with smooth transitions and
true photographic image quality
Small Ink Droplet Size
Small ink droplets produce
smoother gradations and greater
tonal control
Epson Inks
Epson Photo Ink, DURABrite® Ultra
pigment ink, Epson UltraChrome
K3™ Ink, and Epson UltraChrome
Hi-Gloss™ Ink
Epson Papers
Epson papers are designed to receive
Epson inks and offer the optimal
output quality
Epson’s core printing technologies work together to produce
brilliant Photo Quality color, sharp text, and incredible print speeds
Greater detail in highlights,
without visible printed “dots”
Greater detail in shadows, with
higher optical density and contrast
Smooth gradations with
precise color control and
superior density
Crisp line art Crisp text
Better fill in solid areas
This combination of core technologies used in Epson ink jet printers produces:
Detailed information on each of these core printing technologies is on the following pages.
Print Quality—Core Printing Technologies

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 2
2. High Print Resolution: Resolution, which is generally measured in dots per
inch (DPI) is an important factor in achieving print quality. Epson printers
are unique in combining very small, variable-size ink droplet sizes with
high resolutions to precisely print crisp details in photos and laser sharp
text. Also, Epson’s variable ink droplet sizes and high resolutions combine to
improve color ranges and accuracy because Epson printers can use halftone
algorithms with more color combinations and smoother color gradations.
3. Small ink droplet size: Most Epson printers produce ink droplets so small
you cannot see them with the naked eye. A smaller ink droplet allows the
printer to produce a greater number of different colored “printed dots”
because a wider range of tiny droplets can be combined to create a larger
color palette. Additionally, smaller ink droplets produce less visible printed
dots, especially apparent in the lightest areas of a photograph.
Epson printers use Epson’s Variable Size Droplet Technology, where the printers can produce a number
of different ink droplet sizes. The newest four-color models produce up to 6 ink droplet sizes and the six-
color photo models produce up to eight ink droplet sizes. Variable Size Droplet Technology has a number of
advantages:
• When printing at low resolutions, large ink droplets can be used to achieve faster speeds
• Different ink droplet sizes can be combined to achieve more tone representations
• The smallest ink droplets can be used in the low-density or highlight areas, reducing the visibility of printed
“dots”
• Large ink droplets are used in dense coverage areas to achieve fast print speeds
With this technique, Epson printers can produce the highest print quality, without sacrificing print speed, and
without having to increase the number of nozzles on the print head.
Effect of Print Resolution and Small,
Variable-Size Ink Droplets
Gradations and blends become
smoother as resolution and droplet
control are increased
Variable sizes combine to achieve
more tone representations for
smoother gradations
Large droplets are used in dense
coverage areas allowing Epson to have
fast print speeds without increasing the
number of print head nozzles
Smallest ink droplets produce smooth photos, especially
beneficial for highlights and detailed areas
1. Epson Micro Piezo Technology: Epson Micro Piezo print heads use dozens of high-precision mechanical pumps
to produce ink droplets, and no heat is involved in printing. The same high print quality is maintained over the
life of the printer, from the first page to the last. Here’s how it compares to thermal ink jet technology, used in
other ink jet printers:
Epson Micro Piezo Technology Thermal technologies
Mechanical method:
Precise electrical pulses
cause the ink reservoir wall
to deflect inward, projecting
ink through the nozzle.
Epson’s Micro Piezo technology results in consistent
ink droplets without satellites (unwanted ink spray)
or misting.
Heat method:
Heat produces a vapor
bubble in the ink reservoir
which expands and is
ejected through the nozzle.
Some thermal printers produce more inconsistent
droplets with satellites and misting.
Piezo Crystal
Deformation
Ink
Nozzle
Droplet
Ink
Resistor
Bubble
Nozzle
Drople
t

