The digital textile printing field is proving to be lucrative, as more companies and people are utilizing the advantages of digital printing for their products. However, not everyone is looking for a high-powered printer to do their production, as home-based small businesses and Etsy stores don’t require huge quantities of products.

Epson has been in the forefront of digital textile printing with its SureColor series, most notably the hybrid SureColor F2270 and the high-production SureColor F3070 garment printer. These was a gap though, like many home-based printers looking to do one-offs.

The new SureColor F1070 fills that space. The new direct-to-garment (DTG) and direct-to-film (DTFilm) printer, which will debut Jan. 19, 2024 at Impressions Expo in Long Beach, CA, was previewed at the 2023 Printing United Expo, and the reaction was positive. Shipping is expected to begin this May.

“Traditionally, DTG printers have been designed for professional print shops – larger models that are difficult for smaller, entry-level artisans to obtain and integrate into their existing workflows,” said Lily Hunter, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America. “Epson has taken the best of its DTG technology and distilled it into this compact, cost-effective printer, ideal for entrepreneurs and creative professionals looking to bring their unique designs to life.

“We currently have the SureColor F2270 and high-production SureColor F3070, but what was missing was an entry level printer, and this is where the SureColor F1070 comes in,” added Hunter. “It’s for people who want to get into entry level printing, do one-offs or expand their product offerings.

“We previewed this at Printing United and it got people excited,” added Hunter. “We received a lot of positive response; attendees enjoyed watching the printing process and seeing the results. The first thing we heard was how visible the windows were – people were very excited by what they saw as well as the price.”

A CMYK +White printer, the SureColor F1070’s list price is $7,495, which fits the budgets of the home printing and Etsy segment. It offers many of the features of its SureColor F-Series family, while fitting into a smaller footprint.

“The new compact SureColor hybrid DTG printer is designed to create new opportunities for businesses, giving them the ability to break into the garment decorating market,” said Hunter.

The SureColor F1070 goes on a desktop or work bench. It has a lot of features of the SureColor F2270 distilled down into this compact printer, making it a professional printer.

“This is a nice step up to have the versatility to do dark shirts as well as light shirts,” Hunter added. “It has large windows to view the printing process from various angles, and there is an interior light throughout the printing process. The flat top surface doubles as a workspace to place a laptop on. It has a clean, elegant design that fits any work décor.”

In addition, there are tools for easy garment loading and automatic height adjustments to accommodate materials up to 1” thick. The PrecisionCore® Micro TFP® printhead technology is the same as the SureColor F2270, with Nozzle Verification Technology that monitors droplet size and nozzle health.

“We want our customers spending their time creating and printing, rather than cleaning the printheads,” said Hunter. “Epson’s Nozzle Verification Technology keeps the printhead in pristine condition. This offers more bang for the buck, allowing you to print on either garment or film.”

The SureColor F1070 uses Epson’s UltraChrome® DG2 inks in 250 mL pouches; these inks conform to Oeko-Tex ECO Passport and are compliant to ECOCERT Global Organic Textile Standard.

“The inks are those that run on the SureColor F2270,” Hunter noted. “The white ink creates an added pop; light colored shirts can print CMYK only but if you want the graphics to pop you can add a white layer.”

Hunter sees the SureColor F1070 filling an important niche in the digital textile printing field.

“It’s Epson first entry-level printer for this market,” Hunter concluded. “COVID has led to a lot of home-based and Etsy stores businesses and customization has been very popular even before COVID. These shops may be already selling stickers, and now there’s an opportunity to add DTG to their portfolio.”