The Japanese manufacturer plans to create whole product ranges around the new technology, and one of the first will be its new SurePress L-6034V/VW UV inkjet label press.

Announcing the expansion at the recent Labelexpo show, Minoru Usui, president of Epson, said: "PrecisionCore has the potential to place piezo inkjet as the dominant printing technology. We are just getting started. It can expand the scope of printing and open up new markets."

Usui said PrecisionCore combined simplicity, quality and speed thanks to the use of MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) and advanced piezo materials that are just one micron in thickness.

The heads can be arranged in modules, making them suitable for both desktop and industrial printing devices.

The SurePress L-6034V/VW was shown as a concept at Drupa as the SurePress ‘X’. It uses PrecisionCore in a linehead configuration. It is Epson’s first UV label press.

The €500,000 (£423,000) device will begin shipping next summer. It can print CMYK plus white, along with digital varnishing in flood or spot, matt or gloss effects.

The white ink facility is an option. In a standard configuration white would be applied first, but an optional rewind unit means it can also be applied last if required.

Duncan Ferguson, director of professional graphics at Epson Europe, said: "We are achieving an exceptionally smooth UV ink finish without the relief or lumpiness typical with other UV inks."

The SurePress can print onto paper as well as labelstock, and can also print onto "sensitive" substrates such as polyethylene thanks to its low energy usage.

It has a 330mm print width and runs at 15m/min, making it slower than competing devices.

However, Ferguson countered the speed aspect: "Rather than focus on speed, we focused on quality because there have been some reservations about UV inkjet quality overall.

"People get hung up on speed, without looking at the profit they can potentially make," he stated.

Epson’s new direct-to-garment printer also uses the PrecisionCore heads.