With the guttural growl for Formula1 engines adding a heavenly chorus to proceedings, Epson Australia’s general manager, business division, Craig Heckenberg proudly escorted his guests through the Petronas AMG Mercedes pit area where the twin 350 kmh monsters of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were being prepped for Sunday’s great race.
As a major sponsor with its name flying high on the vehicles’ rear spoilers, Epson will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s F1 championship victory as the season gets underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Earlier in the day, another speed record of a different kind was presented at funky South Melbourne art gallery SmartArtz, where Epson unveiled its fastest wide format printers to date, the SureColor P10070 (44”) and Surecolour P20070 (64”). Speed of up to 90 sqm/hr is achievable but still with a 10-colour inkset for premium results.
The new printers combine Epson’s latest PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead technology with a new ink set - UltraChrome PRO. Similar to the UltraChrome HD and HDX inks launched in 2015, this new ink set offers extended colour gamut with deeper blacks and an additional fourth black for superior toning and monochrome reproduction. The PrecisionCore printheads feature a sensing system - Nozzle Verification Technology - that can detect nozzle blockages automatically, without having to eject ink.
Before heading down to the racetrack, Heckenberg commented: “A lot of development work went into the SC-P10070 and SC-P20070. These new machines not only deliver increased productivity, but superior print quality, and a reduced running cost. They are truly groundbreaking machines and provide a formidable offering for the production print market.”
With RRPs of just $13,194.50 for the P10070 and $16,494.50 (inc GST) for the P20070, they are sure to be winners with the sign, display, photographic and fine art communities.
Back to the track, where there’s even an Epson printer in the AMG Mercedes garage, and Nico Rosberg shows up for a ‘fitting’ which looks like he is shoe-horned into the mighty speed machine, with a case containing ‘Nico’s steering wheel’ the last to go on. Amazingly, F1 cars are limited to 1.6 litre engine capacity and 15,000 top revs.
Best of luck to Lewis and Nico for Sunday when the TV cameras focus on those Epson tailfins as they take a 1-2 sweep of the chequered flag!