As the global inkjet printing market continues to grow and printing technology progress drives market development, Seiko Epson has identified its own advantages and actively seized market opportunities. It recently announced that Tohoku Epson Corporation will invest approximately 5.1 billion yen (approximately 240 million yuan) to build a new inkjet print head production plant. The new plant will be built on the existing site of Tohoku Epson Corporation in Japan. Construction is scheduled to start on June 15, 2024 and is expected to be completed in September 2025. It is expected that this new plant will expand print head production capacity of Tohoku Epson Corporation to four times the current level.

Epson PrecisionCore Printing Technology: Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development

As the "heart" of the printing machine, the print head determines the overall printing performance. Epson micro-piezoelectric inkjet printing technology leads users into a new era of digital printing. After 30 years, Epson has continuously innovated with its "saving, small, and precise" technical concept, from the launch of the "first generation" of inkjet print heads in 1984, to the establishment of "second generation" "micro-piezoelectric technology" in 1993, to the development of the "third generation" technology - "PrecisionCore micro-thin film piezoelectric printing chip" in 2013. Epson has continuously innovated and explored in the field of inkjet printing, opening up a faster, more precise, and more excellent digital industrial development path. Through continuous research, Epson has a large number patents of piezoelectric print head worldwide (as of July 27, 2023, Epson has 4,056 patents for piezoelectric print heads), and these technologies have been applied to Epson print head products.

As a revolutionary work of inkjet printing technology, Epson PrecisionCore printing technology has achieved a major technological breakthrough. It combines high-precision MEMS manufacturing processes, thin film piezoelectric (TFP), and years of inkjet technology and experience of Epson. This technology meets the needs of inkjet printing and opens up new markets. In addition to serial print heads, PrecisionCore also supports various print head configurations such as line print heads, so users can use it flexibly in different application scenarios. While increasing the printing speed, it also supports a variety of printing inks and media, providing excellent image quality for consumer, office, commercial and industrial printing scenarios, and taking inkjet printing to a new level.

Epson hopes to "change the world with inkjet technology". Driven by this desire, Epson continues to seek to change methods and ways of thinking. Epson inkjet printing technology, with mechanical inkjet droplets as the core, abandons the traditional heating method and realizes a new efficient and environmentally friendly printing experience. Its non-contact design allows ink to be freely applied to a variety of media, showing excellent ink compatibility and supporting a variety of ink options to meet different application needs. With the precise control of the PrecisionCore micro-piezoelectric print head, the diameter of each nozzle is about 1/5*2 of the diameter of an average person's hair, and up to 50,000 ink droplets can be ejected per second, ensuring high definition and delicate texture of the printed works. At the same time, Epson inkjet technology is also committed to the dual improvement of environmental protection and efficiency. The inkjet process without heating effectively reduces energy consumption and resource waste.

In the home and office fields, Epson Heat-Free cold printing technology has demonstrated its unique advantages. Compared with laser technology, this technology does not require heating of the fuser, and does not require preheating when turning on or waking up from sleep. Users can start printing immediately, saving time. At the same time, since the heating process is omitted, it power consumption is reduced by up to 90%, bringing users a greener and more environmentally friendly printing experience. In addition, after Epson inkjet printers adopt Heat-Free cold printing technology, fewer parts need to be replaced, reducing the cost of use and the probability of failure, and greatly reducing the amount of manual maintenance. In terms of print quality, this technology ensures clear and accurate printing effects by precisely controlling the size of ink droplets and the speed of injection. These features not only effectively help customers improve production efficiency and reduce costs, but also significantly reduce the burden on the environment, which is in line with the long-term goal of achieving social sustainable development. Epson hopes to realize value by enabling digital printing with PrecisionCore printing technology, improving productivity and reducing environmental impact, and replacing analog printing in various applications as much as possible. At the same time, PrecisionCore printing technology has also expanded the application boundaries of inkjet printing, and promoted the digital transformation process in many industrial fields such as printing and dyeing, textiles, advertising, logos, and packaging.

