The device, the firm’s star of the show on its booth (Hall 7, Stand K-35), can be used with sublimation papers to produce textiles such as clothing, sportswear and home furnishings, as well as soft signage and flags.
The 1.6m-wide machine prints at 720x1440dpi at speeds of up to 97sqm/hr in draft mode, 56sqm/hr in production mode and 27sqm/hr in quality mode.
The printer, which has two high-capacity ink supply systems, features Epson’s PrecisionCore technology and two TFP printheads, which work in tandem with the manufacturer’s newly launched high-density black ink.
HDK Black Ink is a new addition to the UltraChrome DS ink range, which has been developed for use in textile printing to produce deep, neutral blacks and dense shadows.
Epson said the SC-F9200 requires low maintenance and cleaning due to the use of the UltraChrome DS inks.
Epson Europe senior product manager Richard Barrow said: “The SC-F9200 sits at the top of the SureColor F-Series as the flagship product; it is the fastest, most productive machine that we are making within the range.
“Epson realises how important it is for our customers to keep their overall printing costs down. With the SC-F9200, it is easy to achieve a very low cost per square metre thanks to the high-capacity ink tanks and Epson UltraChrome DS ink.”
Barrow added that the new HDK Black Ink requires less ink to create dense, neutral blacks, which helps to reduce the overall ink consumption compared to results achieved with the UltraChrome DS ink-set using normal black ink.
“HDK Black Ink has been developed alongside the launch of the new production printer specifically because it’s suitable for textile production and the wants and needs of the textile market, be that domestic textile production, fashion or apparel.”
The SureColor SC-F9200 will be commercially available from October 2015. Pricing for the device is as yet unconfirmed.
Epson has also debuted its new DS Transfer Multipurpose Paper, a dye-sublimation transfer paper that is suitable for low-to-medium producers of rigid materials.
The paper, which is available in long rolls and designed specifically for decorative ink transfer to hard substrates, can be used to apply decorative inks to aluminium photographic plates, iPhone cases, ceramic tiles, mugs and wood and can also work with polyester-based textiles.
“We’re very excited about this new crop of products because it takes us to the next step in terms of an offering for production in textile,” said Barrow.
