Violet is the New Black – Epson P7000 and P9000 Printers

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions.

Why do I need violet ink?

Epson introduced the violet ink primarily as an aid for their packaging and proofing customers. The addition of the violet to the spectrum helps Epson hit an incredible 99% of Pantone colors, which is invaluable for proofing, packaging design, or anywhere else pinpoint accurate color is required.

But I’m a photographer, and super accurate color is extremely important to me as well!

Yes, it absolutely is. We agree 100%. Unfortunately, it’s also a pretty good bet that archival stability, lightfastness, and fade resistance are just as important to you as accurate color reproduction, and violet ink is notoriously unstable. Bottom line, if you print with violet ink, you are likely trading a slightly wider color gamut for a faded, damaged print just a few years down the line.

Why can’t I switch back and forth between the violet and the light light black?

I asked this question a few times myself, because it seemed to me a great way to help our customers who use their machines for photographs, fine art, and publication mock-ups. Basically, once you put that violet ink in (and you are prompted several times by the printer to confirm yes, you in fact DO want to run the violet ink), some internal circuit wizardry is performed and you are locked in. In other words, once you go violet, you never go back.

What if I change my mind?

We would be delighted to sell you another Epson printer dedicated to either violet or light light black ink usage.

What other advancements has Epson introduced with the new line of printers?

Epson has tinkered with a few other features on the new SureColor printers. They’ve refined and improved the print head, which is now capable of generating even smaller variable ink droplet size. They’ve added an optional 320GB internal print server hard drive. They’ve added roll media length tracking to the printer display. As part of their new HDX ink set, they’ve tweaked their black ink to be even darker and more vibrant. They’ve changed the color of the roll media cover to help identify at a glance the type of printer you are using (seriously).

Lastly, they’ve added a user scheduled print head cleaning option to the mix, which allows you to schedule periodic cleanings to keep the print head firing and happy, even over prolonged periods of inactivity. We’re so excited about that last one that we’ve bolded and underlined it. While the best way to keep an Epson printer happy is to use it frequently (these are still professional production machines and meant to be used often), the addition of a print head maintenance cycle means that the print head will stay wet, even if the rest of the machine, and you, are on vacation.