Size matters - Choose the maximum film size you need 13"
- 33cm 17" - 43cm 24"
- 65cm 44" - 112cm
Epson FAQs
Why use only Epson for screen making positives?
Why do my heads clog?
Roll printer info
Modern EPSON printers use Pigment Inks and piezo heads
For best results, use a screen printing RIP to shape halftone dots and use the 1440 dpi setting
Use Eliptical dots
If you don't have a Screen Printing Software RIP, try the Epson "Premium Photo Glossy Paper" setting.
UltraChrome™ is the EPSON brand of pigment inks
UltraChrome is 7 cartridges CcMmYKk
UltraChrome K3 8 cartridges - 3 blacks – light light black, light black and Black
UltraChrome Hi-Gloss red & blue ink instead of light cyan and light magenta + Matte & Photo Black
EPSON Professional Editions w/ColorBurst RIP ONLY control Pantone
Colors, NOT separations. Do Not Buy for making positives!
13" - 33cm
 |
* Currently for sale | Ink Type | Carts | Picoliters | Resolution |
| Stylus
Color 1280 Stylus Color 1290 |
Photo Dye | 2 | 4 | 2880x720 | |
| * Stylus
Color 1400 New in fall 2007 US$299 |
|
6 | 1.5 | 5760 x 1440 | |
| Stylus
Photo R1800 UltraChrome Hi-Gloss discontinued Jan'08 US$499 |
UC Hi Gloss | 8 | 1.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| * Stylus
Photo R1900 UltraChrome Hi-Gloss textile starter printer US$549 |
UC Hi Gloss | 8 | 1.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus
Photo 2200 UltraChrome |
UC CcMmYKk | 7 | 4 | 2880x1440 | |
| * Stylus
Photo R2400 UltraChrome K3 $849 |
 |
8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 |
17"
- 43cm
| * Currently for sale | Ink Type | Carts | Picoliters | Resolution | |
 |
Stylus Color 1520 the ‘original’ 17” printer |
Dye | 1440x720 | ||
| Stylus Color 3000 Breakthrough 17” printer NOT equiped for roll film |
Dye | 128 nozzles (K) | 1440x720 | ||
| * Stylus
Pro 3800 UltraChrome K3 $1,295 |
|
8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus Pro 4000 UltraChrome 3000 replacement in 2002 | UC | 7 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus
Pro 4800 Discontinued Oct 26, 2007 UltraChrome K3 |
|
8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| * Stylus
Pro 4880 UltraChrome K3 US$1,995 |
|
8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 |
24"
- 65cm
|
* Currently for sale | Ink Type | Carts | Picoliters | Resolution |
| Stylus Pro 7000 Stylus Pro 7500 | Dye | 6 110ml | 6 | 1440x720 | |
| Stylus Pro 7600 - Photo Dye Ink | Photo Dye | 7 | 4 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus Pro 7600 UltraChrome Ink | Ultra Chrome | 7 | 4 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus
Pro 7800 UltraChrome K3 $2,995 |
|
180 nozzles x 8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 | |
| * Stylus Pro 7880 UltraChrome K3 $2,995 |
|
180 nozzles x 8 | 3.5 | 2880x1440 |
44"
- 112cm
| Stylus Pro 9880 $4,995 | * Currently for sale | Ink Type | Carts | Picoliters | Resolution |
 |
Stylus Pro 9000 Dye Old & rarely seen |
Dye | 64 nozzles x 6 | 1440x720 | |
| Stylus Pro 9500 Archival pigment or dye |
Dye or Pigment | 64 nozzles x 6 | 1440x720 | ||
| Stylus Pro 9600 Photographic Dye Ink |
Photo Dye | 7 | 4 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus Pro 9600 UltraChrome Ink |
UC | 7 | 4 | 2880x1440 | |
| Stylus Pro 9800 | |
180 nozzles x 8 |
3.5 | 2880x1440 | * Stylus
Pro 9880 $4995 |
|
180 nozzles x 8 |
3.5 | 2880x1440 |
| Stylus Pro 10000 Archival (pigment) ink Stylus Pro 10000 Photo Dye Ink 500ml |
UC CcMmYK | 180 nozzles x 5 | 5 | 1440x720 | |
| Stylus Pro 10600 UltraChrome Ink |
UC CcMmYK | 180 nozzles x 5 | 5 | 1440x720 |
Why
use only Epson for screen making positives?
EPSON
inkjet printers can be used as a replacement for a high priced imagesetters
and low quality laser printers. Epson's use a room temperature mechanical,
piezo technology of precise electrical pulses that cause
the ink reservoir wall in the head to compress, projecting ink through the
nozzle. Programmers can also control the exact placement, size and shape
of each 'dot' then shape with the millions of ink droplets they eject in
each square inch. For screen printing, we need a one color printer, not
an 8 color printer.RIP programmers can increase ink deposit to make the
transparent ink designed for CMYK printing of multi-color photographs, opaque
enough to stop UV energy.
Canon
and HP printers use thermal heads that heat the ink to
500°F over and over, producing a vapor bubble in the ink reservoir (bubble
jet). When the ink expands, droplets are ejected through the nozzle. This
cannot be increased with a RIP programming. One of the side effects of the
high heat, is that the cooling phase alters critical nozzle alignment.
To make screen printing positives with an inkjet printer, you must have an absorbent coating on clear film. Ulano inkjet films are designed to make positives and are made in the USA. Epson dye inks are 100% liquid and can be absorbed by a swellable coating like the gelatin in indirect stencil films. Pigment inks require a micro porous coating with 'microscopic cavities' that can absorb the resin coated pigment particles with natural capillary action.
Operating Specifications
Required temperature for optimum performance 60° – 80° F 15° – 25° C
Required humidity for optimum performance 40% – 60% RH
(Note: High humidity will prolong the drying time or the ability to absorb
ink)
Roll
Printer Info
Epson 3000
This popular dye printer that was the first successful inkjet printer for
making positives, does not have a strong film transport system or a 2" spindle
for roll film. We recommend using sheets only.
Wide Format Epson 7xxx and 9xxx
All
Epson 7xxx and 9xxx series printers come with paper/film holder endcaps
with 2" spindles and 3" adapters that snap on. Please check the setup pages
in your manual to confirm this. Many people forget the 2" spindles that
are underneath the 3" adapters.
Unspool Blank Film - Don't Pull Off the Roll
Never
let the film PULL off the roll. It's critical to screenprinting positive
to positive registration that no film pull directly off the roll, because
the film weight is different from beginning to end of roll. Always unspool
the film so the printer only has to pull the minimum weight of the film
every time.
Epson printers are designed for 8 color CMYK photographs on much lighter paper, so registration was not a design problem, but for a 9xxx Epson making six 42" x 60" positives, each positive will be progressively different, if the film pulls directly off the roll.
This 7600 pictured has the film unspooled into the handy hammock under the printer.
Why do my heads clog?
To print, there has to be ink in the nozzles and it will eventually dry, which clogs the nozzle. We want the ink to dry fast on the film, but slow in the head. You can slow the ink drying in the heads by keeping the humidity in the printer room high, but this also means the film, (especially dye film), will also absorb moisture.