Photograph Printing Without The PC
Transcription
Photograph Printing Without The PC
FOURTH EDITION Photograph Printing Without The PC IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS: Unique Printing Technologies DURABrite INK Photographs on Plain Paper contents NEWS & PRODUCTS 2 4 2 EPSON Environment Making positive moves for the environment 4 News Take a look at what EPSON is doing across the globe 6 New Products The latest EPSON printers, scanners and projectors 10 11 10 Colour Shifting Logo Making sure you get what you paid for 11 Photograph Papers Finding the right paper for your print job 27 Dave’s Diary Back and better than ever CASE STUDIES 16 16 Mark Johnston 25 Marshall White An amateur photographer printing professional photographs 20 Urban Roots The real estate company exploiting its EPSON AcuLaser colour laser printer 44 Windflower A landscaping company benefiting from an EPSON STYLUS CX5100 THE EPSON EDGE 12 22 Printers playing a role in craft 12 DURABrite INK It’s the ink with all the advantages 18 Multi-Function Printers The all-in-one solutions for the small or home office 22 It’s What’s Inside That Counts A behind-the-scenes look at what makes your printer tick 30 32 28 EPSON Colour AcuLaser... Totally Distinctive Why EPSON’s AcuLasers are a cut above the rest 30 Get Scanned — Part Two A helping hand in optimising your scanning efforts 32 Before You Buy That Projector Uncovering what to look for when purchasing a projector USING EPSON 14 14 PC-Free Photo Printing Print your photographs without even touching the PC 35 Projectors in Business How to grow your business with an EPSON projector EPSON ONLINE 38 40 42 EPSON in Marketing How to market your small business on a budget with EPSON 46 Hands-On with EPSON You too can use EPSON printers for your children’s birthday party fun 38 Surfing with EPSON A quick look at an expanding Web site and how it helps 40 Club EPSON Join the club and get the most out of your printer editorial Welcome Bruno Turcato, Managing Director EPSON Australia Limited Welcome to the fourth edition of EPSONow. The preparation of this issue coincides with significant changes within EPSON Australia, most noticeable of which is the return to Seiko EPSON Corporation in Japan of Mr Hiroki Yamamoto, our local managing director of six years. I would like to take this opportunity to express my personal thanks and those of the entire EPSON Australia organisation to Hiroki. During his six years tenure as managing director, Hiroki presided over the company during times of enormous change and even turmoil in the printer market. The fact that EPSON remains one of this country’s most reputable and recognisable brand names is due in no small amount to his efforts. Among Hiroki’s many initiatives was the publication you are now reading; and it is an initiative we intend to continue well into the future. If you are familiar with previous issues of EPSONow then you are bound to notice the magazine has undergone some fairly major changes. Aside from a new design, we have made the decision to ensure EPSONow reflects more accurately the needs of our customers. For this reason the magazine’s staff has developed articles that demonstrate ways in which EPSON printers, scanners and projectors can be used to make relaxation time more enjoyable and work time more profitable. This issue is also the first to feature an exciting new range of products — the EPSON STYLUS CX series of multi-function printers. In capitalising on EPSON’s world leadership in colour printing and scanning, our product developers have created multi-function devices that have already captured the attention and accolades of users and the media. I strongly encourage each of you to let us know how we can make EPSONow a more appropriate and useful product. Whether you own an EPSON printer, scanner or projector, we believe that along with the EPSON Australia Web site, this magazine is one of the most important information resources we provide. EPSONow | 1 NEWS & PRODUCTS EPSON Environment In every issue of EPSONow, space has been allocated to one of the most important resources available to everyone — the environment. From EPSON Australia’s most visible person, Terri, who handles the switchboard and staffs the front desk, right through to Mr Turcato, the company’s new managing director, a strong part of the work ethic is environmental responsibility. ONE OF THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS to be addressed over the years by EPSON is landfill; and in a positive move, the company has become a foundation sponsor for the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark campaign. This is an environmental program initiated to reduce, the amount of cartridges going to landfill. With support from leading printer manufacturers, such as EPSON, Planet Ark is working in conjunction with recycling company Close The Loop® to achieve an ambitious zero waste to landfill goal. According to EPSON Australia’s Human Resources and Administration Manager, Garry Pearce, the company is committed to conserving raw materials and resources and minimising waste. “Cartridges 4 Planet Ark,” he said,“ helps in both ways by recycling the inkjet and toner cartridges and in turn preventing them from going to landfill. “The environmental theme at EPSON is Co-existence and it has been a management priority within the company since it was established. We regularly review processes in order to reduce their environmental impact; globally, our products are designed to minimise resource consumption; and promote the recovery and recycling of used products. Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is just one of the many results of these reviews.” O The New Cartridge Lifecycle Close The Loop’s ‘Green Machine’ separating the materials of the ink and toner cartridges 2 | EPSONow Under the new program, all EPSON cartridges are sent to Close The Loop® for recycling. The cartridges are put through an advanced process that recovers materials such as aluminium, steel and plastics which are then on-sold to manufacturers who use recycled materials in their products. Laser toner cartridges and inkjet cartridges are processed by separate machines, but both operating on roughly the same principle. First, the cartridges are sorted into batches to go through the machines, which reduce the cartridges to smaller particles that can be more easily separated. Given that materials used to make cartridges have a wide range of physical and chemical properties, Close the Loop® developed state-of-the-art processes for material separation. These even include sophisticated magnets that are used for specific metals. Recycled cartridge materials are used for purposes such as steel that will be used for structural beams for buildings, or foam that is rebonded and used for carpet underlay and matting. The leftover materials have plenty of uses right down to the plastics that are granulated and made into park benches. Every little bit helps. Your Contribution While Planet Ark, Close The Loop®, EPSON and other companies provide the means to eliminate printer cartridges going to landfill, there’s little that can be achieved without the public’s contribution. It really is a case of “we want your rubbish”. All cartridges can be disposed of in specially marked collection boxes found in participating Australia Post offices or Harvey Norman stores. Also, if you work in an organisation with a number of printers, fax machines and copiers, chances are that you produce a significant amount of used cartridges. Just bringing this article to the attention of your environmental officer, human resources manager or even the managing director can make a major difference. For more information about Cartridges 4 Planet Ark visit: www.planetark.com/cartridges To become a Program Participant call the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark hotline on 1800 24 24 73. Other Initiatives In early 2003, EPSON Australia moved to new premises at North Ryde. Making sure it started off on the right foot, the company ensured the environmental initiatives introduced successfully at its previous office complex lost no ground. “One of the first things we did was to partner with the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority [SEDA] to minimise our use of electricity,” Pearce said.“With SEDA’s assistance we have identified a range of projects to decrease significantly our use of electricity. These projects range from installing sensor lighting to the installation of energy-save units.” Product packaging is another issue to have come to the attention of EPSON Australia’s internal environmental watchdog committee. Rather than head off to landfill, all the cardboard, paper and shrinkwrap is sorted and then picked up by recycling companies. To help reduce landfill even further, EPSON Australia has offered to pay for the disposal of all EPSON product packaging material that is delivered to its North Ryde offices. Regardless of these initiatives, a main concern within EPSON is the recycling of end-of-life printers and scanners. According to Pearce, the company is currently reviewing a pilot program with the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Resource NSW on the recycling of computers and computer peripherals such as printers and scanners.“If the program meets the strict guidelines that it has been set, consumers will be able to drop off their old computers and peripherals and know that they will go to a good cause such as a charity or third world country,” he said. Recognition In designing all its products EPSON strives to achieve high levels of energy efficiency. All EPSON printers are eligible to carry the all-important Energy Star logo EPSON Australia’s efforts in minimising environmental impact have gained recognition from abroad as well as within Australia. In early 2003, SEIKO EPSON Corporation (SEC) in Japan awarded EPSON Australia a President’s Award for Promotion of Sustainable Development. This award was in recognition of activities that led to a 20 per cent reduction in electricity use and an almost 50 per cent reduction in waste-to-landfill. For more information on EPSON’s environmental policy, go to: www.epson.com.au/corporate/enviro_policy.html EPSONow | 3 NEWS & PRODUCTS EPSON Puts Best Image Top 10 Teen Stars to Snap Up an EPSON Printer Forward at the Oscars AMERICAN IDOL CAME to US television last summer and became an overnight success. RUNNING FOR OVER 75 YEARS, the Academy Awards® Ceremony has built a reputation as being the most prestigious awards show in the entertainment industry. To help maintain such prestige, officials of the Ceremony selected the best name in image quality for their printing needs… for the fourth year in a row! The EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 890 printer was used for on-site production of photo identification badges for every person given access to, or involved in the production of, the famed Oscars telecast operations. According to officials from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the STYLUS PHOTO 890 was selected based on the need for a high-quality printer that would print photographs quickly and efficiently in the credentialling process. “We wanted to put forth our best image and wanted everyone involved with the Oscars to have a positive experience, starting with the process of getting their credentials,” said John Pavlik, Communications Director for the Academy. “Having the ability to quickly and efficiently print high-quality photo credentials onsite is critical to what is a rather complex operation. The EPSON printers gave us the control, quality and convenience that we needed to make this aspect of the production successful.” With two shows each week, the audience grew to the point where over 30 million viewers tuned in for the finale. Awarded for their success in reaching the finals, the top ten finalists, judges and other officials involved with the hit show snapped up an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO series inkjet printer. These innovative printers were chosen over dozens of other high-tech gadgets and gifts due to stylish looks and superior photo-quality output. The STYLUS PHOTO incorporates the latest in technology — the EPSON Advanced Micro Piezo print head; and a six-colour photo ink system that creates incredible detail, beautiful skin tones, sharper contrast and an ultra-wide colour range designed specifically to enhance the printer’s photograph printing capabilities. EPSON’s New UK Inkjet Open Laboratory WELL KNOWN THROUGHOUT the world for its high-quality photo printers, EPSON has built a new laboratory at Cambridge in the UK. Established to research greater applications for inkjet technology, the new laboratory is the second to be built after the Inkjet Open Laboratory, which was opened in July at Seiko EPSON’s Suwa Minami Plant in Japan. EPSON has spent many years developing revolutionary micro liquid processes that form the basis of its inkjet technology. It is a process that involves the high-precision placement of ink droplets measured in picolitres (1,000 billionths of a litre) and nanograms (1,000 millionths of a gram) to draw patterns directly and make films of uniform thickness. Already, researchers are proposing that future applications of the micro liquid process exist in the areas of genetic science and molecular factories. In particular, EPSON believes that inkjet technology could be used to reduce the large number of photolithographic processes used in the manufacture of semiconductors to between one and three processes. This would reduce the environmental burden by reducing the materials discarded during photolithography by more than 90 per cent. As with the Suwa Minami Inkjet Open Laboratory, the new laboratory will be used to validate the possibility for production and reliability of inkjet technology in addition to testing other uses for the technology. Results of the research will be used by laboratory users in the development of their joint business and for progressing into new business fields. EPSON Awarded APC Editor’s Choice for the CX3100 THE EPSON STYLUS CX3100 was recently awarded the Editor’s Choice Award in Australian Personal Computer (APC), one of Australia’s leading computer magazines. 4 | EPSONow David Lin, an APC journalist, compared seven of the latest multi-function printer (MFP) models through the APC Labs, fleshing out product lines to cover the relevant functionality and price points. Comparing the EPSON STYLUS CX3100 against products from other vendors, the STYLUS CX3100 trumped its competitors to win the June 2003 Editor’s Choice. Lin complimented the multiple features of this innovative product saying: “Images were outstanding on plain or coated paper… Flesh tones were accurate and the scan from the CX3100 gave the best interpretation of the fluoro lettering on a magazine cover.” Overall, the review by Lin was glowing, stating that this new printer “offers the best economy”. Editor’s Choice Awards are given to the best value IT products and services appearing in the On Test reviews, Labs Challenge comparisons and, as relevant, features in APC every month. EPSON for the Airports WITH 45 MILLION BUSINESS travellers each year flying to thousands of destinations across the US, many of these travellers need printing services while on the road for such things as last-minute revisions to presentations or handouts, printouts of sales materials or just printing their e-mails. The problem faced by most is that they generally do not carry printers and thus have difficulty printing while away from the office. EPSON has teamed up with Electronics for Imaging at Wayport’s Laptop Lane airport business centres, giving business travellers the ability to quickly and easily print high-quality full-colour documents at numerous airports across the US through a trial program. EPSON is providing a range of AcuLaser printing/copying stations and/or EPSON STYLUS multi-function printers similar to the CX5300 to 15 Laptop Lane airport business centres powered by Wayport in nine major metropolitan airports across the US. These centres will also be equipped with EFI’s PrintMe™ mobile and Internet printing solution, enabling business travellers to print from Laptop Lane computers and their own laptops, PDAs, cell phones or other mobile devices without having to install software drivers or undergo a complex setup process. EPSON Unplugged Caring for the environment with EPSON EPSON CONTINUES TO BE at the forefront of peripheral innovation with the introduction of Bluetooth technology to its EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 935 printer. By pairing a Bluetooth-enabled camera to the STYLUS PHOTO 935, obtrusive wires or juggling multiple connections is a thing of the past. As long as the camera and printer are within 10 metres of each other, they can communicate easily. “With its Bluetooth functionality, the new STYLUS PHOTO 935 is a leader in the camera-to-printer digital photograph printing market,” commented Mike Pleasants, EPSON Australia’s Marketing and e-Business Manager. “EPSON and Bluetooth technology redefine the very way we experience digital photograph printing.” IN ITS CONTINUAL PURSUIT to preserve the environment, EPSON (US) has launched a recycling program enabling customers to help protect the Earth’s resources. The Web-based EPSON Recycle Program was created for people who do not have convenient locations to drop off electronics for recycling. Participants pay US$10 per product to cover the cost of shipping and recycling eligible EPSON hardware. In return, the customer will receive a US$5 electronic coupon that can be used on a future purchase at the EPSON Store. Most EPSON products, including printers, scanners, cameras, laptops, computers and projectors, are eligible for this program. On the local front, EPSON has implemented motion detectors to reduce electricity usage in its head office in Sydney. When the motion detector system determines a meeting room is unoccupied, it will automatically switch off the room’s lights. The company also recycles all paper, cardboard and plastic shrink wrap from peripheral boxes and if customers have any EPSON packaging to dispose, EPSON has stated its readiness to include it in its own recycling processes if delivered to EPSON’s North Ryde complex. EPSON has also recently finished a pilot program with the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and other IT vendors, whereby computers and peripherals are collected from designated drop-off points for component recycling. Currently, data is being analysed to determine the effectiveness of this program and if successful, it will be launched in the near future. Lastly, EPSON, with other computer and peripheral vendors, has partnered with Planet Ark to have print cartridges recycled for zero waste to landfill. Close the Loop®, an Australian hi-tech recycling company, receives these cartridges, which are broken down and recycled. “EPSON is committed to doing its part to preserve the environment,” said Garry Pearce, EPSON Australia’s Human Resources and Administration Manager. “We want to make it easy and affordable for customers to recycle their used EPSON products. By helping cover part of that cost, together we can reduce the burden on our environment.” EPSONow | 5 NEWS & PRODUCTS INKJET PRINTERS Incorporating EPSON’s award winning Micro Piezo technology, the EPSON PerfectPicture Imaging System allows EPSON STYLUS inkjets to deliver Photo Quality output and resolution up to 5760 Optimised dpi using Resolution Performance Management Technology. Designed to make life easier and more colourful, at a price that is affordable, EPSON has a STYLUS inkjet printer to suit users’ needs for either at home, in the office, at