Epson Accelerates the Digital Transformation of the Global Printing Industry with Advanced Inkjet Printing Technology

In the field of commercial and industrial inkjet printers, as the demand for digital textile printing continues to increase, Epson provides customers with high-quality products and solutions with its industry-leading PrecisionCore printing technology. For example, the SureColor P20580 large-format printer exhibited at the 25th Shanghai International Photographic Equipment and Digital Imaging Exhibition is equipped with Epson PRECISIONCORE® Micro TFP micro-piezoelectric print head, which can not only accurately restore image details, but also improve the production efficiency of photo studios, copy shops and enterprises. In addition, the industrial-grade direct-injection digital printing machine Monna Lisa 13000, as a star product in the field of digital printing, adopts Epson PrecisionCore technology. In addition to having excellent stability and durability and adapting to long-term, high-intensity production needs, it also supports a variety of inks and media, providing users with a wider range of printing options to meet printing operations in different fields and with different needs. Its unique environmentally friendly technology and efficient production model will not only trigger innovations in textile printing technology worldwide, but will also bring a profound green revolution to China's textile and garment industry.

Epson also uses PrecisionCore printing technology to help the traditional printing industry achieve digital transformation. Compared with traditional processes, Epson digital printing process eliminates the analog printing plate, simplifies the printing process, reduces energy, water and material consumption, reduces waste and carbon emissions, and achieves efficient, economical and environmentally friendly printing. Epson digital printing solution can not only help companies shorten production cycles, but also improve their market acumen, improve corporate profitability, and lead companies to a greener and more efficient future. Currently, Epson is working with Yuima Nakasato, a famous Japanese fashion designer, to design and produce fashion using recycled fabrics from fashion waste, leading the green transformation of the textile and apparel industry with Epson advanced technology.

In addition, with the support of Epson PrecisionCore technology, not only does it make inkjet printing more possible, it also promotes the digital transformation of more industrial and industrial fields such as printing and dyeing, textiles, advertising, logos, and packaging, and even expands the possibilities of inkjet printing to a wide range of fields such as electronics and biotechnology applications.

Deepening "Technology + Localization", Inkjet Printing Business Goes Deeper into the Market of China

In China market, Epson inkjet printing technology, with its excellent performance and efficient printing solutions, not only meets the needs of office for high-efficiency and high-quality document output, but is also deeply loved by home users, becoming an ideal choice for many home printing works, photos and daily documents. In the high-end imaging industry, Epson Art Microjet® has become synonymous with high-end quality in the field of collection-level art reproduction and image output. Epson large-format printer has high color accuracy, wide color gamut, rich details, and by using Epson Art Microjet® technology, it fully improves the competitiveness of output quality and ensures a unified collection-level quality printing effect. At the same time, by restoring the beauty of art with high quality, it allows art works to go further and further on the road of commercialization, helping customers maximize their commercial value.

Epson Art Microjet®

More and more studios hope to join the family of Epson Art Microjet® certified studios, become high-quality partners officially certified by Epson, and comprehensively expand their own business value.

Over the years, based on a deep insight into the trend of digitalization and a precise grasp of the needs of the local market of China, Epson has keenly captured market opportunities and expanded its print head business to China industrial inkjet printing market, co-creating solutions with domestic partners that are more in line with the needs of local users. Since the official launch of the print head business in China market, Epson has strengthened its co-creation cooperation with excellent local board and Epson compatible ink suppliers to create solutions that are more in line with the usage scenarios of local users, thereby promoting the digital transformation of industries such as printing and dyeing, labels, and advertising.

In addition, given that digital printing has a significantly lower impact on the environment than traditional methods, this advantage is particularly important in the current social context of enhanced environmental awareness. With the expansion of printing application areas and the emergence of emerging demands, Epson is actively seeking partners to jointly promote open and innovative strategies.

Epson not only hopes to deepen its presence in China market, but is also committed to exploring the infinite possibilities of PrecisionCore technology, in order to maintain its leading position in the field of global printing technology and promote the industry to develop in a more environmentally friendly and efficient direction. In the future, Epson will unswervingly invest in R&D and innovation, and strive to promote breakthroughs and development in inkjet printing technology, meet market demand, lead technology to a higher level, bring more efficient and environmentally friendly printing solutions to various industries, and look forward to creating a better future with global partners.