Epson launches laser-beating PrecisionCore tech in NZ

In a move which the printing company brands the “biggest threat to laser printing since the creation of that technology in 1976”, Epson has officially launched its PrecisionCore inkjet technology in New Zealand.

At the heart of PrecisionCore is the PrecisionCore MicroTFP print chip, modular in design which can be arrayed in various printhead configurations.

Based on the thin film piezo (TFP) technology that Epson has been using in commercial large-format printers, Epson says the MicroTFP PrecisionCore print chip offers “vastly improved basic performance compared to conventional piezo printheads, including faster speed and more accurate dot placement.”

“PrecisionCore is the evolution of Epson’s Micro Piezo proprietary piezoelectric inkjet print head technology developed by our current global president Minoru Usui in the early 1980s,” says Bruno Turcato, MD, Epson Australia.

“Critically PrecisionCore represents a true alternative for everyone who currently uses laser printers.

“Put simply by using PrecisionCore technology when compared to laser printers in the same price range and class we can now offer better quality than a laser, better performance than a laser, better colour resolution than a laser at lower costs than a laser and using far less power than a laser.”

According to Turcato, PrecisionCore’s thin film piezo printhead technology merges the latest advances in materials science and Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication with Epson's portfolio of inkjet technologies.

“PrecisionCore technology is also easily scalable, that’s why it will be in products from the high-end commercial printers to everyday compact small office and home office printers,” he adds.

“This is a revolution in inkjet printing and finally means that people no longer need to rely on slower, more expensive laser printers.”

PrecisionCore’s thin film piezo actuators act as pumps that fire droplets of ink at 1 micron thick or, in laymen’s terms, 1/100 the thickness of a human hair.

This level of precision and accuracy results in incredible detail and is further complemented by professional output quality at high speed by precisely controlling the droplet shape and volume at a rate up to 50,000 times a second per nozzle.

“The faster print speeds give greater productivity without any reduction in quality saving time and money,” Turcato adds.

“The prints produced are extremely durable due to advances in our ink technology that means they are smudge, fade and water resistant on plain and specialty papers which often have issues in laser printers.

“PrecisionCore printers also have up to 50% lower printing costs and remarkably up to 70% lower energy costs than laser printers.

“In today’s cost conscious home and business environments these cost savings are particularly welcomed.”

PrecisionCore printers are available now through selected Epson retailers including Warehouse Stationery, Harvey Norman and selected resellers.