work or at play. EPSON STYLUS C63 EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 830U The EPSON STYLUS C63 is the high quality printer with outstanding performance ideally suited for the home user. Key Benefits With print speeds of up to 17 pages per minute (ppm) in black and 9ppm in colour, the STYLUS C63 delivers outstanding print performance. Even a full 8 x 10-inch colour photograph takes only 287 seconds. Utilising EPSON’s 5760 Optimised dpi resolution, DURABrite INK and new EPSON DURABrite photo papers, the STYLUS C63 brings high quality photograph printing to printing. For the real photo lab finish, the printer also features true edge-to-edge border-free printing on photo-size standard 100 x 150mm papers. Whether in the home or office, the STYLUS C63 does more than “do the job”, it “looks the part”. A stylish, silver case design that can withstand the rigours of harsh environments protects the printer’s components to ensure your printer provides you with years of trouble-free printing enjoyment. The EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 830U is the perfect printing companion to your digital camera and a great photo printer for the whole family. Key Benefits The EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 830U is ideal for digital camera owners who want amazing photo printing results, along with standard text printing. Create borderless prints and enlargements from a roll — it’s like having your own digital mini lab at home. Right from the printer, your images are ready to frame, place in your album, or give to family and friends. With the STYLUS PHOTO 830U, printing high quality photos is easier than you may have thought. The printer’s front/rear USB port has been designed to make direct DSC-to-printer connectivity incredibly simple and hassle-free. In addition to superb photographic quality printing, the EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 830U also produces high quality professional business documents. With clean crisp text and vibrant colours, this is also the ideal versatile business printer. EPSON STYLUS C83 The EPSON STYLUS C83, with its new generation DURABrite INK for photograph quality prints on plain and specialty photographic papers, combines the essential features of a small and home office inkjet printers — quality, versatility, speed and reliability. Key Benefits Business documents require the highest possible quality in text, graphic and photograph printing; and in most cases, they need to be printed quickly. Whether it’s a tender document, invoice, letter or even an invitation, the STYLUS C83’s combination of speed, 5760 Optimised dpi with Resolution Performance Management Technology and new DURABrite INK deliver documents of outstanding quality… fast. Photograph printing on plain and specialty photographic papers is a matter-of-course. Its combination of 5760 Optimised dpi resolution, Ultra Micro Dots and DURABrite INK ensures incredible quality photograph, graphic and text prints. And, with its true edge-to-edge border-free printing, full A4-size photographs can be printed in a matter of minutes. 6 | EPSONow EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 935 The EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 935 is a major breakthrough in desktop photo printing and is perfect for the user who wants it all in a single inkjet printer. Enjoy the personal digital photo-lab experience at your home or at your office. Key Benefits The STYLUS PHOTO 935 is the perfect digital camera companion that is easy-to-use, offering high quality and simple photo printing with card slots for Memory Stick, Smart Media, Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Compact Flash and IBM Microdrive cards as well as an auto-cutter for roll paper. Have total access to images with features like Bluetooth connectivity through Bluetooth compatible digital cameras. It also supports direct printing from USB Direct Print compatible digital cameras via the USB port. Experience True BorderFree results with images printed right to the edges of the paper — on all 4 sides and up to A4 size. View and gain full control over images stored in the digital camera memory card. Select a photo, choose paper, resolution and layout, then print. You can even crop and frame images before printing. MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTERS EPSON Multi-Function Printers have been designed and built to exploit EPSON’s world leadership in digital imaging and EPSON STYLUS CX5300 The EPSON STYLUS CX5300 is a fast multi-functional printer that delivers high quality, durable, plain paper colour copying and scanning — perfect for the home office and small business. Key Benefits Whether printing documents and photographs from your computer or in standalone copy mode, the EPSON STYLUS CX5300’s printing technologies will deliver the outstanding print quality that you get only from the recognised world colour technologies. They deliver all-in-one printing, colour copying and scanning. leader in colour inkjet printing. With a document print speed of up to 22 pages per minute (for A4 black economy mode), the STYLUS CX5300 output rate is perfectly suited to the high printing demands that exist in the small business environment. This impressive performance has been achieved by incorporating many of the unique and leadingedge EPSON printing technologies that are found in EPSON’s highly acclaimed range of STYLUS inkjet printers. Featured in this new machine is EPSON DURABrite INK, delivering high levels of lightfastness, gasfastness, smudge- and even water-resistance. SCANNERS A high quality scanner is a powerful tool, adding impact and colour to a wide range of home, education and EPSON PERFECTION 1670 PHOTO Sleek, stylish and loaded with features, the EPSON PERFECTION 1670 and PERFECTION 1670 PHOTO have been designed to make it easy-to-use and deliver the best results for the most demanding of home, SOHO and small business users. Key Benefits Consistent high speed scanning of film (PERFECTION 1670 PHOTO only) and reflective documents means that you will have your valuable information in seconds. Another great benefit is that the PERFECTION 1670 utilises its own dedicated memory to process images. Adding even further to the scanner’s speed capabilities is its standard USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface for faster data transfer. Experience amazing depth of colour with the scanner’s high gradation capabilities. As a result of its newly designed interface, the EPSON Smart Panel software offers powerful and user-friendly scanning to file, OCR, business card, Web and even PDAs, and it is little more than a mouse click away. EPSON PERFECTION 3170 PHOTO The EPSON PERFECTION 3170 gives you high performance photo, film and document scanning. This is a professional scanning solution designed for professionals. Key Benefits Through a unique combination of EPSON’s advanced technologies and applications, this scanner delivers amazing results — with incredible ease. Whether you’re scanning photographs, print business activities. The range of EPSON scanners offers outstanding results and ease-of-use. images or film, the EPSON PERFECTION 3170 will provide every detail and colour nuance with absolute fidelity thanks to the revolutionary MatrixCCD technology. Professional photographers, archivists and anyone else requiring high performance film scanning can rely fully on the professional film scanning capabilities of the PERFECTION 3170. With its integrated Transparency Unit (TPU), which features new powerful lamps for faster scanning speeds, this scanner delivers absolute perfection in slide and film negative scanning. EPSON PERFECTION 3200 PHOTO The EPSON PERFECTION 3200 PHOTO scanner is the world’s first 3200 x 6400dpi consumer flatbed scanner, and suitable for all levels of users — from the novice right through to the professional film scanner. Key Benefits You can enjoy premium quality scanning, plus professional quality software, enabling you to take control of colour for a complete digital imaging solution. With image quality and features comparable to that of more expensive scanners, this high value performer produces sharp, high quality results at lightning-fast speeds. Scan everything from negatives, photos, and slides to transparencies, graphics and text. Delivering astounding 3200 x 6400 dpi resolution, the EPSON PERFECTION 3200 offers phenomenal clarity and detail, whatever your task. With EPSON’s SilverFast® SE6 Professional scan and imaging software, your scanner will consistently deliver vivid, true-to-life colours, adjust to correct highlights, shadows and midtones, and even restore old, faded photos to their former glory. Fast data transfer and increased productivity is a breeze thanks to the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity, plus a convenient built-in 4” x 9” transparency unit adapter. EPSONow | 7 NEWS & PRODUCTS LASER PRINTERS The EPSON laser range has been designed to suit the demands of a wide variety of printing environments — from stand-alone personal printing for the home and small office to business workstations and fully-networked EPSON AcuLaser C900 With the EPSON AcuLaser C900, a single and extremely cost-effective printer can provide your small office/home office or workgroup with full colour and monochrome laser printing. Key Benefits With a monochrome print speed of 16ppm and colour at 4ppm, the EPSON AcuLaser C900 is the complete printing solution for small office/home office and workgroup environments. As your business or workgroup grows, the AcuLaser C900 can grow to meet increased demand. The AcuLaser C900’s combined monochrome and colour high quality printing capabilities are surprisingly cost-effective. In fact, the AcuLaser C900’s monochrome running costs are the same as a standard monochrome-only laser printer. The result is a high quality printer that gives your business all the advantages of professional colour printing at a very affordable price. The EPSON AcuLaser C900 brings together a host of technologies, each adding its own unique value to the printer’s quality differentiation. EPSON AcuLaser MicroPolymer Toner, for example, for smaller toner particles that improve print stability and toner coverage uniformity. Then there is EPSON AcuLaser Colour 2400 RIT (Resolution Improvement Technology), for superior 2400dpi photo-like print quality. These are only two of the “quality” technologies, which also include EPSON AcuLaser PhotoEnhance 4, AcuLaser Fine Dot Control technology and many others. EPSON AcuLaser C1900 When it comes to professional laser printing in small business, workgroups and the small-to-medium enterprise, EPSON has achieved this with the AcuLaser C1900 colour laser printer. Key Benefits A powerful 300MHz processor coupled with a unique EPSON-designed AcuLaser Colour ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is where the AcuLaser C1900 powers ahead of the rest. Regardless of a print job’s complexity, this technology combination ensures it’s processed quickly and delivers on the need for maximum throughput. High quality and high performance in a colour laser printer are only two of the AcuLaser C1900’s versatility factors. A small footprint for minimal impact on office/desk space, an intuitive front control panel and LCD for easy changing of settings, support for a wide range of media from envelopes, labels and transparencies 8 | EPSONow office groups. By utilising the latest laser printing technology, the EPSON range of lasers offer speed and quality, advanced connectivity solutions and the flexibility to upgrade as your business needs grow. through to paper up to 163gsm, extensive network and standalone connectivity features, and support for all common operating systems — everything that makes the AcuLaser C1900 a versatile business printer. Quality, performance and versatility aside, the value of the AcuLaser C1900 is remarkable. It has been designed for easy maintenance, with colour-coded consumables located behind one easily accessed front panel. Print speeds of 4ppm colour and 16ppm monochrome mean you save costs by using one printer for both monochrome and colour print jobs. An optional duplex unit gives you two-sided printing for even further cost savings. In its own class, the EPSON AcuLaser C1900 leads the field in quality, performance, versatility and value. EPSON AcuLaser C4100 The EPSON AcuLaser C4100 is a cost-effective, high-speed colour laser printer suitable for all types of businesses. Key Benefits Create and produce professional standard full colour documents and 2-sided printing, all in house. The EPSON AcuLaser C4100 is a high-speed, economical printer that is easy to network and easy to use. Enjoy high quality monochrome and colour printing thanks to the MicroPolymer Toner technology, thus providing rich, vivid colour to all your documents. Additionally, conserve valuable office space with the compact size of this printer. The EPSON AcuLaser C4100 is a versatile, cost-effective resource for producing high quality business documents. Just as with its predecessor, the EPSON AcuLaser C4000 colour laser printer, the EPSON AcuLaser C4100’s high-performance Tandem Print engine uses a 4-beam laser diode to expose all four of the photoconductor drums simultaneously. As a result, the AcuLaser C4100 is four times faster than conventional colour laser colour printers, and can produce full-colour output at speeds up to 21.6 ppm. PROJECTORS The EPSON EMP range of portable multimedia projectors enable users to project screen images directly from the computer and incorporate graphics, animated sequences, even live video — all with stereo sound. Whatever the requirements, EPSON has a fully-featured data and video projector to suit different users’ needs and brings a new dimension to the art of professional presentation, mobility and personal entertainment experience. EPSON EMP-S1 EPSON EMP 7800 The new and powerful shining light of portable projectors, the EPSON EMP-S1 is designed specifically as the projector for anyone, anywhere and anytime. Key Benefits The EPSON EMP-S1 is a feature-packed projector at an extremely affordable price. Enjoy high quality DVD entertainment, to experiencing the big-screen at home, to gaming (console or PC) for total game involvement… plus much more. This is the first EPSON projector to include the new Smart Presentation Remote Control that delivers incredible ease of operation; giving you additional presentation functionality, including page up/down, mouse functions and audio-visual mute. A lightweight small form factor means true portability, yet the EMP-S1 has a projection power of an impressive 1200 ANSI lumens — perfect for taking full advantage of the projector’s five pre-programmed picture modes: Dynamic, Presentation, Theatre, Living Room, and sRGB. The EMP-S1 delivers a level of versatility that you would expect and demand in a modern, high-performance presentation projector. Whether in a classroom, boardroom or lecture theatre, the EPSON EMP 7800 is an incredibly high quality presentation projector designed to suit all presentation situations, needs and locations. Key Benefits The EMP 7800’s automatic keystone correction feature is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. Capable of automatic horizontal correction of +/-20 degrees (a full 40 degree arc) and vertical correction of +/-40 degrees (a full 80 degree arc), the EMP 7800 has been designed for incredibly easy installation and fine tuning. Wall Shot Technology detects automatically the colour of the projection screen, and then simply adjust the projected image colours to ensure optimum colour projection. With its 3,500 ANSI lumens rating, the EMP-7800 delivers brilliant presentation quality, even in the largest of conference rooms or concert halls. EMP TW-10 The EPSON EMP TW-10 is a high performance home theatre projector that lets you sit back, enjoy and really immerse yourself in the real home theatre experience. Key Benefits With the EPSON TW-10, you’ll get beautiful, true colour reproduction that delivers the best colour space and purity thanks to EPSON incorporating the ColorReality Technology — a technology that was previously only available in high-end projectors. Now, rich colour expression and smooth gradation are yours for the taking. The EPSON projector delivers the big screen experience without the big cost. By utilising technologies already developed for high-end projectors and capitalising on its position as the largest producer of LCD projector componentry, EPSON achieved with the TW-10 what the home theatre enthusiast has been waiting for — incredible and affordable performance. When people talk about the home theatre, then it’s the “big screen” that immediately comes to mind. With the EPSON TW-10, the big screen is what you get — up to an amazing 11.65 metres. If you thought plasma screen televisions had big screens, then wait to you sit down for the TW-10’s perfect view. EPSON EMP 8300 For businesses that demand flexibility, control, along with powerful display technology, the EMP 8300 is a powerful, brilliant and feature packed projector that will light up the auditorium and dazzle your audience. Key Benefits With its incredibly high 5,200 ANSI lumens rating, the EMP 8300 delivers brilliant presentation quality, even in the largest of conference rooms or concert halls. The higher the contrast the more vivid and sharp the projected image — which is precisely what the EMP 8300 delivers. Its high contrast of 1200:1 means the entire colour gamut is projected with incredible precision, ensuring your presentations have maximum impact. The EMP 8300’s automatic keystone correction feature is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. Capable of automatic horizontal correction of +/-40 degrees (a full 80 degree arc) and vertical correction of +/-45 degrees (a full 90 degree arc), the EMP 8300 has been designed for incredibly easy installation and fine tuning. EPSONow | 9 NEWS & PRODUCTS Colour Shifting... Authenticity Is Shifting Counterfeiting is something that has been around for a long time and seems to have little chance of disappearing in the near future. Even as far back as 540 BC it was a problem for the Spartans who were besieging the people on the Greek island of Samos. It is said that in order to persuade the Spartans to leave, Polycrates, the ruler of Samos, paid them off with lead coins covered in gold. I IN THE 21ST CENTURY, the issues of counterfeiting, forgery and piracy of high-value brand name products are now global concerns of immense proportion. In fact, according to DNA Australia, a leading provider of anti-counterfeiting, antidivergent security products, the cost to US business alone is about US$200 billion in lost revenues and more than 750,000 lost jobs each year. For users of EPSON printers who recognise the vital importance of using only genuine EPSON inks in their printers, counterfeiting has been a problem for quite a while. Counterfeiters have proven quite adept at creating look-alike ink cartridges, but unfortunately, that’s where it stops. While the packaging may appear authentic, The Colour Shifting Logo, shown here on the packaging as it’s shifted back and forth in the light, alternates from bronze to green 10 | EPSONow it’s the ink that proves to be the problem — the lead within the gold. To help users of EPSON products protect their investment, EPSON has taken a major step forward by introducing a new anti-counterfeit measure — the Colour Shifting Label. Gradually replacing the familiar EPSON hologram sticker, the Colour Shifting Label is a security measure used within a number of industries and even with currency in the US, China and other countries. Identify the Genuine Article There are only a couple of guidelines