10-year light fastness

Epson's new range of Stylus Photo printers (the Stylus Photo 870, 875DC & 1270) now allow images to be printed with the assurance that they will not fade over a period in excess of 10 years. To achieve this important breakthrough EPSON have combined several new technologies used in the manufacture of paper media and ink.

EPSON Premium Glossy Photo paper is a new photographic media introduced for the Stylus Photo 870, 875DC and 1270 printers which features a specially developed ink absorbing layer. When used with the specialised dye ink formulation available with the new "Intellidge™" ink cartridges, images with a light fastness in excess of 10 years can be printed. In addition, the same 10 year light fastness can be achieved with EPSON's existing range of Matte paper - Heavyweight.

The combination of new media and ink cartridges combined with EPSON's award winning Perfect Picture Imaging System, allows you to print your images with photographic realism at 1440 dpi resolution and store them safely for you to enjoy well into the future.

The Intellidge™ (intelligent cartridge) cartridge offers improved print quality, flexibility and reliability with the EPSON Stylus Photo 870, 875DC and Stylus Photo 1270 ink jet printers. These cartridges offer enhanced features and provide significant benefits to the user: Improved ink formulation leads to 10-year light fastness The cartridge can be removed or replaced even when not fully empty, allowing for example a new full cartridge to be installed before commencing a long print job. The original cartridge can be replaced when the job is completed Ink levels are accurately measured and can inform through the Status Monitor how many pages are left based on previous usage. Misfiring is prevented as it is impossible to accidentally replace the cartridge with an empty one

The Intellidge™ cartridges are available as single or double pack black cartridges and 5 colour single cartridges.

	Premium Glossy Photo Paper is available in A4, A3 and A3+ sizes and 100 mm roll. It features a new resin coating that provides a feel and texture almost identical to that of photographic media. It also has rapid drying and improved water-fastness, providing minimal bleeding even when the image is saturated. When printing on 100 mm roll, full edge-to-edge printing without the need for margins is supported.

Light fastness - the light fastness of printed images is influenced by a range of different factors, the most important of which are:
	Light - natural or artificial; high or low powered Humidity - the levels of moisture in the atmosphere Temperature

In order to establish an accurate measurement for light fastness, EPSON have established stringent test conditions which have been used to establish an accurate 10 year figure. The test conditions are as follows:

• White Fluorescent Indoor Lighting @ 70,000 lux
• The image is displayed in a glass frame 2 mm thick with a 2 mm air layer (without UV filter)
• Temperature 24°C
  
• Humidity 60%