Epson Stylus CX4600, Stylus CX5200, Stylus CX6400, Stylus CX6600, Stylus C64 Technical Brief

Epson DURABrite Inks are an evolving pigment-based ink technology rst introduced in the Epson Stylus C80 ink
jet printer. DURABrite Inks are optimized for plain and matte papers, yet the newest formulation of DURABrite Inks
(currently featured in the Epson Stylus C66/C86/CX4600/CX6600) adds improved printing on glossy papers—especially on
the new DURABrite Ink Glossy Photo Paper. DURABrite Inks are featured in the Epson printers and all-in-ones designed
for dedicated productivity.

DURABrite Inks are water-, smudge-, and fade-resistant on all supported papers—plain, matte, and glossy. They are the
ideal solution for printing everyday text and image documents, yet also offer the exibility to print photos. DURABrite
Inks are useful where high quality, long-lasting output is desired.

This technical brief will provide detailed information on the goals and advantages of DURABrite Inks.

Goals of DURABrite Inks

DURABrite Inks are comprised of pigment-based inks. The goal of DURABrite Inks is to provide superb print quality,
water-resistance, and fade-resistance on a variety of media, including plain paper. The key differences among
conventional pigment ink, conventional dye ink, and DURABrite Inks are:

Key Differences Conventional Pigment Ink Conventional Dye Ink Epson DURABrite Inks

Characteristics

Color Gamut

Comprised of insoluble
pigment particles

Formed from color-forming,
water-soluble molecules

Comprised of insoluble
pigment particles

Poor Excellent Excellent on Plain and

Matte Papers; Very Good
on DURABrite Ink Glossy
Photo Paper, Good on other
glossy papers

Lightfastness

Water-Resistance

Media Selection

Pigment particles sink into
the valleys of the paper.
High scattering and uneven
light reection result in
reduced color gamut.

Excellent

Inks have excellent light­resistant properties.

Excellent

Pigment particles are
insoluble.

Poor

Not conducive to plain
paper printing due to poor
output quality on that
media; generally limited to

Coloring is high because ink
dyes the ber of the paper.
Light reects evenly off the
surface producing a superb
color gamut.

Fair to Good

The dye inks are dependent
on special paper to resist

.

fading.

Good

Inks are water-resistant on
many glossy photo papers
but not on matte papers.

Excellent

Widest media selection:
Plain, Matte, and RC (Resin
Coated) Photo and High
Gloss papers

Ink remains near the surface
of the paper so there is even
light reection, producing
an excellent color gamut.

Excellent

DURABrite Inks are
extremely light resistant,
even on plain paper.

Excellent

Inks are water-resistant on
a wide variety of media,
including plain paper.

Excellent

Wide media selection: Plain,
matte, and glossy papers

signage media

Epson Sales Training 09/2004

Advantages of DURABrite Inks—Wide Media Selection

DURABrite Inks are optimized for plain and matte papers, yet also produce quality results on glossy papers. The
newest formulation of DURABrite Inks produces improved output on glossy papers with the use of black ink in
addition to the three color inks. Epson’s new DURABrite Ink Glossy Photo Paper is specically optimized for use with
DURABrite Inks and delivers long-lasting color prints that are resistant to smudging and fading.

DURABrite Inks are compatible with a variety of papers, including1:

Matte Surface Papers Glossy Surface Papers Specialty Media

• Plain Paper

• Epson Premium Bright White

Paper

• Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

• Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight

• Epson Double-Sided Matte Paper

• Epson DURABrite Ink Glossy

Photo Paper

• Epson Glossy Photo Paper

• Epson Premium Semigloss Photo

Paper

Note: The Epson Premium Glossy

• Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards

• Epson Ink Jet Transparencies

Photo Paper is not compatible with
DURABrite Inks

Advantages of DURABrite Inks—Durable Output

With its special formulation of pigment inks, DURABrite Inks offer water-, smudge-, and fade-resistance on all
supported papers, including plain paper. They have greater durability properties than conventional dye-based inks.

1. Water- and Smudge-Resistant Prints: Conventional dye-based inks are comprised of color-forming molecules
that are absorbed into the paper or captured in the coating of RC (Resin Coated) papers, much like a watercolor
paint. DURABrite Inks consist of insoluble pigment particles, much like an oil paint, that “rest” on the paper’s
surface. Although conventional dye-based inks are water-resistant on specic glossy photo papers, they do not
have water-resistance on matte papers. DURABrite Ink is water-resistant on glossy, matte, and even plain papers:

Conventional Dye-Based Ink

DURABrite Inks

Conventional dye-based ink particles
are absorbed into the bers of plain
paper and are soluble in water.

DURABrite Inks pigment particles “rest”
on the surface of plain paper and are
insoluble in water.

The water- and smudge-resistant properties of DURABrite inks prevent accidental damage caused by moisture
and spills. Many competitive printers use a water-resistant pigment black, but DURABrite Inks are the only ink
system that is pigment-based for black and color printing.

With competitors’ inks, only black is
water-resistant

2. Fade-Resistant Prints: DURABrite Inks are fade­resistant2, so cherished photos and important

DURABrite Inks have water-resistant
properties for black and color

With pigment-based DURABrite Ink, even if the outer
surface fades, color remains within the particle

documents will stand up to harsh outdoor sun or
indoor lighting. What’s more, DURABrite Inks have
high fade resistance even on plain paper.

