LONG BEACH, Calif. - Aug. 13, 2001--Epson America Inc., creator of high-quality award-winning digital imaging products, has developed and introduced several new media for use with its large-format professional graphics printers.      EPSON Canvas, EPSON Backlight Film, and EPSON Tyvek(R) Brillion(TM) are expanding Epson's line designed for photographers, graphic artists and signage professionals and giving them even more flexibility for expressing themselves.      "Epson knows how important it is for professional photographers and graphic artists to have a choice of many types of high-quality media for printing different types of images," said Greg McCoy, senior product manager, professional graphics media.      "Like all of Epson's innovative media, these new types are formulated for our printers, inks, drivers and print heads to deliver the highest resolution and color saturation to meet the standards of the most demanding users."      EPSON Canvas, which is made from the highest-quality 100 percent cotton duck fabric, is designed for photographic portraiture or fine art reproduction. This heavyweight, tight-weave media boasts the highest D-Max in the industry for a wider tonal range. It features a subtle texture that delivers a true artistic look and feel, with a high-resolution coating that is pliable enough to withstand stretching for framing.      EPSON Canvas is a versatile choice that combines incredible color reproduction, a medium-gloss finish and an acid-free archival quality base.      EPSON Backlight Film is the world's first reverse print backlight film for use with both dye and archival ink jet printers. Its unique feature is that the solid pigment can migrate through the substrate. Reverse printing offers protection that makes lamination optional for signage, while the front surface displays a high-gloss finish.      Featuring a polyester base, the sturdy 7-mil-thick Backlight Film is ideal for print-for-pay users and commercial photo labs, especially the Duratrans market, as it accepts maximum ink coverage with vivid color reproduction for photographic quality display applications. This media offers high resistance to water and immediate drying of inks.      EPSON Tyvek Brillion, which also features high water resistance and immediate drying of ink, is a spun-bonded polyethylene banner material designed for nontear signage. At 9.5 mil thick, the nonglare, matte-finished media provides the signage industry with the ideal choice for high-resolution, durable ink jet banner media.      Compared with traditional Tyvek, EPSON Tyvek Brillion features enhanced smoothness, opacity and brightness, as well as the water- and tear-resistant durability required in both indoor and outdoor applications. It also can be laminated for greater outdoor lightfastness and grommeted and hemmed for ease in hanging. Pricing and Availability All three media types come in 24-, 36- or 44-inch-wide rolls and offer the highest resolution and color saturation. Although they are optimized for use with EPSON Archival(TM) ink, they will also work with EPSON Photographic Dye(TM) ink. These papers are available through Epson Pro Focus(TM) dealers.      EPSON Tyvek Brillion will be available in 60-foot-long rolls. EPSON Backlight Film will be available in 100-foot-long rolls. EPSON Canvas will be available in 40-foot-long rolls. All will have an estimated street price of $179, $269 and $329 for the 24-, 36- or 44-inch-wide rolls, respectively.