History

• Epson America, Inc. began producing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components and peripherals to the home and commercial computer in 1975. Before the turn of the decade, the company introduced the popular and competitively priced MX-80 desktop dot-matrix printer, and soon captured 60 percent of the market. The company introduced their Stylus brand of desktop color inkjet printers in 1994, and in 2000, they released the world's first inkjet printer that was capable of printing edge-to-edge 4-by-6-inch snapshots. Throughout the company's history, Epson has manufactured ink cassettes and ink cartridges to accompany its printers.
  
  

Types

• Epson produces a variety of ink cartridges for their printers. Cartridges for their line of AcuLaser printers come in black, magenta, cyan and yellow, and may be ordered in either standard or high-capacity versions. Their Artisan line of ink cartridges also features light cyan and light magenta colors. The Stylus line of printers uses a dual ink cartridge system featuring a black ink cartridge and a tri-color ink cartridge, while the Stylus pro offers nine colors in individual ink cartridges.
  
  

Features

• Epson inks are designed to provide superior reproduction quality when used with their corresponding Epson printers. Epson Portland Inc., located in Portland, Oregon, is the manufacturing arm of Seiko Epson, Inc., that is responsible for blending the ink and manufacturing the ink cartridges to the company's exacting standards. By controlling the manufacturing process, the company is able to deliver ink cartridges that are more reliable, offer greater printing capacity and ensure longer print life than comparable generic brands.
  
  

Considerations

• Epson says it is committed to operating in an environmentally conscious manner, and has developed a product stewardship program that encourages customers to recycle used Epson products, including spent ink cartridges. Customers are encouraged to wrap their used inkjet cartridges in a plastic bag to prevent leakage, then to package them in an appropriate shipping envelope or box and mail it to:
  
  Epson America, Inc.
  Attn: Recycling Center
  18300 Central Avenue
  Carson, CA 90746
  
  Epson does not provide boxes and packing materials for this program.
  
  

Benefits

• Epson ink cartridges are engineered to work precisely with their corresponding printers to produce the best possible printed product. Using genuine Epson ink cartridges preserves the warranty on your Epson printer. Using the proper Epson ink cartridge with your Epson printer will generally print more pages than generic brands. When you order three or more ink cartridges through Epson's online store, the company provides free overnight shipping. (The free shipping offer is subject to change and limited to product that is in stock.)