Epson prints Japanese manga art

Epson has been selected as a technology and production partner for Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage, Shueisha Inc.'s manga art sales business.

In the partnership, Epson will conduct joint research and development with Shueisha to focus mainly on the Shueisha's Real Color Collection series that will be produced using inkjet printers.

Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage is a newly commercialized manga art sales service that Shueisha created to deliver manga content to fans and art collectors around the world. The works of Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Riyoko Ikeda (The Rose of Versailles), and Shinichi Sakamoto (Innocent and Innocent Rouge) has already gone on sale worldwide.

Prints will be delivered to destinations worldwide, in Asia, North America, Oceania, and Europe.

Epson supported the Shueisha Lab by advising in colour management. Epson also converts the digital data into master data for the printer that is to be used. A large-format inkjet printer with Epson's water-based pigments is used to obtain output with smooth gradations and a wide colour gamut.

Photostable, museum-quality prints will be made on A1 or A2 size sheets of Velvet Fine Art Paper or other fine quality paper made of 100% cotton, for a high-quality feel, exceptional reproduction of detail, and long-term preservation and storage.

Epson's printing technology will be used to create new value in the form of art from some of Japan's best manga content.

"We are very pleased and reassured that Epson has agreed to participate in Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage, Shueisha's first large-scale cross-border e-commerce project. The prints are on museum quality paper and are of unprecedented size and have a level of detail that was not previously possible. I am looking forward to seeing many other works reborn as manga art in the future," said Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage Director Tadashi Okamoto.