that relate to identifying genuine EPSON products that have the new Colour Shifting Label. First, look at the label and by shifting the packaging slightly, the colour of the label should shift between bronze and green. These two colours have been reserved exclusively for EPSON under a special products category and no other colours should be seen at all. The next point to note is that at no time will a genuine EPSON product feature both the familiar hologram and newly introduced Colour Shifting Label. For this reason, even though the label is already being used, purchasers will likely come across a number of products with the hologram until such time as stock runs out. When EPSONow spoke to EPSON’s Consumables Business Manager, Molly McHugh, about the new label, she commented: “We have seen survey results that show us over 90 per cent of users will not buy a product if they know it’s a counterfeit. The vast majority of our inkjet printer users understand the importance of using genuine EPSON inks to improve overall performance and significantly extend printer life.” “While we have invested heavily in introducing this anti-counterfeiting technology, we believe that it is in the best interests of our users as well as those organisations that sell and support EPSON products.” NEWS & PRODUCTS Photograph Papers Take just a moment to examine the paper on which this article is printed. Sure, it’s just a piece of paper but it’s the culmination of over 2,000 years of development and refinement. It’s a piece of paper developed specifically for magazines, which is precisely the reason we choose to use it. It has all the right properties — weight, colour, density and the list goes on. T THEN OF COURSE, there is the ink used to print the very words you’re reading right now. The printers have chosen to use this ink because it is the best match for the magazine’s paper. It really is all about making the right choices in ink and paper to achieve the best possible result. Paper for Photographs The range of inkjet printer photographic paper currently on the market is phenomenal; but there is an important caveat attached to this ready supply — even in photographic paper, it’s important to bear in mind that not all are created equal. Just as the manufacturers of this magazine’s paper created a product best suited to use in magazine printing, EPSON has invested enormous resources in creating a range of photographic papers specifically for photograph printing. EPSON Matte Paper — Heavyweight: Available in A4 and A3, this paper provides a non-glare surface and is ideal for high Colourlife Photo Paper is great for your high quality photograph prints Matte Paper — Heavyweight is well suited to your photographs, whether they be full A4 size or on a certificate or invitation quality photographs and images with a matte photo-like finish. Another paper great for perfect colour reproduction is the EPSON Colorlife™ Photo Paper, which is also available in both A4 or A3. Ideal for professional images, it’s a high quality photo paper with a smooth finish for fade-resistant photos. With the A3 and A4 EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper, the paper-backed glossy surface is ideal for flyers and presentation When you’re enlarging photographs, Premium Glossy Photo Paper is the paper for you If you’re creating your own photo albums, brochures or even school projects, Double-Sided Matte Paper is ideal folders where vibrant and colourful graphics are a must. The most recent to hit the market are EPSON’s new Premium Glossy Photo Paper 100x150mm and Premium Semigloss Photo Paper 100x150mm, which open the door to what is literally a new dimension of EPSON photograph printing. Take a few minutes to read about these innovative papers elsewhere on this page to discover their amazing versatility. To find out the best EPSON paper — and ink — to match up with your EPSON STYLUS printer, visit www.epson.com.au, select your printer and then click on the consumables link. Then, to make life even easier, you can shop on-line at www.epson.com.au for the full range of inks and papers. THE RIGHT SIZE With EPSON’s Premium Glossy and Semigloss Photo Papers 100x150mm, it’s about size, affordability, borderfree printing, durability, and looking the part. Designed to deliver all the features and benefits of a traditional silver-halide photograph, these new papers give you total control for the perfect photograph finish. EPSON Photo Size Papers are the perfect size; pre-cut and delivered in 100 x 150mm sheets, which is precisely the size of traditional photographs. With these papers and an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO printer, true BorderFree edge-to-edge photograph printing without the need to trim the paper is par for the course. A perfect border every time! Add to this its brilliant colour, print lightfastness* rating of over 10 years, and you have the best possible paper for brilliant colour and long-life photograph prints. * This lightfastness test is a simulation of colour fading in an indoor preservation condition under fluorescent light with glass mount. However, display life may vary depending on the conditions that you display your prints. Factors, other than light, such as ozone, temperature and humidity can affect the print life. EPSONow | 11 THE EPSON EDGE DURABrite INK S SERIOUS DOCUMENT and photograph printing calls for a lot more than exceptional hardware and software. It demands total excellence at every level, including the ink itself, which is why EPSON devotes enormous efforts to the research and development of inks that continually exceed the print quality demands of its customers. In the last edition of EPSONow, we touched briefly on a new ink that was a direct result of that research and development — EPSON DURABrite. This innovative ink was designed for incredible print durability, with even plain paper prints featuring up to 70 years lightfastness* as well as amazingly high levels of gasfastness and water- and smudge-resistance. Added to this is the brilliance and depth of colour 12 | EPSONow for which EPSON inks are famous. Much of this is due to every DURABrite INK particle being encapsulated by a protective resin coating, which provides a smooth, hard and uniform surface to all printed output. Since its introduction with the EPSON STYLUS C82 printer, DURABrite INK has proven to be so popular with users that EPSON has extended its use into a growing number of new printer models, which now include: • STYLUS C63 • STYLUS C82/83 • STYLUS CX5100/5300 So just what is it about DURABrite INK that’s causing so many users to applaud its print quality? To answer this question, let’s break it down and look at each of DURABrite INK’s main features. Brilliant Colour When inks are absorbed by the paper’s fibres, which happens frequently with plain and recycled papers, light has less chance to reflect the colour. The fibres actually diffuse light and result in prints that lack brightness, definition and colour range. DURABrite INK has been designed in such a way as to reduce dramatically the amount of absorption by the paper and thereby result in greater light reflection from the colour particles. Durability Durability is one of the most important features of DURABrite INK and is achieved by utilising polymer and resin technologies in all colours. This is in stark contrast to many other inks on the market that deliver durability in only black ink. With DURABrite INK’s all-colour durability on plain, recycled and specialty papers, the entire print is smudge-resistant, lightfast, gasfast and water-resistant. Lightfastness EPSON’s accelerated tests have shown that business documents and photographs printed with DURABrite INK last up to 70 years* on plain paper and up to 80 years* on specialty matte papers. Because the colour agent is contained within the very core INK pigment resin coating is insoluble and develops a protective surface, prints on all types of paper have extremely high waterand smudge-resistance characteristics. Gasfastness Airborne contaminants have been shown to have severe impact on the life of photos and other prints. Just as DURABrite INK’s formulation technology ensures extended lightfastness, it also resists the effects of airborne contaminants and gases for up 70 years on plain paper and up to 80 years on specialty matte papers before noticeable fading occurs. Anti-Feathering The unique colour core ink particle and its resin coating that make up EPSON’s DURABrite INK of each ink particle, it is protected against the destructive effects of ultra violet light year after year and decade after decade. Water- and Smudge-Resistant DURABrite INK’s resin coating brings with it an enormous step forward in prints that are water- and smudge-resistant. Typically, documents with the ability to resist water and rough handling without smearing/smudging had to be printed on specially coated papers. As the DURABrite DURABrite INK print, prior to exposure to light Feathering (also known as bleeding) occurs when ink is absorbed into and across the fibres of the paper; and is particularly prevalent when printing on plain and recycled papers. The result is a loss in definition of text, and colours that bleed into each other when printing photographs and graphics. DURABrite INK’s technologies help avoid the colouring particles being absorbed by the paper, keeping them closer to the surface and thereby virtually eliminating the feathering effect. A comparison of the wide scope of colours available when printing with EPSON’s DURABrite INK as opposed to another ink The Best Media with DURABrite INK and have as their four main characteristics: glossiness, image quality, high resistance and quick dry colour stability. DURABrite INK is much more than just a new ink — it’s a printing innovation that is forming the foundation for new home and business printing applications. To achieve the best possible inkjet printing results, there must be an ideal balance between printer, ink, application and paper. With the printers mentioned earlier in this article along with DURABrite INK and photograph printing, the paper balances are the newly introduced EPSON DURABrite INK Photo Paper and DURABrite INK Glossy Photo Paper. These two new papers are specifically designed to extend the benefits of printing * Light-resistance rating based on accelerated testing of prints, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary according to image, display conditions, light intensity, paper, humidity and atmospheric conditions. Ratings based on ink only; some papers may discolour over time. EPSON does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or lamination and properly store them. DURABrite INK print, after exposure to light Dye Ink print, prior to exposure to light Dye Ink print, after exposure to light EPSONow | 13 USING EPSON Photograph Printing Without the PC If you’re like most of us and the appeal of printing your own photographs is fairly strong, then this article may well make it even stronger. Normally, printing your photographs requires a personal computer to manage the layout, paper selection and print number details. All this is fine — and quite powerful — but sometimes it can be a bit of overkill, especially when you don’t even need to have a PC attached to your printer in order to create great photographic prints. T THIS IS WHERE EPSON headed several years ago when it released the STYLUS PHOTO 895, which featured an LCD control panel, memory card slot, and optional LCD preview monitor. All of a sudden, having access to a PC in order to print your photographs became a thing of the past. Since the PHOTO 895, things have moved even further forward, especially with the recently released STYLUS PHOTO 935. Along with everything featured with its predecessor, the PHOTO 935 also boasts BlueTooth and CD/R and Zip drive support. The Control The printer’s control panel is the ‘key to the lock’, so to speak, when it comes to PC-free printing. It allows you to select options on the printer that normally would need to be set via software on the PC. Through the control panel, the available options include: print mode, paper type, paper size, page layout, number of copies, print quality, photo enhancement and most importantly, which images to print. With printers, such as the STYLUS PHOTO 935, the control panel offers all the options to print on photo, matte or plain paper, A4 through to 100x150mm photographic paper, and select the type of filter or brightness level you want applied to the photograph print. The level of photograph manipulation functionality built in to many of the STYLUS PHOTO printers is such that even making a sepia print of a colour photograph can be achieved with barely a few button presses. This combination of control features ensures the highest quality photograph printing with total ease and simplicity, making the new generation EPSON STYLUS PHOTO printers more versatile than you may have thought. The Visual — Seeing Is Believing An essential tool for PC-free photograph printing is the optional Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) preview monitor; a feature on all the latest EPSON STYLUS PHOTO printers. Connected to the printer within a matter of seconds, the LCD preview monitor provides the user with a 2.5-inch colour preview of images stored on either a digital camera memory card or, if connected directly, the camera’s internal memory. Used in conjunction with the printer’s control panel, the LCD preview monitor delivers visual feedback on many of the in-built functions for photograph printing and layout. Even the creation of an index of photographs contained on the memory card or the digital camera can be achieved with the control panel and previewed using the monitor. The Connection EPSON’s STYLUS PHOTO 935’s LCD control panel and optional preview monitor 14 | EPSONow There is a variety of connections available when it comes to EPSON PC-free printing depending on the model and capabilities of your camera and STYLUS PHOTO printer. USB Direct Print For those people already somewhat experienced in using a digital camera, then the USB camera-to-PC connection is probably quite familiar. With the STYLUS PHOTO 935, this was taken a step further with the introduction of USB Direct Printing (camera-to-printer). USB Direct Printing allows the many USB Direct Print-enabled digital cameras (refer to the EPSON Web site for details of the compatible digital cameras) to print directly to the printer and bypass the computer. All that’s required is to plug in the USB cable from the camera to the printer and your images can be accessed directly from the printer’s control panel. Of course, with the LCD preview monitor, the images can be displayed for greater flexibility. Bluetooth® (Wireless) Another EPSON PC-free printing connectivity feature first introduced with the STYLUS PHOTO 935 is Bluetooth wireless technology. With an optional adapter for the printer, the PHOTO 935 can access photos on certain Bluetooth-enabled digital cameras without even the need for a cable connection. Memory Card The memory card slot option, which varies according to printer model, allows you to slip your memory card, with your photographs stored on it, straight in to 1 2 3 By slipping your memory card straight into the STYLUS PHOTO printer, the hassle of starting up your PC and uploading your photographs is avoided the printer. Depending on the STYLUS PHOTO model, there is support for: ■ Compact Flash Card Type I and II ■ Smart Media Memory Card ■ Memory Stick ■ Secure Digital (SD) ■ MultiMedia ■ IBM MicroDrive The beauty of being able to just slip your memory card into the printer is that photograph printing has really become a simple plug-and-print operation. ZIP Drive & CD-R Support The capabilities of EPSON’s STYLUS PHOTO PC-free photographic printing extend now — with the STYLUS PHOTO 935 — to ZIP drive and CD-R support. This new printer can store data directly to 100MB and 250MB USB-powered Iomega Zip drives without a computer attached. Making the printer even more of a newage photo lab, it is able to print directly from compatible external CD-R drives (refer to EPSON’s Web site for compatible CD-R drives) as well as being able to download images from the printer's card slots and burn them directly onto a CD-R. What it all comes down to is the ability to print high quality photographs without the need for a personal computer. The absence of the computer no longer means compromising on quality. 4 The USB connection available with EPSON’s STYLUS PHOTO 935 allows you to plug your camera directly into the printer and print the images direct from the camera EPSONow | 15 CASE STUDY Amateur Photographer: Professional Photographs A A PROFESSIONAL RADIOGRAPHER by trade and amateur photographer in his spare time, Mark Johnston has moved away from traditional silver-halide photography in favour of more versatile digital photograph technologies. Living in the New South Wales town of Dubbo, Johnston takes full advantage of these technologies to create photographic prints that deliver incredible reproduction of colour in the nature photographs he prefers. On one of his occasional trips to Sydney, Johnston dropped in to a nearby printer reseller and explained to one of the staff members his needs for photograph quality prints.