Epson is one of the most popular printer brands sold in the UK today and has a wide range of models that suit everyone from the occasional home user to the demanding photographic studio. Epson have a long pedigree when it comes to printer ink technology, having launched their first ink cartridge in 1993 using Micro Piezoelectric Drop on Demand (DOD) technology in the print head. Something designed by their in-house engineering teams. By using a Piezoelectric DOD technology in their inkjet printers, Epson has been able to develop a wider variety of inks than the “Thermal Drop on Demand” technologies used by their rivals Hewlett Packard and Canon. This is because Epson do not have to use any volatile liquid components in the droplet phase of the printing process.

Another spin off from this is Epson inkjet printers are not as susceptible to print head blockages due to a build-up of ink residue. In addition Epson Micro Piezoelectric print heads allow for Variable Size Droplet Technology (VSDT). Modern Epson inkjets can trigger precisely sized drops of ink, in up to five different sizes. This allows the document text or printed image to be sharper looking with better tonal transitions.

About Epson Printers

Epson printers are designed and manufactured by a Japanese corporation called the Seiko Group, of which there are three core companies: Seiko Holdings Corp, Seiko Instruments Inc., and Seiko Epson Corp which is often shortened to Epson. The corporation was setup in 1942 with 22 employees based in a small building making watch parts. By the late 1950's they had established themselves as quality watch makers and became the official time keeper for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It was during this event that the need for a way to print the official timings became apparent and so the corporation decided to design and build an electronic printer, and in 1968 the world's first mini electric printer EP101 was born. Epson printer inks first appeared on the market in 1993 with the release of the Epson Stylus 800 cartridge. This Epson black ink cartridge was a major leap forward in inkjet technology as it incorporated a new print head using Piezoelectric technology - invented in the Epson labs. In 1994 Epson released the Stylus Colour P860A inkjet printer, their second inkjet, which really established the company and their printer business grew rapidly from then on.

Epson all-in-one devices These are the so called multi-function devices that offer printing, copying, scanning and sometimes faxing too. An Epson all-in-one is much more than a printer. These devices are very popular with small businesses or for use in a home office. Epson Single Function printers These are printers, they are the work horses in the Epson range, they offer great quality and reliable output with no extra features.

Epson Wide Format printers For professional quality prints, a wide format printer is ideal. Wide format printers get their name from their ability to handle paper that is larger than A4; perfect for printing posters and artwork.

Epson Compact Photo printers Dubbed the "personal photo lab", these printers have a smaller footprint and are designed to be easy to move around; ideal for printing photos, these devices usually accept just photo sized paper and not A4.