Epson Epson Stylus Pro 5500 Print Engine Technical Brief

Epson Print Engine Technical Brief - Epson Stylus Pro 5500 Print Engine.
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EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.  

Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contents

EPSON Archival™ Inks are used in the professional "P"-series EPSON Stylus Photo printers and in select models 
of the professional graphics EPSON Stylus Pro models.  This technical brief will provide detailed information 
on the following topics:   

EPSON Archival Ink Technology

EPSON Archival Ink Technology—Comparison of different types of ink

EPSON Archival Ink Technology uses pigment inks, but includes a breakthrough technology that combines the 
advantages of conventional pigment inks with the advantages of dye inks.  The key differences between the 
types of inks are:   

Comparison of different types of ink
EPSON MicroCrystal Encapsulation Technology

High lightfastness, over 100 
years

Poor to excellent 
lightfastness

Conventional Pigment Inks

Dye Inks

Lightfastness

Highly stable, with nominal 
short-term color shifting

Short-Term Stability

Good stability, with minimal 
short-term color shifting 

Waterfastness

Very waterfast

Waterfast on many specialty 
papers (not plain paper)

Color Gamut and 

Gloss

Lowest color gamut and 
dull (no gloss) prints due to 
uneven reflection and high 
scattering

Superb color gamut and 
gloss due to even reflection 
of inks from the paper

Typical use

Wide format ink jet printer 
market for outdoor signage;  
NOT optimal for 
photography

Standard with desktop ink 
jet printers; photography, 
presentations, artwork, etc.

Durability

Susceptible to scratching 
because pigment particles sit 
on top of the paper

Extremely durable, since 
inks are absorbed into the 
paper

Media choices

Limited media selection: 
limited to signage media 
only

Greatest media selection: 
plain, matte, and RC photo 
and high gloss paper types

Key Differences

EPSON Archival Inks

Photography (Fine Art and 
Print for Pay) and wide 
format ink jet printer market 
where archival printing and 
Photo Quality output is 
required

High lightfastness, over 100 
years

Highly stable, with nominal 
short-term color shifting

Extremely waterfast

Superb color gamut and 
gloss due to even reflection 
of inks when using EPSON 
RC (Resin Coated) media

Good durability because 
pigments are coated with 
resin and are fixed on 
specialty media 

Wide media selection: 
matte, watercolor, and RC  
photo type papers

As the chart indicates, the EPSON Archival Inks combine the lightfastness, short-term stability, and waterfastness 
advantages of conventional pigment inks with the color gamut, durability, and wide media selection advantages 
of dye inks.

1

Lightfastness ratings over 100 years before noticeable fading occurs, under a glass frame in normal indoor fluorescent lighting conditions, 
when using Epson Archival Inks and Epson Fine Art Papers.  Lightfastness ratings based on accelerated testing of prints on EPSON special 
media, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary according to image, display conditions, light intensity, humidity, and 
atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee longevity of prints. Ratings do not estimate the durability of the paper itself. For 
maximum print life, display all prints under glass or laminations or properly store them. 

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