“I had been using an EPSON STYLUS COLOR 760 for several years; and while it was an incredibly good and reliable printer, it simply didn’t have the photograph printing capabilities I was after,” he said. “As soon as I started talking about photographic quality, the reseller took me straight over to an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 915 that was on display.” Aside from the six-colour inkjet system and Optimised 5760dpi (dots per inch) resolution using Resolution Performance Management Technology, Johnston quickly saw the advantages the printer would bring him with photo lab features such as the roll paper support, PC-free printing capabilities and true border-free photograph printing. Barely two months after purchasing the STYLUS PHOTO 915, Johnston entered three of his photographs in a competition run by the Wellington Show Society. “I live on a property that has magnificent views of the surrounding nature,” he said, “so I used this as the subject of the photographs.” The three photographs, which Johnston printed on the STYLUS PHOTO 915 using EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper, were so impressive they won him first prize in the competition’s Landscape Section as well as overall champion in the Combined Landscape/Seascape section. Brilliant Colour Quality Johnston’s photographs received high praise for their composition, subject and quality throughout the course of the competition. This came in particular from Competition Judge, John Sunderland. “The true-to-life reproduction of nature’s colours in Mark’s photographs helped make this a brilliant series,” he said. “When I was told that the photographs had been printed on a desktop printer I was amazed. These photographs really stood out and the quality of the paper certainly had a part to play in this.” Lasting Impression Taken at sunrise in the town of Maryvale, near Wellington, Johnston calls this photograph ‘Maryvale Dawn’ 16 | EPSONow In exploring the photograph quality printing capabilities of the STYLUS PHOTO 915, Johnston combined imagination and technology to create a unique gift for his father on his 80th birthday. After scanning old family photographs, he created a montage of memories which he then printed on EPSON Archival Matte Photo Paper. “I wanted to give the montage a special look and feel,” he said. “The Archival paper had the right texture and with a lightfastness rating of over 25 years*, I knew that the quality would be long-lasting.” IN THIS STORY Premium Glossy Photo Paper Ideal for photographs and framed photographic prints. Features a new resin coating that provides a feel and texture almost identical to that of photographic media This sunset is one of the three images Johnston entered in the Wellington Show Society’s Photography Competition that won him the overall Landscape/Seascape Division I now use only genuine EPSON papers, simply because I want true photographic quality prints.” Given that Johnston lives in the country, he has a strong preference for purchasing products on-line rather than travelling into town. For his genuine EPSON inks and papers, he joined Club EPSON; EPSON Australia’s Web-based service that offers users a wealth of resources along with full on-line purchasing. “It saves me an enormous amount of time from having to travel into town to purchase consumables,” Johnston commented. “Also, I know that the products I receive are genuine EPSON products and for me, that’s important.” Going Forward Photographed on ANZAC Day, this is the photograph that won Johnston first prize for an individual photograph in the Landscape section of the competition According to Johnston, when his father received the montage his immediate response was: “Since when do you have your own photo lab?” Regardless of the enormous number of technologies brought together in the STYLUS PHOTO 915, ease of operation and set-up has long been one of its most appealing features for users. “With my old printer I was forever having to adjust colour settings to get optimum quality prints,” Johnston said. “But with the STYLUS PHOTO 915 I’ve had no need at all to adjust the settings. All that’s needed is to use the printer control panel to specify the type of print I’m creating and the type of paper on which I’m printing and the software takes care of the rest.” When Johnston first began using the STYLUS PHOTO 915, he experimented with different brands of paper — it was an experiment that was as short as it was dramatic. “I bought a well-known photo paper and ran it through the STYLUS PHOTO 915,” he explained. “The result was disappointing to say the least. All I can really say about it is that it was definitely not the ‘photo quality’ paper it was claimed to be. For Johnston, the combination of his digital still camera and EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 915 has opened up an entirely new world in photography. Already, he is planning the purchase of an LCD Preview Monitor to experiment with PC-free printing; and with the printer’s photographic paper roll features, full landscape photograph prints are on the agenda. “With the ability to print border-free on the roll paper, I’ll be able to create landscape photographs that I’ve never been able to achieve,” he said. “I suppose my father’s question about whether I had my own photo lab was pretty well on the mark, after all.” * Light-resistance rating based on accelerated testing of prints, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary according to image, display conditions, light intensity, paper, humidity and atmospheric conditions. Ratings based on ink only; some papers may discolour over time. EPSON does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or lamination and properly store them. EPSONow | 17 THE EPSON EDGE Multi-Function Printers When it comes to buying new technology for small or home offices, you probably wince at the thought of its cost, desk space and the effort involved in learning how to operate it effectively. However with a Multi-Function Printer (MFP), this is far from being true. THERE’S NOTHING ALL that new about MFPs, but when EPSON recently came to market with its EPSON STYLUS CX3100 and CX5100 models, it was MFP quality that took a sudden leap forward. Now if MFPs happen to be a new concept to you, then there’s nothing to be alarmed about. Essentially, they are the combination of printing and scanning technologies in a single device that can perform the multifunctional purposes of printing, scanning, copying and faxing. The big advantage is that they cost a fraction of what it would be to purchase each T item separately and… you get the added benefit of colour copying. In this article, we’ll take a look at the advantages of using an MFP within the small and home office and discuss some of the issues worth considering before making an MFP purchase. Keeping It Small One of the most quickly apparent benefits of an MFP is size. Having a single device on the desktop as opposed to two or even three or four is an incredible space saver, especially in light of the fact that most people have limited working space. Most home and small offices have scanners, printers, a fax machine and possibly a photocopier. Quite aside from the power consumption of these four machines, it’s space that is often the main issue. With a single MFP, such as the EPSON STYLUS CX3100 or the newly released STYLUS CX5300 and a personal computer, all the functionality of the four machines is right on the desktop. Yet, while small is often better, reliability can sometimes be an issue. In order to minimise space, some third-party MFPs have been designed with technologies unable to withstand the constant rigours of performing multiple functions. After all, if only a single component of the MFP fails, then your scanner, printer, fax and photocopier are out of action. Reliability, therefore, is critical. In order to establish the reliability of an MFP you should: ■ Examine the machine itself for sturdiness. There is a lot of technology in an MFP and a solid casing to protect it is essential. ■ Consider the manufacturer. Take time to investigate the support offerings of the manufacturer. This should encompass both telephone- and Web-based support along with a network of qualified service agents. ■ Evaluate the technologies. An MFP should deliver leading technology in scanning and printing. If the technologies have a proven track record of reliability in standalone scanners and printers, then you’re well on your way to a positive purchase. Control, Control and Control EPSON’s STYLUS CX5300 is the Multi-Function Printer offering you print, scan and copy capabilities all with DURABrite INK 18 | EPSONow Office equipment, whether it’s a fax machine, photocopier, printer or scanner, really should be easy to use. Most of us have probably seen high end photocopiers with control panels that look as if the user needs to pass a test before using the machine. Certainly they look quite impressive, but apart from certain collation functions — found mainly in very expensive photocopiers — it boils down to controlling: ■ Number of copies ■ Size (reduce and increase) ■ Paper size One touch copying with an EPSON Multi-Function Printer ■ Quality ■ Type of copy (colour or black and white) Interestingly, all these functions are incorporated with the MFP software and in a much easier and more intuitive form. As you can see in the picture of the STYLUS CX3100’s photocopy control panel, the MFP software brings with it the benefit of being able to use larger screens to display all the options, rather than stepping through small and often cryptic photocopier machine control screens. Print Durability It helps to look back a little bit in history to appreciate further the potential benefits of MFPs. One of the major complaints about many facsimile machines was (and is) that thermal printing technology delivers prints that cannot withstand the test of time and environment. Thermal prints fade very quickly and when exposed to sunlight, fading is even more pronounced. This is why facsimile machine manufacturers have moved to using inkjet technologies and others that provide longer lasting prints. A screen-shot of the Copy Utility and all of the settings available for alterations With the vast majority of PCs now configured with built-in fax/modems the need for dedicated fax machines — particularly in the small and home office environments — is virtually non-existent. And, with MFPs gaining such great popularity, they are adding even further to the decline in need for fax machines. After all, the combination of scanning and printing (MFP) and transmission/receipt (PC) provides the majority of users with a total faxing solution perfectly suited to their needs. But the issue of print durability still remains. In business, small or large, fax documents often need to be retained for many years. During that time they are likely to be subjected to constant handling, sunlight, airborne contaminants and even moisture. So even though the use of inkjet technology in MFPs is an enormous step forward in fax document durability, it can remain an important issue to consider. When EPSON released the STYLUS CX5100, it was the first MFP worldwide to feature print durability based on the unique EPSON DURABrite INK. The results of this ink are prints that can in fact withstand extensive exposure to airborne contaminants, ultra-violet light (the Sun) and even water. As mentioned earlier in the article, MFPs deliver the additional and very real benefit of colour. Unfortunately, just as there is an enormous disparity of colour quality between the inkjet printer offerings of various companies, so too is there in the MFP market. Just because an MFP can be significantly less expensive than even a single dedicated fax machine, you shouldn’t have to compromise on print and colour quality. This is precisely why EPSON has incorporated DURABrite INK with its new MFPs. (See article on page 12 for more information on DURABrite INK.) Right at Home Although the MFP is finding particular favour in the small and home office, it is also ideally suited for the cost-conscious home user. For example, you could be the manager of a sporting team and find that you have to copy the team’s game times every week for each player. Instead of going to your local copy shop every week and paying a set amount per page, you can use your MFP instead. This is both cost-effective and time-efficient. You might be on a committee of some sort where photocopying, faxing, printing and scanning are all part of the regular administrative requirements. In these situations an MFP represents the perfect solution. Running costs can be minimised, the functions are there whenever needed, and even cash-poor committees have it within their resources to purchase it. The Final Word The subjects we’ve dealt with in this article on MFPs have barely scratched the surface. People everywhere are discovering the benefits of these devices either as a replacement or even to complement existing individual machines. Just as the world of printers and scanners continues to experience major leaps forward in technology and functionality, so too is the world of MFPs. If printing and scanning play any part at all in your home or office, then consider the benefits of an MFP. EPSONow | 19 CASE STUDY Multi-Function Printers URBAN ROOTS 20 | EPSONow IN THIS STORY Landscaping Sydney as a Natural Wonderland D DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING and maintaining garden landscapes from an extensive range of plants and products, then blending in the needs of clients with modern day life is what Urban Roots does best. With five employees, Urban Roots caters for commercial and residential clients in the Sydney metropolitan area. Among its impressive list of clients are Jones Lang Lasalle and Knight Frank, both commercial managing agents responsible for managing some of the most prominent Sydney CBD properties. The Challenge: Improving Technology Just as in most small businesses, printing is important for Urban Roots, with invoices, letters, proposals being only a few of the day-to-day yet essential documents requiring hard copy output. For Dean Aikin, Urban Roots founder and director, replacing his aging thirdparty printer with a new model that would deliver a quality of print to reflect the professionalism of his business was long overdue. Added to this was his need for a scanner that could be used for copying office documents and forms, as well as creating electronic copies of manually prepared landscape designs. “To be quite up front,” Aikin said, “I really didn’t want to purchase three separate devices — a printer, scanner and photocopier. I was after something that gave me the total functionality of all these devices but without taking up valuable office space and the overheads in running costs and purchase price.” The Solution: a Multi-Function Printer With his offices located in Balmain, Aikin visited a Harvey Norman store and explained his requirements to one of the store’s sales staff members. “As soon as I outlined what I wanted and didn’t want, he took me straight over to look at the EPSON STYLUS CX5100,” he said. According to the store’s manager, Richard Clark, the arrival of the STYLUS CX5100 on the market has given a growing number of his customers a new view on the flexibility and quality of MultiFunction Printers (MFPs). “We’re constantly being asked by customers to recommend a single solution to meet multiple requirements,” he said. “And just as with Dean, we’re able to demonstrate that quality of printing, copying and scanning is very obtainable and extremely affordable.” STYLUS CX5100 The fast Multi-Functional Printer that delivers high quality, durable, plain paper colour copying and scanning — perfect for the home office and small business. DURABrite INK Designed for incredible print durability, with even plain paper prints featuring up to 70 years lightfastness* as well as amazingly high levels of gasfastness and water- and smudge-resistance. Saving Time and Money As soon as the STYLUS CX5100 was installed at the Urban Roots office, it was immediately put to use. “I needed to make copies of the company’s BAS statements and send the originals off to the Australian Taxation Office,” Aikin said. “Previously, I would have to go to the local printing shop for copies and then send them away via normal post. Now, with the STYLUS CX5100, I’m able to make necessary copies of important documents whenever I require them.” Exploring New Functionalities Aikin has a number of plans on how to explore the functionalities of his newly acquired STYLUS CX5100.“Scanning is going to play a very big role in our work in the near future,” he said. “In the landscaping industry, it is important that when I draw up plans of gardens, the quality of reproduction, be it in colour or monochrome, is of superior quality. “Often, I go to meetings with potential clients and present plans on how I propose to landscape and maintain their gardens. These plans assist my company in winning business, therefore these documents need to be professionally presented — colours have to be vivid and text needs to be sharp,” Aikin stated. “With the incredible quality of colour I’m getting with the STYLUS CX5100, we get just this!” EPSONow | 21 THE EPSON EDGE This is the nozzle plate of the Micro Piezo Print Head. The minuscule white streaks rising from the seven thin white lines in the plate are actually rays of light filtering through the minute nozzles of the seven different colours of ink 22 | EPSONow It’s What’s Inside THAT COUNTS Take a moment to look at an EPSON inkjet printer — any model will do — and one from another vendor. As expected, the differences are much, much more than superficial. It’s way down in the inner workings of the inkjet printer where the differences are really noticeable; and when it comes to how each printer actually gets the ink from the printer itself to the paper, the differences can be enormous. G GENERALLY, THERE ARE two methods of “ejecting” ink from the printhead to the paper — thermal, which is used by the majority of inkjet printer manufacturers, and EPSON’s Micro Piezo technology. While both achieve the end result of getting ink from the printer to the paper, it’s the difference in quality that really matters. Worlds Apart To start things, we’ll take a look at the thermal method of producing ink droplets. In a thermal mechanism, a minute electric heater underneath the ink chamber heats the ink to the point where, just as with boiling water, a bubble is formed, which forces the ink out on to the surface of the paper. Even though researchers have made significant advances in controlling the size of the ink droplet and the direction of its travel once ejected, the nature of the mechanism means a certain degree of control is unattainable. With the EPSON Micro Piezo print head technology, though, incredibly high control over the droplet size and its direction is achieved. The origin of this technology is EPSON’s Piezo technology, which involves a piezo crystal connected to an electrical circuit. When a specific amount of power is applied across the circuit, the crystal expands by a relative amount. By applying this technology to inkjet printing, EPSON created a minuscule, highly controlled pump. With the piezo crystal acting as the pump’s piston and controlled by precise electrical charges, it expands to the perfect size, thereby creating an ink droplet that with certain EPSON inkjet printers can be as small as 3 picolitres — approximately 4 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Just before we proceed, it’s worth mentioning that it is the piezo technology that underpins another EPSON inkjet innovation — the Variable Sized Droplet Technology (VSDT). By applying different electrical charges to the piezo crystal, the print head is capable of delivering variable sized droplets. It all depends on the nature of the charge. With VSDT, the printer can deliver extremely fine ink droplets for fine detail print areas and larger sized droplets for print areas of a single colour. Another difference you may notice in inkjet printers is how often you actually throw away the print head. With many of the thermal printers, the print head is Perfect Picture Imaging System is a combination of Micro Piezo Print Head technology, Quick Dry Inks, AcuPhoto Halftoning and EPSON Specialty Media The Micro Piezo print head is just one of the Picture Perfect Imaging System’s (PPIS) four main components EPSONow | 23 THE EPSON EDGE actually contained within the ink cartridge, meaning every time you dispose of an empty cartridge, you’re throwing away a print head. Not too good for the environment. When EPSON designed the Micro Piezo print head it was with permanence in mind. The researchers developed a mechanism that was so reliable it quite simply did not need to be thrown away. In fact, it is so reliable that in most cases it far outlasts the useful life of the printer. Inside the Workings Let’s leave it there for the print head and look now at that other important component — the ink cartridge. In 2000, EPSON introduced the EPSON Intellidge ink cartridge that had as one of its design goals to actually protect the print head. As expected, the Intellidge ink cartridge holds a certain colour and type of ink. But at one end of the cartridge there is a tiny micro-chip, which stores an enormous amount of information predominantly relating to the amount of ink remaining in the cartridge. When the printer driver is activated, it reads this information from the chip and displays it in the status monitor. Monitoring the ink usage in printers is something EPSON has always done, though the information has previously always been stored within the printer driver. This has often led to confusion. When a partially-full cartridge was inserted, the printer driver would automatically assume it was full. Given that the printer driver is the user’s primary means of identifying if enough ink is available to print each job, this method required improvement BEHIND THE SCENES Throughout the manufacturing process of EPSON Intellidge ink cartridges and Micro Piezo print heads, keeping air from leaking in is top of the priority list and numerous