Epson wide format printers win Good Design Awards

Eight Epson printers, including five that are available in Australia and New Zealand, recently won a Good Design Award.

The Good Design Award was founded in 1957 and is aimed at enriching lives and society through design.

The Espon SureColor R5000 and SureColor R5000L resin ink printers, which are used for wallpaper and signage production and can be used to print on a wide variety of media, each took out an award.

These are the first printers in Epson’s SureColor series to use resin ink. The high-capacity ink packs reduce maintenance time and, when empty, take up 90 per cent less storage space than used cartridges. A wide window and LED lighting allow users to quickly check prints, and a resin exterior is used for the parts operated by people for their safety.

The Good Design Award judges said: “This is a high-performance machine with a design that is well organised. The large viewing window, which is in the centre of the dark tone body and can be illuminated by a light inside the printer and the touch panel are inclined for both good visibility and operability.

“The quick-drying resin ink is water-based instead of organic solvent-based, and the high-capacity ink packs exhibit design excellence, offering high-level features, usability and environmental performance. With the ability to alternate between two packs of the same colour on the SC-R5000L, the ink packs can be hot swapped without interrupting printing. They also generate 50% less waste than cartridges.”

The other winners including the SureColor T7760D and SureColor P8560D large format inkjet printers, which are used for CAD, photo and point of purchase applications.

Epson T7700 series

Epson kept their depth within 500mm, making these printers ideal for printing and processing even in limited spaces, such as in the back of small shops. The sides and back are flat so that the units can be installed flush against walls.

They also have a perfectly flat top and height which makes them useful as a worktable. The design is the same as that used for office printers so that they fit into their surroundings.

The judges said: “These large-format, six-colour pigment ink inkjet printers support B0+ paper and have an exceptionally well-thought-out, polished design.

“Epson not only considered usability but also where and how they would be installed. The sides and top are flat, and most operations can be performed from the front. With all sides flat except the front, the printers can fit perfectly flush against the wall on three sides.

“This feature is apparent in the appearance of the products themselves. These printers can be placed back-to-back in the middle of a room to create an island that can be used as a worktable, thanks to the perfectly flat top. Some other interesting design ideas have also been implemented, such as an LED that is provided inside a black peephole in the centre of the top so that you can see prints in progress.”

Next on the winners list was the SureLab D1060 commercial photo printer. Epson says this minilab printer is loaded with features required by professional photofinishing services.

The box shape enables multiple units to fit neatly on shop counters. The new duplex feeder allows users to perform double-sided cut printing in addition to roll paper printing as on the SL-D1060’s predecessor.

Epson SureLab D1060 minilab for photofinishing

Epson says the use of ink packs increases the amount of available ink by 25% and reduced the amount of space needed to store used ink by about 55%.

The judges said: “The printer is designed such that limited space can be used efficiently. In the vertical direction, the operation panel is tilted back at an angle so that it can be operated even when objects are stacked on the unit. In the horizontal direction, meanwhile, all maintenance tasks can be performed from the front so that there is no need to access the sides. The use of high-capacity ink packs reduces both labour and waste. It is apparent that this product was designed based on careful research and analysis of the usage environment.”

Good Design Award product winners for Epson:

  • SureColor T7760D and SureColor P8560D 44 inch large format inkjet printers for CAD, photo and POP applications.
  • SureLab D1060 commercial photo printer – a minilab printer required by professional photofinishing services.
  • SureColor R5000 and SureColor R5000L resin ink printers – first printers in Epson’s SureColor range to use resin ink and suitable for wallpaper and large sign production.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required

Advertisement

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Advertisement