By Graham K. Rogers

Yesterday, Epson reported on its large investment in two lines for the manufacture of its latest line of printers. A key to the success of its latest printer lines is the use of the Micro Piezo print head that Epson has been developing for a number of years.

Piezoelectric devices have been in use for a number of years. Some substances, like certain ceramics, respond to electric current or produce current when pressed, such as the paving slab that produces current as people walk across it (Jeremy Lovell and ClimateWire - Scientific American).

Epson Corporation has just made available a link to the second part of its information on the development of the Micro Piezo technology used for its print heads.

• Secrets Behind the Development of Epson's Micro Piezo Technology (Part 1)
• Secrets Behind the Development of Epson's Micro Piezo Technology (Part 2)

The first part describes the history of printers at Epson and then the initial use of the technology. Part Two examines the development of the print head and the later evolution, leading into the latest technological developments.

A considerable amount of work has been done by Epson in the small types of HPTS TFT LCD display that are used by camera makers as electronic viewfinders. Epson has just announced a new version of the Umicron display with a resolution of some 2.36 millions dots in a 0.48" display.

This new solution is destined for the Olympus VF-4 camera viewfinder, after earlier versions of the display were used for the VF-2 and OM-D Micro Four Thirds cameras. The quality of the images in the viewfinder are valuable for photographers using compact cameras. With the small size of the viewfinder it is easier for camera-makers to make the smaller cameras that consumers demand.

Epson provides more information about the Umicron display on its website; while details of the VF-4 Viewfinder may be viewed at the Olympus site.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand where he is also Assistant Dean. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.