precautions are taken. The cartridge design includes seals and valves in the ink chamber nozzle, so the air is kept out, even when the cartridge is being installed. The ink itself is put through a de-airing process and the filled cartridges are then vacuum sealed in their packaging. in order to provide the end user and the printer driver with more accurate and useful information. So, by introducing the Intellidge ink cartridge, EPSON ensured that information relating to ink levels stayed where it should; and that is the ink cartridge. If you insert an ink cartridge that has only one-quarter of its capacity remaining, this is precisely what you’ll see in the status monitor. More importantly, rather than providing the information to just the user, the printer driver itself is able to act on it. The driver can ensure that when it is time to change the cartridge — even part-way through printing a page — the printer can accept the new cartridge then resume printing without wasting paper, which would be the case if it didn’t have the information and continued printing. Another advantage of tracking ink information is that the driver can report back on how many pages — based on the most recently printed — can be printed with the remaining ink. For users who do large print jobs this is a major bonus, giving them the ability to send through the The green squares on the end of each of these genuine EPSON ink cartridges are the Intellidge Ink micro chips 24 | EPSONow print job without worrying if there’s enough ink remaining. As mentioned earlier, one of the most important features of the Intellidge cartridge is that it also works to protect the Micro Piezo print head. One of the most damaging influences on a precision print head is air. Once air is introduced to the print head via the ink cartridge, clogging and/or misfiring may occur. Essentially, it disrupts the smooth flow of ink that is essential in gaining high-quality photograph, graphic and text prints. When these problems arise, ink is wasted by having to run the printer through a head cleaning process. To ensure air is kept out of the ink cycle, EPSON ink cartridges are designed to retain a minute amount of ink at the time the status monitor reports the cartridge should be replaced. It is this tiny reserve of ink that ensures no air can be introduced into the print head. Now, this article would be far from truthful if it failed to make mention of Intellidge bypassing, but it would also be incredibly neglectful to ignore the consequences. Ever since EPSON introduced the Intellidge ink cartridge, users have sought ways to bypass it and eke out a few cents more of ink. Flash devices are the most prevalent of bypassing methods. In using these devices you can certainly run your ink cartridges a small amount further but you also run the very real risk of deterioration in quality when the colours drop out mid-print. The result is facing one of the very problems for which Intellidge was developed to address. The purposes of the EPSON Intellidge ink cartridge are to protect the investment you have made in your printer, save money by avoiding head cleans, and ensure every print is perfect. As you can see, it all comes down to high-quality printing without the risk and cost. CASE STUDY Colour Laser in Action AS ONE OF Australia’s most successful real estate companies, Marshall White & Co is based in Armadale and operates across some of Melbourne’s more prestigious suburbs. Toorak, Malvern, South Yarra and Prahran are only some of these suburbs where Marshall White’s resultsdriven sales and rental teams make their presence felt. A The Move to Colour While the 50-strong Marshall White team have a strong belief in professionalism, each team member knows all too well the importance of reflecting this in the company’s “image”. According to Marshall White’s Office Manager, Susan Weston, even the quality of printed documents plays a major part in presenting a professional image. “We have long recognised the impact of colour documents,” she said. “Whether it is the newsletter we publish and distribute, documents that include colour images of houses and properties or even the rental list sheets; colour is crucial in creating a strong first impression.” The main problems faced by Marshall White when it came to colour printing, though, were the same as those faced by virtually any other business — professional colour printing is a costly and sometimes lengthy process. From the directors and right across the sales, rental and office staff, there was a need for colour printing that was in-house, reduced costs and afforded total control over the designated printing process from marketing proposals, staff profiles, rental lists to graphs and more. Solution: A Simple Walk Quite by chance one day, Weston walked past EPSON Australia’s Melbourne office complex and decided on the spur of the moment to walk in and talk to someone. “I ended up sitting down with one of the EPSON laser printer representatives and having the whole concept of colour laser printing explained to me in terms I could understand and take back to present to the company’s directors,” she said. “Within a couple of weeks we were trialling an EPSON AcuLaser C4000 and paying particular attention to the performance, running costs and above all, print quality. Office Manager, Susan Weston using EPSON’s AcuLaser C4000 for Marshall White & Co’s in-house printing “It didn’t take long for us to see that the printer was far and away better than what we had initially hoped for, so in May 2003, we made the fairly simple decision to buy the colour printer and really take control of a significant component of our in-house printing.” Cost Savings Prior to the purchase of the EPSON colour laser printer, Marshall White staff needed to get all their short-run colour printing done externally. For double-sided documents, this was costing the company up to two-dollars a page — a cost that has now reduced by 40 per cent to around $1.20. Adding even more to the cost savings are efficiencies in flexibility — print runs can be as long or as short as is required and productivity — no more wasting time by having to send staff members out of the office. “Generally, every colour page left over and thrown out was two dollars lost to the business,” Weston stated. “It may not seem like much, but it quickly adds up to a significant amount of money. With the new printer, we are able to use a Just In Time EPSONow | 25 CASE STUDY process — we print as many copies as we need when we need them and with any last minute changes.” This ability is particularly important in real estate, where clients may want marketing documents changed even slightly to generate better effect or even reflect a change in price. “It used to be the case that we would have to either charge the client additional fees or absorb the extra printing costs in our own overheads,” Weston said. “Now, we simply change the document ourselves and create a new print run.” Weston added that she has been impressed by the overall finished product even where regular grade paper has been used as opposed to the photo quality papers which give even better results. Better Rental Presentation One of the most useful tools in real estate is photography. A good photo attracts attention and often starts the enquiry process. Marshall White agents understand this, so high quality, colour photograph prints have always been an essential aid in their work. “Traditionally, when you go into a real estate office you see photocopied or monochrome laser printed brochures of rental properties. Because of the AcuLaser’s low cost per page when compared to professional printing, we are preparing our rental property list in colour as well,” Weston said. “In addition our rental list includes a special colour flyer, including colour photograph, for the rental property of the week. The result is that we are able to provide our clients, the property owners and the tenants with a much better service all around and show off the properties to their best.” Connected and Easy With the AcuLaser C4000 installed on Marshall White’s Microsoft Windows NT 4 IN THIS STORY AcuLaser C4000 The EPSON AcuLaser C4000 is the perfect solution for businesses that recognise the real need for colour laser printing without sacrificing speed or quality. 26 | EPSONow A Marshall White & Co employee proofing AcuLaser C4000 prints Server network, up to 50 staff members have instant access to the printer’s colour and monochrome laser printing capabilities. According to Weston, even servicing such a large user base, the printer continues to perform at maximum levels without missing a beat. “Even maintaining the printer is extremely straightforward,” Weston commented. “We have a third-party IT support company as well as an internal IT help desk person, but the vast majority of maintenance work on the printer is carried out by our receptionist. It takes her only a matter of seconds to change toner cartridges and really, that’s about all the maintenance that is required.” More Than Product One of the strongest points Weston makes when talking about the decision to purchase the EPSON colour laser printer has nothing at all to do with the printer itself. “I believe that an important factor in making a purchase is service — it’s important to know that the company that’s behind the product is going to support it at every level,” she said. “Right from the time I walked into the EPSON office, I’ve had only the best possible service and support — and that’s precisely what I expect from any company with which I do business.” Aside from the AcuLaser C4000, EPSON has a range of other AcuLaser colour printers. The benefits mentioned in this case study are reflected at various levels across this entire range. For further information about these exciting alternatives to monochrome-only laser printers, please visit www.epson.com.au/products/laser.asp DAVE’S DIARY Dave’s Diary – One Year On WHEN WE LAST TOOK a peek at Dave’s Diary (EPSONow Second Edition), this Solitaireplaying and bumbling executive earned for himself some major brownie points by his assistant’s use of an EPSON STYLUS C80 to print a 300 page report for his boss, who also happens to be his wife. Since then, Dave’s attitude to the people in IT (Incredibly Thick, in his mind) and work hasn’t changed a great deal. The only thing that’s really changed is that Freecell has taken the place of Solitaire as his favourite work pastime. 8:46 a.m. Oh, Monday. Let me count the ways I hate you. As if it wasn’t enough to have my wife talking “shop” all weekend, now I have to come in to this place and actually live it. Where’s my assistant with my coffee. She knows I can’t function if I haven’t had a coffee. 8:52 a.m. Twenty-two minutes late! Can you believe it. I was sitting here for twentytwo minutes before Sharon finally brought in my coffee. What does she think? That I should get my own!? It’s really set me off on the road to a bad mood. A quick game of Freecell should get me back on track for the day. Oh, great! No sugar in the coffee. 9:38 a.m. Now that was one tough game of Freecell. Took me 12 goes to work it out. Better head off to the bathroom to think about what I should be doing today. 9:49 a.m. Sharon’s really asking for a stern warning. Just came back from the bathroom and she gave me a very funny look — as if I had no right to take a few minutes out from my schedule to relieve myself. When I asked her what was wrong, she simply smiled and asked if there was anything she could do to help out with the project. What project? She’s out of her mind, the silly person. 9:53 a.m. E-mail just in from the boss. Asked me if I’d remembered to give the kids their lunch money and check the meeting room booking. Check the meeting room booking!? I have an assistant to do that sort of thing! Anyway, there aren’t any meetings I’m due to attend today, so it can always wait a while before I chase up Sharon and pass the buck on to her. Might just duck downstairs and check out the new café that everyone seems to be raving about. W 10:41 a.m. Well, I have to agree. That was a great coffee. Ended up sitting with Mike from accounting who was rambling on about something to do with a proposal going before the board this afternoon. I have no idea why he was telling me this, but I have a strange feeling… 10:45 a.m. I don’t believe this! I just called Sharon in to the office and was just about to give her that stern warning when she asked me if she should organise sandwiches to be delivered during the break in the meeting this afternoon. When I asked her what the hell she was talking about, she started rambling on about some presentation I had to give to the board of directors. There’s a strange tingling down my left arm all of a sudden. But that meeting was for next week. 10:49 a.m. Just checked my schedule. Oops. Was looking at last week when I checked it earlier today; and the meeting’s definitely set for today — 11:30 p.m. to be precise. Oh, no. There’s a note attached to the meeting entry, something about providing the board with a full profit and loss report for my business unit. That tingling. I think it’s definitely getting stronger. 10:52 a.m. Rushed out to Sharon and told her to print out the profit and loss… with lots of graphs. After all, the doddering board of directors can deal with rows and columns of figures just as well as they can deal with making a cup of coffee. They can’t. Makes me think I should have a cup of coffee myself right now. Told Sharon to get me one… and not to forget the sugar this time. 11:15 a.m. Went out to check the progress of the report printing only to find Sharon sitting at her desk reading e-mail. Worse still was the fact that her printer wasn’t doing anything at all! Ended up having to go totally off my nut at her. Told her that if she couldn’t understand how critical the report was and appreciate the importance of prioritising her work, then she could find herself another job. She pointed to a laser printer halfway down the hall that seemed to be spewing out sheet after sheet of paper. A laser printer! This document is absolute choc-a-block with graphs and charts — they need to be in colour! Is this such a difficult concept for anyone to understand!? 11:17 a.m. Sharon went over to the printer and brought back a pile of paper. What goes on here? Colour graphs — amazing quality, too — from the laser printer!? Seems the people in Incredibly Thick installed an EPSON AcuLaser C900 colour laser printer. Hold on a second! You can’t get this sort of quality without it costing an absolute fortune — what’s this going to do to the budget I’ve allocated for “entertaining” clients and, well, myself? Can’t fail to be bowled over by the stupidity of those people in Incredibly Thick. Idiots. Idiots. Idiots! The tingling in my arm seems to be spreading to my chest. Only 13 minutes until the meeting. 11:18 a.m. Sharon shuffles through the reports she’s been printing and pulls up a page detailing the expense history of the AcuLaser C900. This thing cost the same as our old monochrome printer and running costs are incredibly low. Will have to find something else to pick on her about… just to keep her on her toes, of course. 11:21 a.m. The printer’s stopped! It’s run out of toner. I told Sharon to get someone up from Incredibly Thick immediately to fix the thing. What does she do? Goes and lifts up a panel, takes out a cartridge, drops in a new one and presses a button to start the printer going again. She’s getting too smart and smug, that one. 4:06 p.m. That was one hell of a meeting, but managed to pull it off. The doddering old board members almost drooled over the report — and so they should have. I nearly had a heart attack doing the blessed thing. I deserve a coffee. Where’s Sharon? Made my own, but forgot the sugar. 4:52 p.m. E-mail just in from Sharon. Seems she’s applied for another job. Well, if she expects to get a reference from me after the stress she caused me this morning, she’s barking up the wrong tree. 4:56 p.m. Another e-mail. Will these constant interruptions never cease. The boss, my lovely wife, has asked me to remember to reimburse the kids the lunch money they had to take this morning from their own pocket money, and ask Sharon to come in at 8:40 a.m. tomorrow as her new assistant! EPSONow | 27 THE EPSON EDGE EPSON Colour AcuLaser… Totally Distinctive Taking a quick look at what it is that makes the EPSON AcuLaser colour laser printers stand out from the crowd. Technologies and features — many of them developed by EPSON — working together for colour printing excellence. EVER SINCE EPSON released the AcuLaser C2000 colour laser printer in 2000, the world of laser printing has been turned on its head. Building on the initial success of the AcuLaser C2000, EPSON has E continued to refine its monochrome and colour laser printing technologies to develop a range of printers that is secondto-none. From the AcuLaser C900 right through to the AcuLaser C4100, incredibly high quality colour laser printing is affordable and effective for a broad range of users — home and small office to the largest of workgroups. On these two pages we’ve highlighted just a few of the features and technologies that provide the AcuLaser colour laser printers with their leading edge — features and technologies that are only a few from which all your printing requirements can benefit. ASIC TECHNOLOGY Hardware-Based Processing for Enhanced Performance EPSON AcuLaser printers use dedicated ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) technology to handle data decompression, RGB-to-CMYK colour conversion and halftone smoothing. As a result, first-page printing and continuous throughput are blazingly fast, even on complex, graphics-intensive documents. SPEED EPSON AcuLaser Printer Driver Technology As the world leader in colour imaging, no one understands the importance of printer driver technology better than EPSON. Featuring a user-friendly interface for enhanced operating ease and network administration, our advanced AcuLaser printer drivers are continuously refined to ensure maximum spooling and data transmission speeds in a wide variety of computer environments. Other Printers X PPM EPSON AcuLaser Printers Print Data Data Data Data Data Spooling Compressing Transfer Expansion Processing Print Command issued Data transfer begins Data transfer completed 16 PPM Printing begins Printing completed A Speed High- ting in r P Slow data processing means slower printing – even if data transfer speeds are high. AcuLaser technology speeds up data processing at every stage, ensuring fast, efficient printing. EPSON AcuLaser Adaptive Data Compression This remarkable technology boosts speed and reduces overall printing time by optimising data compression and decompression algorithms according to whether the data stream contains text, line, or image data. 28 | EPSONow A QUALITY EPSON AcuLaser Fine Dot Control EPSON AcuLaser Intelligent Line Screening When printing photos and gradient fills, the sophisticated screening and halftoning technologies of EPSON AcuLaser Fine Dot Control boost the effective resolution to 2400 dpi, delivering a level of image quality that is unrivalled in the industry. Using sophisticated content-recognition technologies adapted from our world-famous inkjet printers, EPSON AcuLaser Intelligent Line Scanning automatically optimises line screening frequency and colour correction for each area of the page. As a result, output quality is superb even when pages contain a complex mixture of photographic images, text, and line drawings. EPSON AcuLaser Colour RITech Sophisticated Colour RITech smoothing technology ensures that charts and graphs are sharp and well defined, and that the fine details of colour-coded CAD drawings and schematics