Interestingly, most of the IPL shirts are printed on the Epson Surecolor SC-F6070 and SC-F 7070 with the Epson Ultrachrome DS inks. Developed over a three-year period, Epson UltraChrome DS is a specially-formulated dye-sublimation ink, producing vibrant colours, intense blacks, sharp contours, and smooth gradations. The all-new ink technology, according to Epson, exhibits excellent light and wash fastness, as well as resistance to alkaline and acid perspiration.
The SC-F6070 printer allows a width of up to 44 inch and is equipped with 1.5 litres ink tank, which, Epson claims enables up to 17 hours of non-stop operation. While with the other features being alike, the SC-F 7070 can handle a width of up to 64 inch.
The dye-sublimation inks, suspended in a liquid solvent, give a permanency to the images and enable no dye-build up on the fabric. The four-colour Epson dye-sublimation inks used in the two F series printers, when applied to polyester fabrics, pass the requirements of Oeko-Tex Standard 100 for human ecological requirements of Class 1 products for adults, children, and babies up to 36 months. The standard belongs to the International Association for Research and Testing in the field of Textile Ecology (Oeko-Tex).
Epson, with its breakthrough technology, sure has quite a visible role in this IPL season.