Epson Stylus Pro 5500 Manual

EPSON Sales Training 11/00
EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contents
EPSON Archival™ Inks are used in the professional "P"-series EPSON Stylus Photo printers and in select models
of the professional graphics EPSON Stylus Pro models. This technical brief will provide detailed information
on the following topics:
EPSON Archival Ink Technology
EPSON Archival Ink Technology—Comparison of different types of ink
EPSON Archival Ink Technology uses pigment inks, but includes a breakthrough technology that combines the
advantages of conventional pigment inks with the advantages of dye inks. The key differences between the
types of inks are:
Comparison of different types of ink
EPSON MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology
▼
▼
High lightfastness, over 100
years
Poor to excellent
lightfastness
Conventional Pigment Inks Dye Inks
Lightfastness
Highly stable, with nominal
short-term color shifting
Short-Term Stability Good stability, with minimal
short-term color shifting
Waterfastness Very waterfast Waterfast on many specialty
papers (not plain paper)
Color Gamut and
Gloss Lowest color gamut and
dull (no gloss) prints due to
uneven reflection and high
scattering
Superb color gamut and
gloss due to even reflection
of inks from the paper
Typical use Wide format ink jet printer
market for outdoor signage;
NOT optimal for
photography
Standard with desktop ink
jet printers; photography,
presentations, artwork, etc.
Durability Susceptible to scratching
because pigment particles sit
on top of the paper
Extremely durable, since
inks are absorbed into the
paper
Media choices Limited media selection:
limited to signage media
only
Greatest media selection:
plain, matte, and RC photo
and high gloss paper types
Key Differences EPSON Archival Inks
Photography (Fine Art and
Print for Pay) and wide
format ink jet printer market
where archival printing and
Photo Quality output is
required
High lightfastness, over 100
years
Highly stable, with nominal
short-term color shifting
Extremely waterfast
Superb color gamut and
gloss due to even reflection
of inks when using EPSON
RC (Resin Coated) media
Good durability because
pigments are coated with
resin and are fixed on
specialty media
Wide media selection:
matte, watercolor, and RC
photo type papers
As the chart indicates, the EPSON Archival Inks combine the lightfastness, short-term stability, and waterfastness
advantages of conventional pigment inks with the color gamut, durability, and wide media selection advantages
of dye inks.
1
Lightfastness ratings over 100 years before noticeable fading occurs, under a glass frame in normal indoor fluorescent lighting conditions,
when using Epson Archival Inks and Epson Fine Art Papers. Lightfastness ratings based on accelerated testing of prints on EPSON special
media, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary according to image, display conditions, light intensity, humidity, and
atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee longevity of prints. Ratings do not estimate the durability of the paper itself. For
maximum print life, display all prints under glass or laminations or properly store them.

EPSON Sales Training 11/00
EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
EPSON Archival Ink Technology—EPSON MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology
EPSON MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology is a breakthrough technology that overcomes many of the
shortcomings of pigment inks, while maintaining the lightfast, waterfast, and stability advantages.
With this exclusive, patented technology, each pigment crystal is encapsulated in resin:
Technical Brief—EPSON Archival Inks Page 2
EPSON uses a unique resin polymer which pulls the particles
apart so that they are suspended in the solution and never
coagulate.
Because of this unique mixing method, each pigment
particle is completely encapsulated.
This technology offers the following advantages:
▲▲
1. Greater color gamut: Because each pigment particle is completely encapsulated in the resin, EPSON's
pigments are evenly distributed. With conventional pigment inks, the covering/coating of the pigments is
random and less consistent, which results in uneven distribution.
Because EPSON resin-coated pigments are evenly distributed, they produce a higher color gamut that
even rivals that of dye-based inks. For this reason, EPSON inks can print on RC glossy media, while
conventional pigments inks cannot because of their erratic distribution and placement on the paper.
Conventional Pigment Inks:
Pigments either penetrate into the crevices
of the media or lay on the surface (much
like oil paint on a canvas)
Uneven distribution results in lower color
gamut
EPSON's MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology:
Even distribution of particles results in higher
color gamut and higher gloss for a smooth
image appearance
▲ ▲
Dye based ink, on the other hand, is absorbed into the media, and the even reflection of light results in a
greater color gamut and gloss as the eye perceives the full spectrum of colors (much like a watercolor painting).

Media (Cross-Section)
Light
Dye-Based Ink:
▲
Color molecules are absorbed into the media
for even reflection
▲
Appropriate light reflection

EPSON Sales Training 11/00
EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
2. Greater durability: With EPSON MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology, the resin pulls the pigment into the
crevices of the media. Because the pigments reside in the crevices of the media, prints are more scratch-
resistant.
Conventional Pigment Inks:
Pigments lay
on top of the
media and are
easily scratched
EPSON's MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology:
Pigments are fixed on
specialty media by the
polymerizing resin and
are more durable and
scratch-resistant
▲ ▲
Stability of Pigment Inks and Dye Inks: Pigment inks provide higher short-term stability because they have
much faster setting time than dye-based inks, which results in a lesser color shift.
0 . 0
1 . 0
2 . 0
3 . 0
4 . 0
5 . 0
6 . 0
0 2 0 4 0 6 0 8 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 4 0
Short-Term Color Shift (or Setting Time)
Key: Dye inks
Pigment inks
Hours After Printing
Delta E
A rating less than 3% delta is only noticeable to the trained eye. A rating less than 2% delta is unnoticeable to the
human eye.
Technical Brief—EPSON Archival Inks Page 3
3. Unprecedented gloss for RC (Resin Coated) Photographic Prints: EPSON RC media is specially designed
to provide the highest gloss with the EPSON Archival Inks.
Un-Optimized Media:
If third-party fine art papers are used, pigments
will penetrate the media, but may go too far
into the crevices, resulting in lower gloss
Optimized Media:
EPSON RC media allows the pigment particles
to penetrate the paper but keeps them close to
the surface for the highest gloss
▲ ▲
Media (Cross-Section) Media (Cross-Section)
Light
Light
Additionally, third-party fine art papers are not recommended for use because they may damage the
printers with excessive dust. EPSON offers a variety of media compatible with the Archival Inks.

EPSON Sales Training 11/00
EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Technical Brief—EPSON Archival Inks Page 4
Lightfastness of the EPSON Archival Inks is rated over 100 years before noticeable fading occurs, under
normal indoor fluorescent lighting conditions, in a glass frame, when using Epson Archival Inks and Epson
Fine Art Papers.1
Summary
EPSON Archival Ink offers the following benefits:
Longest life—lightfastness up to 200 years
High degree of stability after printing
Widest color gamut of any pigment ink
Strongest durability
Highest gloss that allows the widest media selection, including matte, watercolor, and RC photo type
papers—other pigment inks can only be used with matte papers.
▲▲▲▲▲
4. Better lightfastness:
EPSON Archival Inks have a higher lightfastness rating than conventional pigment
inks.
Conventional Pigment Inks:
Because pigments exist in a solid particle
state, they have good lightfastness,
however, over time the outer color fades,
leaving color only in the interior portion of
the particle.
EPSON's MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology:
An extremely light-resistant material protects
the pigment particles and minimizes light
damage
▲
▲
1
Lightfastness ratings based on accelerated testing of prints on EPSON special media, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability
will vary according to image, display conditions, light intensity, humidity, and atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee longevity
of prints. Ratings do not estimate the durability of the paper itself. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or laminations or
properly store them.