are always clear and legible. EPSON AcuLaser PhotoEnhance 4 Colour RITech ON Colour RITech OFF New MicroPolymer Toner New EPSON AcuLaser MicroPolymer Toner particles are smaller and more spherical than conventional toner particles, assuring smoother, more uniform coverage for improved image quality. Another offshoot of our acclaimed inkjet printer technology, EPSON PhotoEnhance 4 lets users apply a number of pre-defined effects and image adjustments to sharpen and enhance final output. A smoother colour matrix ensures smoother gradations and fills, with better overall image quality. NETWORKING Easy EpsonNet Networking EpsonNet networking makes it easy to get the most out of your printer by sharing it with everyone in your office or workgroup. Set-up and management are a snap, with advanced features like automatic printer discovery and automatic driver installation that help keep administrative chores to a minimum. EpsonNet InstallWizard EpsonNet WebManager EpsonNet InstallWizard automates everything from printer driver installation to printer port selection. Network administration tasks are reduced because administrators can simply distribute installation packages to each client over the network — EpsonNet InstallWizard takes care of the rest. With EpsonNet WebManager, Web-based printer discovery, set-up, monitoring, and troubleshooting can all be handled remotely. Print log management tools let you view print logs and monitor the status of consumables. EPSONow | 29 THE EPSON EDGE Get Scanned – Part Two In the last issue of EPSONow, we looked at ways to optimise your scanning efforts with the promise that in this issue, we would take a step back and give you a helping hand in identifying the best scanner to suit your needs. A AFTER ALL, it’s easy enough to know exactly what it is you want to do with a scanner, but the tricky part comes in choosing the scanner that delivers a balance between finances and features. So, to help you understand what it is about scanners that contributes to this balance, we will also be taking a look under the hood and finding out what makes them tick. disk drive capacity (it didn’t have one of those, either) or keyboard layout (well, OK, it didn’t have a keyboard as well). But in a short time, people were demanding faster (and better equipped) personal computers. With scanners, there’s little different. Performance is a must, even with the lower range models that are typically used in the home. By improving the basic technologies discussed previously and developing and introducing new technologies, EPSON has sought to meet and even exceed the performance demands of users. If we consider first the quality of the scan, the scanner’s lens is one of the initial components on which to focus [pun intended — ed]. To ensure a perfect focus for accurate colour and incredibly sharp text, all EPSON scanners feature highquality large diameter glass lenses. Starting with the Basics Today’s scanners offer users an enormous range of opportunities, from the fun of scanning and cropping photos through to the serious business of archiving and managing documents. When you look at a scanner in a somewhat more clinical light, its task is simply to create a digital representation of a two-dimensional document, such as a page of text, image or photograph. In the case of a flatbed scanner, which is the type you’ll purchase from your local retailer, an original document is placed on the surface of the scanner (usually a sheet of glass with a cover to afford protection from incident light) and illuminated by means of a fluorescent tube. A reflector system projects the light reflected from the document onto the scanner’s Charge Coupled Device (CCD) chip, which acts like an “electronic eye”, scanning each line, dot by dot and determining the brightness and colour values. An analog/digital converter then converts these into digital values — zeroes and ones. CCD method: Since there is a distance between the image and the sensor, it is easy to focus at any distance therefore 3D scanning is possible. CIS method: The sensor with same length of the original image is used. Only those images on the glass can be captured. Otherwise, it cannot focus and scanned image will be blurred. Getting Up to Speed It is an interesting thing to note that whenever a new technology is introduced, barely anyone gives a second thought to its performance. It’s more the novelty that appeals to most of us. When the first personal computer hit the market — in kit form — no-one gave a second thought to its screen refresh rate (it didn’t even have a screen), 30 | EPSONow To achieve better scanning quality, a superior CCD is a must. With MatrixCCD, the sensitivity is greatly improved. With A/D converter installed on the board together with the MatrixCCD, the data can be digitalised immediately. Therefore, the noise level is reduced to the minimum. This lens is what give your scans edgeto-edge imaging and accurate detail, and is mounted on the scanning head which is controlled by a high-precision stepper motor. This combination is essential in achieving speed and quality. Earlier in the article we touched on the use of CCDs. With EPSON’s range of scanners, a MatrixCCD technology is utilised, employing a staggered array of light sensors that simultaneously handle incoming and outgoing signals to improve scanning speeds. An added benefit of the MatrixCCD is that it virtually doubles the scanning resolution capabilities of the scanner. ➜ In the business world, scanners have long been used for converting hardcopy text pages to digital files that can be edited with a word processor. For those who haven’t come across this before, it’s called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This is a software-based technology that attempts to recognise characters from a scanned image. As a matter of fact, most scanners on the market today will come bundled with some form of OCR software. Unfortunately, one of the problems with OCR software has been the difficulty of “stripping” out unwanted scanned elements, such as images, line art and icons. To give the OCR software a helping hand, EPSON scanners incorporate the Text Enhancement Technology (TET). By filtering unwanted content during a Scanto-OCR operation, TET ensures the OCR software receives only the scanned portions that it recognises as text. The result is more accurate character recognition and fewer mistakes when it comes to proofreading the scanned document. With many scanners, much of the intelligence is in the bundled software and printer driver. While this is an expedient method of delivering features and functionality, it has the downside of consuming computer resources and relying on the speed and performance capabilities of the computer. To bypass these issues, much of an EPSON scanner’s intelligence is contained in an on-board Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). As a result, many of the functions normally carried out by the computer are now carried out by a lightning fast computer chip. ➜ Improving Text Scans Extra Refinements EPSON is renowned for embedding the best technologies in its scanners, but let’s not forget the driver and bundled software. Recently, EPSON introduced several photograph refining tools with its new scanner software. Colour Restoration and Dust Removal are just two of these tools and work to create scans that match your photographs’ original colour and quality. Colour Restoration restores faded or discoloured images. It attempts to restore the colour of the image back to its original state. The extent of fading or discoloration relies upon the original adhesion condition of the ink onto the paper (plain or photo) and the environmental (including light, temperature, and airborne contaminants) conditions under which the paper has been kept. Dust Removal acts to remove the automatically detected dust noise from scanned images. Working on negative and positive A screen-shot of exactly what is on offer to you when using EPSON’s Smart Panel software EPSON’s PERFECTION 1670 is the latest of EPSON’s scanners to offer new software, such as Dust Removal film (colour and greyscale) scans, dust is removed by softening the image and detecting the figure of dust shadow, then correcting that shadow with neighbouring pixels. Use the Web OK, so there is probably more to a scanner than you may have initially thought before reading this article. Actually, what we’ve covered here is only a drop in the ocean when it comes to what’s under the EPSON scanner’s hood. On the EPSON Web site (www.epson.com.au), there is a scanner link that takes you straight to all available EPSON scanners and provides details on the suitability of each scanner for specific needs and situations. Bear in mind that not all scanners are created equal, but it is an understanding of what makes them different that will give you the edge. EPSONow | 31 THE EPSON EDGE Before You Buy That Projector… Over the past several years, digital projectors have been subject to the same influences that have affected virtually everything else in digital products — constant improvement in technologies and features coupled with an almost parallel decrease in the price. When this occurred with personal computers, the rate of adoption skyrocketed; and it is now precisely what we are starting to see with projectors. WHEN YOU THINK BACK only a few years ago, even though everyone was looking to buy a PC, there were many rushing in with little understanding of what they were actually buying. For those who had even a fair knowledge of computers, barely a week went by without someone asking W 32 | EPSONow them what was the difference between a hard drive and a floppy drive, what were these kilobyte and megabyte things, or what was meant by a modem’s baud rate. We are now witnessing a similar trend with projectors. But why? The first thing we should appreciate is that as projectors have improved in technology and features, their versatility and application have increased dramatically. Take, for example, the EPSON EMP-S1 projector, launched earlier this year onto the Australian market. Here we have a projector that apart from being extremely easy to use, light and — at last in the world of projectors — stylish, can move from a business machine to an entertainment device in seconds; and it’s the latter of these that is really pushing the projector adoption rate ever upward. Take a look for a minute at that which is set to become the norm for home video entertainment — video cassette recorder/ player, DVD player, cable/satellite and freeto-air television broadcasting, digital photograph slide shows, sophisticated gaming consoles and, of course, the personal computer. Yes, we have omitted the television, but for good reason. As more and more of the abovementioned home video entertainment device or services are purchased by people, the quality of the television itself has become one of the major sticking features. We have all these great sources of entertainment, but to go out and purchase a “big screen” to really give it impact can cost up to and beyond ten thousand dollars. Now, that’s expensive! On the other hand, a high quality projector that aside from being small and having the ability to deliver a viewing screen far bigger than the big screen plasma televisions you’ll see in the electrical stores can be purchased for a fraction of the price. This is precisely one of the main reasons for the uptake. They’re bigger in screen size, smaller in physical size and cost less. But… before you buy that projector, it helps to understand what the new wave in specifications is all about. In particular, contrast ratio, keystone correction and luminance rating. Brightness at a Glance — ANSI Lumens Luminance is what the human eye sees and is defined as the amount of light reflected off a surface. In ancient times, in order to measure brightness, the candle was a standard of measurement (the amount of light a candle projects in any one direction) and a lumen was defined as one candle per square metre. Since candlelight can vary depending on wick length, reflectivity of the surface and the temperature of the flame, a more scientific standard of measurement needed to be defined. The LCD panel — providing vastly superior colour fidelity The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) developed a stringent set of light measuring rules that more precisely defined the amount of luminance given off by a projector. The ANSI rating also dictates that the projected image must be measured at nine points on the screen and the final EPSONow | 33 THE EPSON EDGE ANSI rating of any given projector is the average of these nine measured points. To provide you with a “quick glance” guide to a projector’s ANSI lumens and its best use, we’ve prepared the following table (Figure 1). When it comes to brightness, especially in projectors that will be used in a home theatre environment, there is a very important point to consider — bright is not necessarily better. An important point to consider when talking about projectors is that there are two primary types on the market — Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Naturally there are advocates for both types, but when it comes to colour control and fidelity, LCD really does have a major advantage. By using three separate LCD panels — one each for red green and blue — each can be controlled independently for brightness and contrast, leading to vastly superior colour fidelity. Clearly Better From Any Angle — Keystone Correction Keystone correction essentially corrects trapezoidal distortion. When the projector is not positioned central to the screen, the image is projected at an angle and may appear distorted. Depending on the projector you purchase, you will have anywhere up to a 30 degree vertical keystone correction capability. In some of the higher end models the projector can automatically detect and adjust keystoning, although in most projectors for the home and small business environments, a few button presses on the remote control is all that’s required. A typical long-life lamp as used in EPSON projectors Black or White — Contrast Ratio Contrast Ratio is the ratio between white and black. The larger the contrast ratio the greater the ability of a projector to show subtle colour details and tolerate extraneous room light. Contrast measures the ratio of the light output of an all-white image and the light output of an all-black image. LCD projector contrast ratios range from 300 to 1200. When comparing the contrast ratio of projectors, make sure you are comparing the same type of contrast. Users quite often focus on the projector’s ANSI lumens ratings rather than consider how everything actually works together to provide the best possible colour Projectors with: Generally work best in these environments: Up to 1,000 ANSI lumens Normal business-sized conference rooms, classrooms and living rooms Small-to-medium sized audiences Reduced lighting 1,000 to 1,500 or more ANSI lumens Larger conference rooms or classrooms Normal room lighting 1,500 or more ANSI lumens Large venues, including conference rooms and auditoriums Most lighting conditions Figure 1 34 | EPSONow reproduction. Contrast ratio is equally as important as ANSI lumens and LCD projectors, because of the ability to control all three LCD panels independently (see ANSI Lumens), do not require an enormously bright lamp to generate superior contrast ratio and colour reproduction. Caveat Emptor — Buyer Beware Just as the early days of the personal computer saw a myriad of vendors appear almost overnight — and just as suddenly disappear — much the same is set to happen in the world of projectors. If we’re to learn from history, then look to those early PC days and take a lesson from them. There are a few companies, such as EPSON, that have been mainstays in the worldwide projector market; leading the way with technology innovations and setting the groundwork for others to follow. But if history is to repeat itself — as it does so often — then many of those followers will undoubtedly fall by the wayside, leaving their customers with little, if any, support or access to repair facilities. The best advice we can give you is to understand what you’re buying, which is where we set out with this article. It’s also important that when you’re setting out to purchase a projector you take the time to see them in action. Specifications are one thing, but actually seeing the projector in action should always be a top priority. USING EPSON Projectors in BUSINESS When it comes to growing a small business one of the major problems is how to grow the business; and grow it in spite of the fact that larger businesses with higher profiles and more marketing dollars are often the main competitors. Quite often it boils down to image and impressions. O OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS there have been a number of innovations that have provided the small business owner with the ability to improve the image of the company without spending unreasonable amounts of money. The first of these that comes to mind is the Internet and more precisely, the Web. With inexpensive and highly effective programs, even the smallest of companies can develop a Web site that can be every bit as swish as the biggest of companies. Then, of course, there are the professional-quality documents and marketing materials that can be printed on your EPSON inkjet printers. The presentation of a small plumbing company to a tough selection panel is enhanced by the EPSON EMP-S1 EPSONow | 35 USING EPSON The three friends are able to collaborate on toy design concepts by using an EMP-73 While a growing number of small business owners have moved to capitalise on the image-equality potential of the Web and high quality desktop printing, some of them have gone several steps further by using the new generation of projectors. Certainly, this article could present specifications on various projectors and explain how one model is better than another for specific purposes, but that has been dealt with in other articles. Instead, let’s examine situations where and how projectors can create a lasting impression for the business. T The Presentation SITUATION: A small plumbing company has established a good reputation for itself with local builders. During its five years of business it has grown to four full-time plumbers and the owner now believes it is 36 | EPSONow time to expand by working with a national property development company on a large building project. A proposal has been forwarded along with preliminary costings, which have been looked upon favourably by the developer’s contractor selection panel. CHALLENGE: The company’s principal has been asked to give a presentation before the selection panel and provide compelling arguments to support the initial proposal. The plumber knows full well that the panel members are a hard bunch to win over, so something that will really grab their attention — and keep it — is critical. SOLUTION: With little more than a notebook computer and a portable EPSON EMP-S1 projector, the plumber opted to deliver a presentation using PC-based presentation software and video clips. Professionalism and time is important in these situations and everything has to go as smoothly as possible. Long gone are the lengthy warm-up times for projectors. The plumber’s EMP-S1 warmed up in five seconds and was set up in less time than it took the notebook computer to start up. Noise is also a factor in presentations and a noisy projector serves only to distract and even annoy the audience. With the EMP-S1 having a noise level of 33dB, the attention of the plumber’s audience remained where it should — on the plumber and the screen. An important issue for the presenter during