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 3
4. Ink System: Epson offers a variety of ink systems to meet every printing need:
Detailed information on the DURABrite Ultra pigment ink and UltraChrome Ink family is available in separate
technical briefs.
The use of a larger ink palette and the use of black ink with color inks to produce neutral black, allows greater
tonal control with:
• Smoother gradations in a photograph: With more “crayons in the
box,” Epson’s six-color and seven-color printers produce more subtle
changes in color and rich-looking prints with the best shadow detail,
precise color control, and superior density
• Minimized dot patterns: The light intensity inks aren’t as visible to
the human eye and minimize graininess in the photo
Additionally, all Epson ink jet printers have built-in photo quality
printing, while many competitive printers require special or optional
photo inks. With Epson printers, there are no added ink costs and you
never have to swap an ink cartridge to get sharp black text, superb
photo quality photos, or both on the same page.
Key
Epson
Photo Ink
DURABrite® Ultra
Pigment Ink
PictureMate®
Photo Ink
Epson
UltraChrome Hi-
Gloss™ Ink
Epson
UltraChrome K3™
Ink
Target Advanced amateur
photographers and
home photo
Home general
purpose and
photo—best text
printing and great
glossy photos in one
ink set
Home photo Photography,
including
commercial and
advanced amateur;
scrapbooking
Commercial,
fine art, black
and white, and
advanced amateur
photography; pre-
press proofing
Ink • 6-color dye-
based ink—Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow,
and Black plus
Light Cyan and
Light magenta to
smooth the tonal
gradations critical
for photography
• Wide color gamut
and widest media
selection
• Best output
quality on ink jet
papers (matte,
glossy, premium
photo), and good
output quality on
plain paper; also
supports specialty
papers such as
photo stickers,
transparencies,
and iron-on
transfers
• 4-color pigment-
based ink: Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow,
and Black
• Delivers
exceptional text
and image quality
on plain and
matte papers
• New formulation
delivers great
glossy photos
even on the best
Epson glossy
photo papers
• Water, smudge,
and fade-resistant
on plain, matte,
and glossy papers
• Only four-color all
pigment ink set in
its class
• 6-color pigment
ink—CMYK plus
Red and Blue inks
deliver archival
quality photos
with quality
comparable to
dye-based inks
• Optimized for 4x6
photo printing,
producing
smooth tonal
gradations critical
for photography
• PictureMate Print
Pack includes
one PictureMate
photo cartridge
and a supply of
paper to deliver
a cost per
print of about
29¢—satisfaction
guaranteed1
• High-fidelity ink
set using Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow,
Matte Black and
Photo Black inks,
plus Red and Blue
inks and a Gloss
Optimizer
• First pigment-
based ink set to
deliver archival
quality glossy and
matte photos,
with glossy quality
comparable to
dye-based inks
• Best output
quality on
premium glossy
papers and very
good quality on
matte papers
• Pigment-based
Cyan, Light Cyan,
Magenta, Light
Magenta, Yellow,
Photo Black or
Matte Black, plus
Light Black and
Light Light Black
• Three-level black
ink technology
significantly
improves overall
gray balance,
produces
impressive
midtones and
highlights,
and reduces
metamerism
• Best output
quality on matte
and fine art
papers, with very
good output on
glossy papers
The ink system alone does not
determine overall print quality.
Epson’s small, variable-size ink droplets
and precise droplet size and placement all
contribute to the printer’s overall quality.

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 4
5. Epson Papers: In general, Epson printers will deliver their best output quality when used with Epson papers.
Epson papers are designed in conjunction with Epson printers and genuine Epson inks so when all three
elements are present and used, the best possibly print quality is achieved. DURABrite Ink also delivers
exceptional print quality on plain paper, however, when a glossy finish is desired, the DURABrite Ink Glossy
Photo Paper delivers the highet quality, long-lasting prints.
 The Epson printer driver optimizes
ink density based on the resolution
and type of media selected
 Epson printers are designed to
produce their optimal print quality
using genuine Epson inks on Epson
papers
 Epson ink jet papers are specifically
designed to receive Epson inks.
For customers who wish to use color
management systems, Epson printer
software fully supports Windows ICM,
sRGB, and Macintosh ColorSync.
6. Epson AcuPhoto Halftoning: Every ink jet printer uses a method referred to as halftoning, that places ink
droplets to create printed “dots” in various patterns so you see continuous tone color. Epson printers use a
halftoning module that produces fast, high-quality, color-accurate output. The Epson printer drivers use an
advanced error diffusion technology to determine the most efficient pattern for applying ink droplets to the
page, based on the content, selected output quality, and paper type.
Epson Printer + Epson Ink + Epson Paper
Delivers Epson Quality

