NEC does five-color printing
The SuperScript 750C ink jet printer features a novel five-color printing scheme and variable-drop-size technology.
In addition to the usual colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, the SuperScript 750C is capable of two shades of black, called graphic black and midnight black. According to NEC, graphic black enables improved graphics reproduction while midnight black helps provides better contrast. Traditionally, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black have been mixed in a process known as four-color printing that's less expensive than full-color printing.
Another method used for improving print quality is VDS technology, which varies the precision and detail of the ink droplets that ink jet printers spray onto the page. Both the printer and the software that controls the printer determine which black ink and drop sizes are used, depending on the image or document being printed.
The SuperScript 750C prints 600 dots per inch (dpi) and delivers 6 pages per minute (ppm) for black-and-white printing and 2 ppm for color.
Priced at $199 after a $30 mail-in rebate, the SuperScript 750C is intended for the "SOHO" (small office/home) consumer market. It will be sold at retail locations.
In a separate move targeting a slightly lower-end market, NEC announced the SuperScript 150C color ink jet printer, a four-color device capable of 600 x 300 dpi and 3 ppm for black-and-white and 3 minutes per page for color printing. Like the 750C, it comes bundled with Broderbund's Print Shop software.
The SuperScript retails for $119 after a $20 mail-in rebate, and will be available at retail outlets.