DURABrite Ink Technical Brief Page 2

Advantages of DURABrite Inks—Great for Text Documents and Photos

The newest formulation of DURABrite Ink uses an exclusive
technology where each pigment particle is encapsulated in a resin.
A unique polymer pulls the particles apart so they are suspended
in the solution and never coagulate. The ink base then helps the
DURABrite Ink pigment particles penetrate into the paper.

Using this technology, DURABrite Inks have several benets for text
printing:

1. Extra-sharp text and graphics, especially on plain paper: Because conventional dye-based ink acts much like a
watercolor paint, its molecules are absorbed into plain paper. The spread of ink into the paper’s bers is known
as feathering or dot gain. When printing on RC papers, dot gain of conventional dye-based inks is controlled
because the coating catches each ink droplet.

DURABrite Inks’ pigment particles “rest” near the surface of the paper
and are not absorbed into the bers like conventional dye inks. As a
result, DURABrite Inks have a much smaller spot size than dye-based
inks and text printing will be especially sharp:

With the same size ink droplet, DURABrite
Inks have a smaller spread into the bers
of plain paper than dye inks

Conventional
Dye Ink Text

2. Double-Sided prints without bleed-through: DURABrite Inks use
a special technology that controls the penetration level of the ink
and keeps the colorant near the surface. Additionally, output on

DURABrite Inks
Text

Brighter colors
on plain paper

Extra-sharp text
and graphics

plain and matte papers is optimized with a higher optical density.

3. Brighter colors: DURABrite Ink uses an innovative formulation of
color inks, producing brighter output on plain, matte, and glossy
paper.

Double-sided prints
without bleed-through

While DURABrite Inks produce excellent text and everyday documents, they also have the exibility to print photos:

1. High quality, long-lasting output: DURABrite Inks deliver long-lasting
water-, smudge, and fade-resistant prints ideal for printing cherished photos.
The best papers for printing photos with DURABrite Inks (listed in order) are3:

DURABrite Inks have the
exibility to print photos on
plain, matte, and glossy papers

• Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight

• Epson DURABrite Ink Glossy Photo Paper

• Epson Glossy Photo Paper

• Epson Premium Bright White Paper

• Plain paper

2. Epson core printing technologies: Printers featuring DURABrite Inks use
the Epson core printing technologies which combine high resolution and
small variable-sized ink droplets to precisely print crisp details in photos as
well as producing improved color range and accuracy. Plus, the newest printers with DURABrite Inks feature
BorderFree printing, making it easy to produce full-bleed snapshots right out of the printer—without trimming or
perforations.

DURABrite Ink Technical Brief Page 3

Advantages of DURABrite Inks—Low Cost of Ownership

DURABrite Inks offer low cost of ownership with:

Excellent output on plain papers—Because you don’t have to use specialty
papers to obtain the best print quality, DURABrite Inks offer convenience and
cost savings. DURABrite Inks also offer the exibility of printing on matte,
glossy, and semi-glossy papers.

High-yield, individual ink cartridges—Individual ink cartridges let you replace
only the ink that has run dry. If you print large print runs or presentations
that use primarily one or two colors, you will see a great cost savings. When
comparing printers, remember to consider both the cost and the yield of the
ink cartridges—lower cost cartridges with lower yields can be much more
expensive to use over the long term.

Summary

Epson DURABrite Inks combine the durability qualities of pigment ink with the color qualities similar to dye inks to
produce:

Water-, smudge-, and fade-resistant prints, even on plain paper
Optimization for plain and matte papers with quality results on glossy papers
Sharp, dark text printing without feathering

With high-quality, durable output, DURABrite
Inks are the ideal choice for printing reports,
web pages, greeting cards, presentations,
report covers, resumes, menus, and your
favorite photos. DURABrite Inks produce great
photo image quality with water-resistant and
fade-resistant properties unrivaled by dye­based ink.

For complete details on how DURABrite Inks compare to other Epson ink technologies, refer to the Epson Ink Solutions
document.

DURABrite Inks have previously been featured on the Epson Stylus C80/C82/C64/C84/CX5200/CX6400, and are
currently featured on the following Epson printers3:

Epson Stylus C86Epson Stylus C66 Epson Stylus CX6600

Epson Stylus CX4600
All-in-One Printer

All-In-One Printer

Visit www.DURABrite.com for the latest information on DURABrite Inks, testimonials, and more.

1

Because the Epson Stylus C80 uses a different variation of DURABrite Inks, it supports different papers. While current models support Epson

Glossy Photo Paper, the Epson Stylus C80 does not support those papers, but does support Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper (not supported
on the current models).

2

The initial formulation of DURABrite Inks, used in the Epson Stylus C80, was not rated for lightfastness on plain paper.

3

The EPSON Stylus C64/C66/C84/C86/CX4600/CX6400/CX6600 use the latest formulation of DURABrite Inks with improved printing on glossy

papers.

Epson and Epson Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. DURABrite is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. Other
product names used herein are for identication purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Epson disclaims any and all
rights in those marks.

©2004 Epson America, Inc.

DURABrite Ink Technical Brief Page 4