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 5
Flexibility—Connectivity
Epson ink jet printers support a variety of interfaces, network, and wireless communication devices, and all Epson
printers support Windows® and Macintosh®, although not all print features are currently supported with OS X.
1. Interfaces: All Epson printers have a USB interface; some are USB 1.1 but are compatible with USB 2.0
computer ports; some printers have the faster USB 2.0 interface. A few printers also feature a parallel interface,
and a few select models have built-in FireWire, a high speed interface that improves printing performance for
Macintosh users (but is also PC compatible).
For wireless printing, Epson offers a Bluetooth adapter, allowing you to print from a
Bluetooth-enabled device (such as a PDA, cell phone, or laptop) to a supported Epson
printer without cables. Bluetooth is a wireless cable replacement technology that
allows printing via a low-power, short-range radio frequency at a distance up to 33 feet.
Bluetooth does not allow printer sharing (like is allowed with a wireless print server),
but simply allows point-to-point wireless printing.
The Bluetooth Photo Print Adapter connects to the USB host port of supported
Epson photo printers.
Bluetooth is intended for short-range communications and is ideal for text documents and small photos.
2. Networking: Some Epson ink jet printers can be connected directly to an Ethernet network using a wired print
server. This device allows you to attach the printer directly to the network without using a dedicated computer
as a print server and to share the printer among all computers on the network.
Epson offers one print server for wired Ethernet networks:
EpsonNet™ 10/100Base-TX External Ethernet Print Server: This device works
with select Epson printer models that have a parallel port, and supports
Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks. Because it connects to the parallel port, a
local computer can be connected to the printer’s USB port while the printer is
also connected to a LAN.
3. Built-in Macintosh Printer Sharing with USB: Many of Epson’s ink jet printers can be shared over a
Macintosh Ethernet network, without using a printer network interface. Here’s how to use this feature:
 Connect the printer to a Macintosh
computer on the network
 Select the printer in the Chooser
and enable printer sharing
 Install the printer driver on any or
all computers on the network
 Select Shared Epson Printer from
the Chooser
Printer sharing is not currently
supported by OSX 10.1.
Epson printer locally attached
to one Macintosh computer via
a USB connection
Ethernet network

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 6
Flexibility—Intelligent Ink Cartridges
Many Epson printers use ink cartridges with a built-in chip. The features of this design are:
 Ink levels are memorized internally for the most accurate results.
 You can change cartridges easily at any time; for example if inks are low,
you can change the cartridge before printing a large panoramic print
or large overnight job, then re-insert the removed cartridge later to
minimize ink waste.
 You can swap cartridges between multiple printers.
Epson ink cartridges are not designed for refill. Epson inks are specifically
designed for use in Epson printers and with Epson print heads. Use of
refilled ink cartridges or other brand inks may cause damage to the printer
not covered under Epson’s standard warranty.
Epson ink cartridges with
built-in microchip
Special Photo Printing Features—Marginless Printing
Many of the Epson Stylus Photo printers support borderless printing using roll paper and/or borderless photo papers.
1. BorderFree™ Printing: Many of Epson’s dedicated photography and
dedicated productivity and all-in-one printers support this printing
feature which allows you to print to all four edges of the paper, without
borders!
BorderFree printing is available using Epson Borderless photo papers,
available in sizes from 4 x 6 inches to 13 x 19 inches. Many printers also
produce borderless output on Letter-size photo papers, too.
Some competitive printers now support borderless photo printing, but
the paper sizes are generally limited to 4 x 6 and Letter, or they only
support perforated photo papers where you must trim the perforations
to get a borderless print. With Epson’s BorderFree printing, you can print
a photograph and not have to tear perforations or trim margins.
2. Edge-to-Edge Printing: Many Epson Stylus Photo printers include a roll
paper holder that allows you to print on continuous roll paper. The edge-to-
edge printing feature allows you to print all the way to the edges of the roll
paper. Using roll paper, you can create large panoramic images or banners,
up to 44 inches long without margins, perforations, or folds. Using various
software applications and Windows XP or Windows 2000, you can create
prints up to 128 inches.
Epson offers a variety of roll paper:
 4-inch roll paper for printing continuous 4 x 6 or 4-inch wide panoramic
prints—just like a photo processing lab
 8.3-inch wide and 13-inch wide roll paper for printing large banners or
panoramic prints
Some Epson Stylus Photo models also include an Automatic Roll Paper Cutter. This feature essentially turns these
printers into quick mini-labs, able to print and cut over 50 borderless 4 x 6-inch prints at a time with ease and
speed.
BorderFree printing produces photos
without borders—right out of the printer
Print all the way to the
left and right edges of
the roll paper
Without BorderFree printing, your photos will have
borders or you will have to use perforated paper and
trim prints to produce a borderless print:
With BorderFree printing, your photos
come out of the printer without margins,
borders, or awkward perforations:

