Epsonow Magazine

Page 28 - News

Capturing Miss America

When contestants competing for the title of Miss America 2001 were rehearsing production numbers for the famed Boardwalk Parade, discussing their pageant platform on stage and participating in the Miss America telecast, veteran photographer, Brucy Boyajian, was capturing almost everything on camera.

The photos were then printed on the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P, a printer that is redefining the photography market by delivering photographic quality digital prints that will last a lifetime*, while also giving photographers greater control over their work.

Officials said using the latest digital photo printing technology to help contestants preserve their memories is an important element of the event's high-tech focus this year. "Digital technology makes it easier for our photographer to have control over his work, as prints can be made quickly and conveniently at the push of a button," said Robert Renneisen, President and CEO of the Miss America Organisation.

"With Epson's archival papers, our contestants will have the best photographic quality prints to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with family and friends for generations."

Dressed For The Academy Awards

Everyone officially involved in the 73rd Annual Academy AwardsÆ Ceremony and related activities was wearing Epson this year.

All people granted credentials were issued a photo badge printed on-site on one of 16 Epson Stylus Photo 890 Inkjet printers. Because of the nature of the technology being incorporated into the badges by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a printer was needed that could handle thick media and offered a virtually straight paper path that wouldn't bend the badge.

Added to this was the importance of finding a printer that offered the best image quality even on lower resolution images.

"Digital printing gives more control and convenience with less cost, not only for professional photographers selling their work but also consumers printing their personal photos," said Fabia Ochoa, Product Manager, Photo Imaging, Epson America. "The star-studded Oscars is an ideal place to spotlight the benefits of photographic inkjet printing, so we were honoured that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences again selected Epson photo printers for this premier event."

Photo Reproduction Quality

To address demand for the ultimate in photo print quality, Epson has developed Photo Reproduction Quality (PRQ) to accurately reproduce both areas of strong colour and areas of pale or light colours such as skin tones.

Dark colours are normally reproduced using a high density of dots, while areas of light colour require the number of dots to be greatly reduced. This means that for lighter tones it is not always easy to render colour gradations by dot density alone as the dispersed dot pattern can become visible, leaving a grainy effect and preventing detail from being rendered crisply.

Epson has overcome this problem by using two key advances: two additional ink colours, light cyan and light magenta and improved driver technologies. These two additional inks when used in combination with the standard four colour cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink allow Epson Photo printers to output with true photographic print quality.

The new PRQ printer drivers ensure that each individual ink droplet is placed accurately. Epson enhanced Error Diffusion provides an advanced halftoning system, leading to smooth tones and gradations. In addition the Epson PhotoEnhance function automatically adjusts colour, brightness, exposure and contrast to optimise printed output from many sources, including photographs, Photo CDs, digital cameras and scanners.

Changing The Photographic Education Standard

Earlier this year, Epson America and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) announced the launch of a partnership that will change the way RIT teaches photography, giving students critical expertise in digital imaging.

Under the Epson/RIT Partnership, Epson will provide digital imaging equipment that will enable RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences to shift the emphasis in photographic education to encompass both analog and digital technologies.

The first phase of the partnership will include the establishment of Epson Pro Graphics and Photo inkjet printers in the RIT digital labs, specifically for use by faculty, graduate and some undergraduate students conducting research in professional digital imaging. This centre will also give the faculty thorough exposure to Epson's products, allowing them to test how the equipment will fit into future teaching plans and facilitate the transition in the curriculum.

Later, Epson will expand its presence, outfitting many workstations in multiple digital imaging labs at the school to facilitate the use of cutting-edge digital technology. Equipment that students will have at their disposal include: the Epson Stylus Pro 5000, 7500 and 9500, Epson Stylus Photo 2000P and 1270, and Epson Expression 1640XL colour scanners.

RIT officials commented that the immediacy of computer-generated and edited images printed on inkjet printers offers greater efficiency than a silver-based darkroom. "This partnership will launch a revolution in photographic education as we set a new standard for all photographic programs," said Bill DuBois, Chair, Photographic Arts, RIT. "We no longer view digital photography and imaging as separate entities but rather as new and powerful tools for creating images.

"With Epson's technology, which has long been a favourite among photographers for photographic printing, we can establish valuable research and photo quality output facilities that will enable our faculty and students to test, evaluate and create imagery. This new efficiency in teaching will strengthen their learning experience."

* More information on Lightfastness can be found at http://www.epson.com.au/news/technologynews/lightfastness.asp.