a presentation is freedom of movement and control. In other words, the ability to control the projector without the need to return constantly to the unit or notebook and press buttons. Fortunately for the plumber, the EMPS1 features two card-type remote controls — one for the projector and another to emulate the notebook’s mouse and certain keystrokes. By the way, the plumber did win over the panel and won the business. T The Brainstorm SITUATION: Three friends have decided to create a new small business that will manufacture a new range of wooden toys. Collaboration is essential and design concepts must be researched and agreed upon before they can even consider developing prototypes. Added to this is the need to understand the competition and their products. CHALLENGE: While each of the friends has a personal computer, the three of them gathering around a single computer to go over concepts and examine competing companies’ Web sites is uncomfortable and impractical. The big challenge is that while they recognise a projector is the ideal solution, money is another resource in high demand but low in availability. SOLUTION: For less than $4,000, the friends purchased an EPSON EMP-73. It was a purchase that even their accountant agreed was easily justified. Aside from being able to use it to meet their immediate needs, the projector would also be used in presenting the company and its products to potential large volume purchasers. In designing their toys, the friends recognised that colour is a major factor in a product’s appeal. While the final colour selection would be made using colour swatches from paint manufacturers, the initial narrowing down process was easily done on-screen. An advantage of the EMP-73 over many other projectors is that it uses an LCD-based system. With this system, each of the three primary colours — red, green and blue — can be controlled individually for vastly superior colour reproduction. Connectivity was also a big issue, with video sources including video tape players, computers, digital cameras and even a DVD player to view the movie that inspired their venture — Toy Story. With a built-in speaker and connectivity support including RGB, S-Video, PC and USB, the EMP-73 provided total video and audio support to keep the development process rolling without a hitch. It has to be noted that there actually is one problem when it comes to the young company’s projector, though. Arguing over whose turn it is to take it home and hook up to their DVD players and game consoles for the “big screen” experience seems to be never-ending. T The Experience SITUATION: The local medical centre provides primary health care and family medicine to its surrounding communities, accommodating general practitioners and a range of support staff, which includes nurses and administrators. It incorporates a variety of ancillary services such as physiotherapy, pharmacy, optometry, pathology and diagnostic imaging, thereby making the medical centre a “one-stop healthcare shop” for its neighbourhood. The centre’s staff members believe in providing efficient, professional management and a pleasant environment for patients-in-waiting. In so doing, they have earned a valuable reputation for the quality of their service and products. CHALLENGE: Due to the increasing amount of visitors to the centre, patients were often experiencing lengthy waits for their general practitioners and the specialist services. Staff members received feedback from the patients that if the television was slightly larger, this would help to make waiting time less of an annoying experience. SOLUTION: To maintain the centre’s principle of ensuring patients have a comfortable waiting environment, the centre purchased an EPSON EMP-7800. The decision was easily justified toward the projector, as opposed to the purchase of a large plasma television, which saved the centre several thousand dollars. In order to keep the projector out of harm’s way it was decided to mount it on the ceiling. This would save on space but there was some hesitation because the projected image might be distorted due to the downward angle of the projection. But with vertical keystone correction of up to 40 degrees, patients can view a perfectly proportioned screen regardless of the projector’s angle. Another initial concern was the high levels of light in the waiting room. Some staff members believed that it would essentially overpower the projected image. However, the EMP-7800 has an impressive 3500 ANSI lumens, which means that even with the light-filled room, patients are still able to see what’s on show, clearly and vividly. IN THIS STORY EMP-S1 Suited to small offices, classrooms and ideal for the home environment, this projector delivers incredible ease-ofoperation and versatile presentation functionalities. EMP-73 A high performance and affordable, mobile projector for professionals on the move, the EMP-73 is bright, quiet and easy-to-use. EMP-7800 An incredibly high quality presentation projector designed to suit all presentation situations, needs and locations, whether it be in a classroom, boardroom or lecture theatre. The medical centre has again delivered professional excellence in its services to the local community with a very enjoyable waiting environment for its patients. The only problem is that patients now like the wait as they can experience large-screen entertainment at the medical centre, which was unheard of before. The variety of ways businesses can use an EPSON projector extends beyond these situations, demonstrating how versatile such technology is in enhancing business professionalism without breaking the bank. EPSONow | 37 EPSON ONLINE Surfing with EPSON – Part I Whether you’re researching your first scanner, printer or projector, or looking for software and tips on how to best exploit the potential of your existing EPSON products, then the EPSON Australian Web site (www.epson.com.au) is a great place to surf. Since the site’s launch in 1996, it has become one of the most popular resources for users of EPSON products. OVER TWO ISSUES of EPSONow we will take a look at the EPSON Australia Web site and uncover some of its treasures of which the casual surfer may not be aware. O Click For Support Whenever someone buys a product, be it a printer, refrigerator, car… whatever, there is an element of trust that goes with the purchase. You’re trusting the manufacturer or supplier to provide support for that product — support that is, above all, effective, understandable and easy to access. One of the most prominent support issues relating to EPSON products is obtaining the most recent drivers and software. This is particularly important when users upgrade their operating systems. To give you a quick-start guide to keeping your EPSON software and drivers up-todate, here’s a step-by-step guide: ■ Head over to the EPSON Australia Web site (http://www.epson.com.au) ■ Click on the Technical Support button on the home page. This will take you to the Technical Support home page. ■ Click on Drivers/Updates, which takes you to the front page of the EPSON download library. ■ Click the Continue button. ■ Select the type of product for which you’re seeking software. For example, the STYLUS C82 is an inkjet printer so you would naturally enough click on Inkjet Printers. Simple and straightforward, EPSON Australia’s Web-site home page outlines the various services it has to offer 38 | EPSONow ■ The next page will display two dropdown list controls. Regardless of which product type you selected, the layout will always be the same — product and operating system. Use the dropdown lists to select your product and operating system then click the Search button. ■ After searching the software library database, the site will present a list of all software for your EPSON product and operating system. By clicking on the filename (top-right side of the file entry), a file download session will start. ■ Click the Save button to bring up a Save As… dialog box for selecting the folder to which the file is to be saved. ■ Once saved, you can either click the Open button to install the software immediately, or Close button to complete the download and do the install later. Where support issues cannot be resolved by installing a new driver as outlined above, the Technical Support area also features an on-line technical query form. The purpose of using this form is to provide EPSON Technical Support staff with detailed information about a particular problem, which can then be researched before a support staff member responds. Getting to the Technical Support Query Form is done by: ■ Head over to the EPSON Australia Web site (http://www.epson.com.au) ■ Click on the Technical Support button on the home page. This will take you to the Technical Support home page. ■ Click on the Contact EPSON Support Services link. ■ On the next page, click on click here for the Online Technical Query Form ■ This next stage may take a few minutes to complete, but it is important to be as thorough as possible. You will need to provide as much information as possible about your EPSON product, computer, operating system and problem. The more precise the information, the more accurate the diagnosis and remedy. ■ Click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen and that’s it. The form will be automatically sent to the EPSON Support Centre where it will be addressed, generally, within 24 hours. Supporting Developers Another area of support included on the site is designed specifically for developers. This is an area gaining greater interest with an increasing number of companies taking advantage of rapid software development tools, such as Microsoft Visual Basic. For hobbyist programmers or corporate software development teams, selecting EPSON Developers from the Technical Support page or heading straight to http://www.epsondevelopers.com/ will take you to an area rich in support. Whether you’re programming for Windows, Apple OSX, Linux or the Sony Playstation 2, there is a ready source of reference guides, thirdparty links and Software Development Kits. Technology That Matters Finding out what makes your EPSON product“tick”is one of the best ways of getting the most out of its capabilities. For users interested in understanding what it is that makes EPSON products so versatile and powerful, then the Technology News section of the site is an absolute must. To get there, simply click on the What’s New button that will be at the top of most of the site’s pages. This will take you to a page with the following links: ■ Press Releases ■ New Products ■ Technology News ■ Press Reviews ■ EPSONow Magazine Of course, we can’t resist the temptation to point out that previous editions of EPSONow magazine are always available for download or on-line viewing once you click the EPSONow Magazine link. On from that, though, clicking on the Technology News entry will take you immediately to a page from where you can easily unearth information about many of EPSON’s unique technologies. Actually, one of the reasons we decided to give this area some focus in this article is the amount of information it contains about lightfastness. This is an important issue for many users of EPSON inkjet printers and EPSON has actually gone to some length to provide accurate information on how lightfastness ratings are calculated. The Contact Support/Service page and query form is always there and is very simple to fill out, if you ever need any help with an EPSON product More Surfing In the next edition of EPSONow, we will take a look at product areas on the Web site and also try to get EPSON Australia’s E-Business Manager, Andrew Pettigrew, along with some of his staff members, to talk about what they have in store for the future. Find out about the latest technologies that are incorporated in to EPSON’s products on the ‘Technology News’ page EPSONow | 39 EPSON ONLINE Welcome to the Club IF YOU HAPPEN to have logged on to the EPSON Web site (www.epson.com.au) recently, you may have noticed a new link to Club EPSON. Designed to provide EPSON users with insights on new ways to use their EPSON products, shop online and share digital images, Club EPSON is already proving to be one of the hottest and most popular areas created on-line by EPSON Australia. Consisting of four sub-sites — PhotoStation, Creative Corner, Shop Online, and Competitions and Promotions, Club EPSON is focused on interaction, creativity and entertainment for everyone. Aside from being free, joining is as simple as completing the on-line membership form and selecting which of the four sub-sites you would like to access. You can select all four or just the specific one, two or three that interest you. If you’re already a member, then don’t forget to enter the latest competitions — you have to be in it to win it! I PhotoStation (www.photostation.epson.com.au) In the PhotoStation sub-site there’s quick and easy access to your own on-line photo albums. Once logged in to PhotoStation you can upload your images then paste them into your photo albums 40 | EPSONow to which you can invite family and friends from all over the world to view. Within the Photo Fun section of the PhotoStation sub-site, there are another two options available. The first is the ability to send an E-card with a selected photo from your album(s) to someone special. This can be easily activated by selecting a photo, entering an e-mail address and message for the e-card’s recipient and, of course, sending it. The second option is the ability to frame and edit your images. The PhotoStation site has plenty of frame designs to choose from, and it’s a collection that continues to grow. Shop Online (www.experience.epson.com.au) demand some break in the monotony. So, why not be a little creative and log on to the Creative Corner sub-site? The activities on this site are aimed at all age groups, with puzzles, games, activities and drawings for the whole family. There are six specific sections within this site, such as holidays and event activities; kids corner; photo craft; home and office; cards and stationery; and puzzles and games. These sections offer great ways to use your EPSON printers to have some fun — and keep the kids out of your hair for a while. Whether you chose to download EPSON’s activities or create your own similar activities, it’s all in the name of fun. Competitions and Promotions (www.competitions.clubepson.com.au) EPSON manufactures a large range of products and the company realises that for many people, purchasing on-line can make life a great deal easier. So if you are searching for a specific EPSON product, the Shop Online sub-site can well be your best option. Consumables, Multi-Function Printers and printer accessories are all featured and available for you to purchase. There is also a technical department to assist you with any queries you may have in regard to suitable products and how to use and understand them. When it comes to selecting the right paper and ink for the right printer and application, the technical department is there to inform you of the available applications to best benefit your prints. Creative Corner (www.creativecorner.clubepson.com.au) Whether you’re stuck in the office during your lunch break or at home with the kids on a rainy school holiday, both scenarios almost When you are a member of Club EPSON, you have the opportunity to win EPSON products by entering the Club’s competitions. The Club regularly draws winners for the colouring-in and photo competitions and all you have to do is print and colour-in the competition image or send in a photo of the specified theme, printed on EPSON paper. Promotions on this sub-site also offer you the chance to receive EPSON products associated with an EPSON product that you may have just recently purchased. Over the months Club EPSON has run a number of promotions, which include free ink cartridges and even free LCD Preview Monitors for certain STYLUS PHOTO printers. Support Is Strong EPSON Australia’s E-Business Manager, Andrew Pettigrew, is overwhelmed by the response Club EPSON has received. “The number of Club EPSON members has doubled in the last few months, which is extremely positive for the Club,” he said. “It also shows us that we’re heading in the right direction with the site as well as giving us strong encouragement to devote even more effort to expand on what is proving to be one of our most well-received online initiatives.” When EPSONow asked Pettigrew what new features we could expect to see on Club EPSON he nodded in the direction of his team of Web developers and said:“If I let the cat out of the bag right now, those people would probably string me up. You’ll just have to keep checking in and see for yourself.” EPSONow | 41 USING EPSON The Inkjet Printer MARKETING POTENTIAL Whether for products or services, brochures are proven to be a highly effective marketing tool. In small business, just as in big business, brochures serve to inform potential and existing customers of the services and products your company offers. THE PROBLEM IS, of course, that they can cost a fairly substantial amount to print, especially if only a small amount is required. This is where using professional printers can be far too expensive. In most cases, a professional printer will charge the same amount for 100 copies of a document as it does for 1,000 — but there’s good reason for this. Most of the money is charged for setting up the presses and the paper and ink are almost negligible in comparison. You could of course use one of the many T 42 | EPSONow quick printing outlets, but if you’re after truly professional results, such as full gloss and edge-to-edge printing, it might prove somewhat difficult. There can be little doubt in anyone’s mind that desktop printing has come an enormously long way during the last several years. Clunky, slow printers of dubious quality have been replaced by new models with print speeds rivalling many laser printers, incredibly high resolution and brilliant colour reproduction. Along with this are specialty papers ranging from almost pure white right through to rolls of premium glossy photo paper. Actually, it’s extremely easy to set yourself up with a high quality, versatile colour printer for less than it costs to have one print job of 100 brochures done by a printing house. The Benefits By using a desktop inkjet printer to create your own marketing documents, the benefits start to pile up at a surprising rate. While some may be fairly obvious, others are less so, but just as important. BUDGET CONTROL: As stated earlier in the article, professional printing can cost a fair amount of money even before the first page is printed. Printing your marketing materials on the desktop printer will mean you’re paying only for the ink and the paper used in creating the precise number of copies you need. DEMAND CONTROL: Getting ready for a meeting means having everything on hand to make it a success. Marketing materials are often used in such instances and running out of stock can present more than just a minor problem. With the ability to print professional marketing documents on-demand, availability should never be a problem. TOTAL CONTROL: Change is a constant; and in business it seems to be even more so. Even a minor change, such as a telephone number, product name or address, often means brochures and other printed materials need to be adjusted and reprinted. Marketing Documents Just about everywhere you look today, there are brochures and other documents being used by companies to bring their services and products to the attention of customers; and in all but a few cases, these can be prepared and printed quickly within the office or even at home. POSTCARD MAILOUTS: The great thing about postcards is that everyone reads them. Whether your goal is to advertise your business or a special event, a postcard is an essential and effective marketing tool. As time is money in any business, fewer people have time to waste opening promotional envelopes. However postcards make it easy for everyone to read your material because it is easy to pass around and therefore is read by more people. GIFT VOUCHERS: Gift vouchers are a great way of getting customers to return to your business. In the case of small businesses giving out gift vouchers, it is a way of personalising the customers’ association to the business and making them feel special. If the gift voucher is aesthetically pleasing, be it through its design and finally its printing, it will appear more important and valuable to the customer. LEAFLETS: Leaflets are simple and inexpensive marketing tools for informing a large number of people about a company. Leaflets can be used for advertising, price lists, information spreading, communicating ideas or supplying helpful information to customers and the general public. Bear in mind, though, leaflets dropped in mailboxes will need to be very durable to withstand rough handling and even moisture. It may prove worthwhile to consider using EPSON DURABrite INK for this particular purpose. Some Suggestions In developing your own marketing materials, there are a number of suggestions that can make the entire process easier and more cost-effective: 1. Explore the desktop publishing potential of your word processor before heading off to purchase a fully-featured desktop publishing program. Word processors, such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, have been developed with an enormous range of page layout features. In most cases, you’ll find they are more than suitable for preparing brochures. 