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 7
Special Photo Printing Features—PRINT Image Matching™ Technology
PRINT Image Matching (P.I.M.) is a technology developed by Epson that ensures digital cameras and printers
work together to produce photographs that print truer-to-life. P.I.M. is performed automatically by the digital
camera* and printer—all you have to do is Point, Shoot, and Print.
1. P.I.M. Benefits: P.I.M. allows a digital camera
image file to embed a larger color space.
Although digital cameras can capture images in a
wider color space, data files are optimized for the
limited sRGB computer monitor space. As you can
see from the graphic at right, the color gamut of the
Epson Stylus Photo printers most closely matches
the gamut capable of being captured by a digital still
camera.
Additionally, a P.I.M.-enabled digital camera can
automatically encode specific print instructions
into the digital camera file for parameters such
as: Gamma level, contrast, sharpness, brightness,
saturation, shadow point, highlight point, and color
balance.
P.I.M. improves print quality of digital still camera
images by:
 Printing a wider printed color
space, able to produce blues and
greens not previously possible in
print (and seen only in nature)
 Creating images with better color
balance, truer colors overall, and
smoother skin tones
 Producing images with incredible
sharpness—without digital
manipulation
 Printing images with improved
brightness and contrast that
match the way the image is
captured
With P.I.M., precise print quality instructions and the color space data is automatically encoded in the digital
camera image file. When the image is printed, the printer automatically processes the data to produce the
best possible image quality. All you have to do is Point, Shoot, and Print.
© Dan Steinhardt 2001
* For a complete list of P.I.M.- and P.I.M. II-enabled digital cameras and supported software, visit www.printimagematching.com.
On a P.I.M.-enabled printer with
a built-in card reader, the P.I.M.
instructions will be automatically
read directly from the digital
camera file.
On a P.I.M.-enabled printer without a built-in card
reader, the P.I.M. instructions will be read by the
P.I.M.-aware software application, then passed to
the printer.

Ink Jet Printer Technical Brief Page 8
2. Differences Between P.I.M. and P.I.M. II: Now P.I.M. has evolved into P.I.M. II, the latest technology which
makes all the same improvements to print quality, plus new additional correction capabilities, like digital
camera noise reduction and Custom Mode adjustments.
Epson, EPSON Stylus, BorderFree, Micro Piezo, and AcuPhoto Halftoning are registered trademarks and PRINT Image Matching, Epson
UltraChrome K3, Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss, and Exceed Your Vision are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. DURABrite is a registered
trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Epson disclaims any and all rights in those marks.
©2005 Epson America, Inc.
Settings PRINT Image Matching PRINT Image Matching II
Printer gamma setting
Color space designation
Highlight setting
Shadow setting
Brightness setting
Color balance setting
Memory color setting
Scene adjustment level
Contrast setting
Saturation setting
Sharpness setting
Scene mode setting
Custom scene setting
Noise reduction function


























3. Differences Between Exif 2.2 (Exif Print) and P.I.M./P.I.M. II: P.I.M. and Exif 2.2 are two very different
technologies. Each of their work flows requires that the camera, software, and printer all support each
technology for the process to be successful.
The difference between these two technologies is what type of “print optimization” information is made and
how these optimizations are applied.
Key Differences PRINT Image Matching/II Exif Print
Type of “Print Optimization” With P.I.M., the optimization
of the print is controlled by
the digital camera and right
at the time the picture is
taken.
Optimization of the print is
controlled by the Exif Print
supporting software and
printer, not by the camera.
Only “camera shooting”
information is recorded by
the camera into the photo
file.
How “Print Optimization” is
Applied
P.I.M. thereby gives the
digital camera manufacturer
the opportunity to control
the optimization of the
print based on their camera
capture intentions.
Exif Print gives the
printer manufacturer the
opportunity to optimize the
print, using the printer’s
unique strengths for
high-quality prints, based
on “camera shooting”
information read by the
printer software.
The most current Epson Stylus Photo printers support both P.I.M. and Exif Print, making them compatible
with the most digital camera models available today. Most current four-color Epson printer models support
Exif Print.
1 Visit www.epson.com or www.wilhelm-research.com for image permanence ratings.