Epson Introduces Its First Direct-to-fabric Printer for North America

As production print shops continue to look for innovative solutions for digital textile printing, Epson has announced its first direct-to-fabric printer available in North America—the Monna Lisa 8000. The culmination of over twenty years of research, development and customer feedback, the Monna Lisa 8000 (ML-8000) combines precision engineering with advanced design to deliver the ability to print on a range of fabric types.

“Epson Monna Lisa printers have long maintained a strong reputation and market position in Italy where they have been used to digitally print fabrics for some of the world’s largest international high fashion brands,” said Mark Krzywicki, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “The Monna Lisa 8000 has been developed to provide that same high quality in a more attainable, easy to use package—enabling North American companies to print on a wide variety of fabrics locally for both short runs and larger volume orders.”

The ML-8000 features eight, all-new 4.7-inch PrecisionCore® printheads to deliver crisp, professional quality textiles at industrial level print speeds up to 1,744 ft²/hr. Leveraging Epson’s most advanced imaging technologies, the ML-8000 accurately reproduces complex patterns, color gradations and photographic-like detail to meet evolving trends and designer needs.

The ML-8000 is available for install with either Epson GENESTA Pigment, Reactive, Acid, or Disperse ink—to best suit each customer’s need and application and provide performance printing on an array of textile options, including cotton, viscose, polyester, nylon, silk, wool, and blended fabrics. The machine features a hot-swappable ink system that holds up to 20 liters of ink per color and automatically switches from an empty ink pack to a new ink pack mid-print for uninterrupted printing.

Designed for productivity and reliability, this printer minimizes downtime and simplifies maintenance with an array of user-friendly features. The ML-8000 is also available for install with new Epson Edge® Print Textile workflow software for powerful color management and seamless workflow integration and is compatible with Epson’s new production-management Cloud Solution PORT, providing an operational dashboard view of a production line with cloud-based printer fleet reporting.

More About the Monna Lisa 8000

The new direct-to-fabric printer takes production capabilities to the next level with high-performance features, including:

• Built for productivity: New 4.7-inch PrecisionCore printheads deliver beautiful, accurate prints at print speeds of up to 1,744 ft²/hr
• Breakthrough image quality: Epson Precision Dot Technology and exclusive Micro Weave®, Multi-layer Halftoning and Lookup Table functions work together to reduce banding, graininess and degradation
• Stable operation: User-friendly features include auto nozzle cleaning by fabric wiper, Nozzle Verification Technology, fluff blower, and ink mist extraction system
• Minimize downtime: Epson support and remote monitoring system allows for fast, easy troubleshooting
• Versatile Epson GENESTA inks: Print on a wide variety of fabrics, available for install with either Pigment, Reactive, Acid or Disperse ink; each ink pack is hot-swappable to allow for continuous printing
• Easy operation: Large nine-inch touchscreen panel provides easy navigation and printer management
• Full-service support and consulting: Support from dedicated teams and experts at Epson Textile Solution Centers

The Epson Monna Lisa 8000 is now available and will ship directly from Epson America. There are several Epson Preferred^SM Plus service coverage plans available that include toll-free advanced telephone access Monday through Friday and usually next business-day on-site service.

—Press Release

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