1. work was shown to various people outside the company who were unaware of the brochures’ origins, every comment followed along the lines of: “Where did you get this printed? The quality is great!” If in doubt as to the suitability of a certain paper for your EPSON printer, it’s a simple matter to visit the EPSON Australia Web site (http://www.epson.com.au), click through to your printer and check for compatible papers. 3. Don’t fall into the trap of believing cheap is better. In every edition of EPSONow we push the fact that the best results can only be achieved by using genuine EPSON inks and papers. This edition is no exception. Quite aside from genuine ink being one of the easiest ways to protect the precision Micro Piezo print head, these inks have been designed specifically to work with different types of papers. 4. Use colour carefully. Colour can be extremely effective in marketing brochures, but it can be all too easy to go overboard with its use. The main purpose of a brochure or leaflet is to tell the reader your message. Colour and graphics should complement the message but not be the overpowering elements. If in doubt, seek professional advice or search the Web for guides on the use of colour in marketing documents. 5. Take advice and suggestions from other people. It’s very easy to convince yourself that the brochure or leaflet you have designed is absolutely perfect, when in fact it may well be quite the opposite. Just as you should experiment with colour and paper, experiment also with people. By showing your preliminary efforts to other people, you will receive some excellent feedback by way of their immediate reactions and possible suggestions. If two out of three people seem to recoil at the design or the way in which something has been written, that should be your warning bell that some adjustments are called for. 6. Print your brochures to meet demand. It can often be tempting to print out a large number of brochures in a single job. If demand isn’t there to go through them quickly, then hold back and adopt a Justin-Time process. Changes that need to be made to the brochures can mean you are left with a useless stack of outdated, inaccurate documents. 3. 4. 5. Printing marketing documents on an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO printer 2. Experiment with different papers for the best results. EPSON’s range of inkjet papers is extremely comprehensive and each has been designed for specific applications. Having said that, though, don’t be afraid to try something different. A brochure for which you may only require 50 copies can be cost-effectively printed on EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper. At EPSONow we tried this on both an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 935 and EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 830U. When the finished 2. 6. EPSONow | 43 CASE STUDY EPSON STYLUS Printers in Craft – WINDFLOWER EMBROIDERY Since 1989 Windflower Embroidery has made quite a name for itself by providing embroidery enthusiasts and professionals with a wide range of kits, materials and accessories. In 1999, with the success of its mail order business overshadowing that of its retail operations, the company’s owner, Jan Kertin, changed Windflower to a 100 per cent mail order model. The Extra Dimension A AMONG WINDFLOWER’S most popular products are kits for embroidery and stumpwork (raised embroidery). These kits, which are all produced entirely by Windflower, are highly regarded around the world for their incredible attention to detail and strong use 44 | EPSONow of colour. With orders coming in from right across Australia and overseas from places that include Botswana and even Iceland, Kertin has long recognised the importance of providing clear, concise and detailed instructions for each of Windflower’s kits. “This is particularly important when it comes to stumpwork,” she said.“Because of the three-dimensional nature of this type of embroidery, my customers often need to see colour images of what the end result should be.” Unfortunately, even with the services of a local printer, getting the results she wanted for her kits’ instruction sheets was something Kertin rarely achieved. “The main issue was that the quality of prints simply didn’t accentuate the detail that goes into creating such beautiful pieces of embroidery,” she said. Crisp Colours for Craft Already relying on her personal computer to create the master documents for the instruction sheets, Kertin decided to assess the viability of producing her own sheets in-house. After visiting a local retail outlet and being shown the high-quality printing results afforded by various EPSON STYLUS printers, she purchased two — an A4 model and an A3 EPSON STYLUS 1290. “I use my EPSON printers to do the master copies of the instructions, which are then used by a colour copy store to print out the number of copies I need,” Kertin said. “Most importantly, I can show the copy store staff exactly what the result should be — accurate, crisp colours and extremely fine detail.” her home town of Surry Hills, Melbourne, is par for the course. With her A3 EPSON STYLUS printer, Kertin regularly prints out detailed and precise scans of photographs and embroideries she has done. When used in her classes and demonstrations, these prints prove invaluable in showing students exactly how their final embroideries should look. “Because of the extremely accurate colour reproduction I get with the printers, they represent an amazingly valuable teaching tool,” she said. “The colour accuracy means the prints are virtually perfect, right down to the finest detail.” A Vital Teaching Aid Cost Effective and Professional Embroidery has a large interest base around the world, with a large teaching circuit in the USA through the Smocking Arts Guild and Embroiderers’ Guild of America. For Kertin, who is a highly sought after speaker and instructor, preparing notes and presentations for courses she runs twice a year in the US as well as those in A commonly held misconception of the craft industry is that it is a “cottage industry”. For Kertin, ensuring Windflower Embroidery is excluded from this means presenting her company as a highly professional business. In this, her EPSON printers play a major part. “The printers have helped in giving my business a very professional image by giving me the ability to print diagrams, photos and text of the highest quality,” she said. With the EPSON printers playing such an important part in Windflower’s success, reliability and ease-of-maintenance are essential. According to Kertin, one of the most effective ways in which she ensures these is by using genuine EPSON inks only. “I really don’t want to take the risk with inks that haven’t been designed to work with my printers,” she said. “And first-hand experience has shown me that by sticking with the EPSON inks, I rarely have to clean the printhead, which means I’m saving ink, time and money. “My printers are very reliable. I give them a hard life as I use them all day, every day. They haven’t missed a beat and I know I am going to be keeping them for quite some time.” For further information on Windflower Embroidery, visit www.windflowerembroidery.com EPSONow | 45 USING EPSON Hands On with EPSON — The Birthday Party One of the great things about owning an EPSON inkjet printer is that when it comes to creativity, the sky is the limit. In this and future editions of EPSONow we will include articles to help you express this creativity, have some fun and even save time and money. S SO IF YOU THOUGHT your EPSON printer was just for printing photographs and documents, then maybe it’s time to read this article and reconsider. For the first in our ongoing Hands On With EPSON articles we have developed a series of projects that can make a child’s birthday party fun even before it starts. The Invitations The first of the birthday party projects that we’ll be using our EPSON printer for is the invitation; and there are some marvellous resources out there to really get the ball rolling. Just a few of those that we at EPSONow like to use are: 46 | EPSONow Club EPSON: (http://www.clubepson.com.au) — This is a site that is growing all the time with great activities for parties. You will need to be a Club EPSON member before you access this site though, so to find out how to join, read our Club EPSON article on page 40. The Microsoft Template Gallery: (http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/ TemplateGallery) — this is particularly good for users of Microsoft Word. Once at the site, select the Stationery, Labels and Cards option, then Cards and Invitations from the next screen. Suggestions If you will be including photographs on the invitation, consider using one of EPSON’s photographic papers, such as Matte Paper, Heavyweight or Photo Quality Glossy Paper. When you do this, ensure you select the correct paper from the printer driver’s Media Type drop down list. Invitations can take a variety of forms, from single-sided to folded (much like a traditional greeting card). Whichever format you decide to use, do a test run to make sure you’ve placed the elements correctly. This is especially true of folded cards. 1 2 Colouring-In (Our Favourite) TREAT BAGS Well, I have to admit that with three daughters (aged When it came to doing the treat 3, 7 and 14), colouring-in seems to be one of the most bags, we threw caution to popular activities at our house; and to be quite honest, the wind and purchased I’m really not that keen on many of the colouring-in different coloured organza books on the market. drawstring bags. For parties, I find colouring-in contests can be one The result was actually of the best ways to keep the kids quiet while I calm my quite striking with a stark shattered nerves. white background to the Regardless of the age of your children there is an transferred image. As is enormous number of Web sites that feature some great the case with all these colouring-in downloads. For my two younger daughhands-on exercises, ters, the most popular is: http://www.abc.net.au/ experimentation is often the children/games/default.htm. key to success. Don’t be Along with many other activities, there are some great Print and Colour downloads featuring my afraid to try different materials and different ways of doing personal, I mean my daughters’ personal favourite, things. Bananas in Pyjamas. One of the great things about this particular activity is that it costs so little to set up. After all, it will generally require only a minimal amount of the printer’s black ink. Another fabulous site, especially for those of us who can’t get enough of the classic Looney Tunes1 visit the home pages of our favourite television shows, movies or production houses then search around to see if they have activities characters is: http://looneytunes.warnerbros.com/looney_library/ for children. library_activitylist.html In most cases the colouring-in pages on the Web will be graphic files that can be either printed straight from the Web Suggestions browser or saved to disk for printing later. For the latter, Finding loads of colouring-in files on the Web to download simply right-click on the image and select Save Picture As… from and print is quite easy. It just needs a bit of effort, but the the menu. Then select the appropriate folder and click the Save results can be fabulous. One of the best methods we use is to button. If the children (or grownups) will be using feltPLACEMATS tip pens, then it’s best to use EPSON Bright White Inkjet Paper. This is a double-sided paper For the placemats, we decided to use EPSON Photo Quality and weighs in at 90gsm, which is ideal for both pencils Inkjet Paper; one of the reasons for this choice was that it gave and felt-tips. us extremely high quality photo reproduction. To add strength and durability to the finished product we then took them to a large stationery outlet and had them laminated for the children Cloth Treat Bags to be able to do the puzzle. We purchased some special pencils What’s a party without a treats bag for the children? from the same outlet that could be used on the laminate, While there is some debate around the EPSONow yet easily wiped off. office as to whether it should be lollies or more healthy treats, at least everyone agrees that a treats bag is essential. There are a couple of methods for creating treat bags, but for this article we’ll take a shortcut and still turn out some treat bags that are really impressive. To start you’ll require some small cloth bags that can either be whipped up on the sewing machine or bought from a haberdashery outlet (best to do some phoning around first). They don’t need to be fancy, by the way. Next, some EPSON Iron-On Transfer Paper. With these on-hand: Use your favourite graphics programme to create an A4-sized (or smaller) image you would like to have on the treat bag. Add some extras to make it more memorable. This could include a photo of the birthday girl or boy, or even the name of the child for whom the treat bag is being made. 1 2 3 1 2 EPSONow | 47 USING EPSON Print the image on the EPSON Iron-On Transfer Paper and follow the instructions that are included with the paper to transfer the image from the paper to the cloth bag. Too simple! 3 Fun Place Mats GREAT ADVENTURE CARDS Given that the great adventure cards were to be printed on both sides, we used EPSON Double Sided Archival Matte Paper which gave us two sided printing along with a strong card finish. If you really want a glossy photo finish on the cards, you can always use an EPSON glossy photo paper and hand write your clues on the reverse side. To avoid damaging the print though, we suggest you use a felt tip pen. It doesn’t seem to matter what age the partygoers are, they’re bound to make a mess at the table. For my three-year old, Katelyn’s upcoming birthday I decided to make some placemats, which really turned up quite a treat. Once again, your own imagination is the only limiting factor here. In creating Katelyn’s party mats I thought it would be fun to make them a little interactive by adding in some activities. Here’s how they can be done: Using either a word processor that can manage graphics and text, a graphics programme or — if you have one — a desktop publishing programme, start a new A4-sized document/image session. Start by creating a colourful border around the edge of the file. Make sure it’s colourful to grab the attention of even the most sulky partygoer. Add some fun extras, such as a join-the-dots puzzle, a small colouring in picture, or a Find-a-Word puzzle. (If you’re going to laminate the mats, you will need to provide each child with some pencils or markers that can be used on the laminate material.) Print the mats on either EPSON Photo Quality Inkjet Paper or EPSON Bright White Inkjet Paper. 1 2 3 4 5 Pay a quick visit to a store that can provide a laminating service and ask them to laminate each of the placemats. A Great Adventure Everyone should have their favourite cartoon characters; and they can make the basis of a great game — a great adventure to be more precise. The goal of the Great Adventure is to have the children INVITATIONS Rather than going to the effort of designing our own party invitations, we downloaded a number of invitation PDF files from the Club EPSON Web site. After testing the results on various papers, we opted for EPSON Matte Paper-Heavyweight. This gave us a sturdy card-like invitation that had a much more authentic look and feel to it than with the other papers we tested. locate hidden cards, which contain clues that will eventually lead them to the location of the ultimate prize — a toy of some sort. The cards themselves are two-sided, with one side having a picture of a cartoon character and the other, a clue to the prize’s location. The best part is that this game can be played inside or outside. Here’s How Start by searching the Internet for pictures of the cartoon characters to be printed on the cards — about four to six should do the trick. Once located, save them to your hard drive by right-clicking on image and selecting Save Picture As… from the menu. Select the appropriate folder and click the Save button. The idea is to print four cards per A4 sheet, so this is where EPSON PhotoQuicker will come in handy. After you select the first four card characters, click the Next button to move to Select a Print Layout. Once there, click on the paper size and layout to suit your needs, then Next once more to select the paper type. On the issue of paper type, you should bear in mind that as you will be printing on both sides of the paper, EPSON Double Sided Matte Paper may well prove to the best option. Once all your card sheets have been printed it’s time to run them through the printer once more, but this time on the reverse side. This is where the clues to the ultimate prize will be printed, so take some time to make sure they’re not too difficult for the youngsters. Simply use any word processor and type in your clues, making sure they are positioned so as to be printed squarely on the back of the cartoon characters. All that’s left to do now is cut the cards and distribute them around the area to be searched. Oh, and don’t forget to put the prize where it should be. 1 2 3 4 1 LOONEY TUNES, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros 48 | EPSONow IF IT WERE A CAR, IT WOULD BE A FERRARI BUT IT’S A PROJECTOR, SO IT’S AN EPSON The EMP-S1 projector from EPSON Renowned EPSON Colour Technology • 1200 ANSI Lumens Compact • Lightweight 3.2kg • Digital Keystone Correction • DVD, DTV, HDTV Compatible • Full Help Functionality • On Screen Menu www.epson.com.au Product names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and/or registered trademarks of the respective companies. Copyright 2003 EPSON Australia Pty. Limited 3 Talavera Road Macquarie Park NSW 2113 www.epson.com.au Phone: 1800 652 726 Published by Australian Corporate Writing Pty Ltd www.acw.com.au Phone: (02) 4333 6700