What is a UV printer and what can it do?
A UV printer prints directly onto objects using UV-curable ink that cures instantly under UV light. Unlike sublimation or DTF which require a heat press or transfer step, UV printing goes straight from the machine onto the object - tumblers, wood, acrylic, phone cases, metal, leather, and more.
Some UV printers can also do UV DTF - printing onto a special film that gets laminated and applied like a sticker. And some, including the EufyMake E1, can even print 3D texture that you can actually feel.
Quick comparison at a glance
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER - comparison table EufyMake E1 vs Epson V1070 vs xTool UV]
EufyMake E1 - best entry-level UV printer for small business
While we don't know the exact price of the xTool UV printer yet, my guess is it will fall between the Epson V1070 and the EufyMake E1. That makes the EufyMake E1 the most affordable of the three. As far as size, the EufyMake and xTool UV are comparable. They can sit on your desk or on a small cart and are designed specifically for home-based businesses and crafters who are new to UV printing.
What makes the EufyMake UV printer so attractive is it does three things in one machine at the lowest price point. It does UV direct-to-object printing, UV DTF sticker printing, and 3D texture printing.
It doesn't do any of them fast, but it does them all well. I have found the colors to be spot on and the texture to be amazing. With the built in sticker profile, the UV stickers print, laminate and transfer beautifully.
You don't realize how important and helpful a camera is until you try to center something to print on a UV printer without a camera.
Eufymake E1 Honest Review
I'll be honest with you - there are of course downsides too. Most of them I chalk up to "you get what you pay for."
This machine is slow - everything takes longer than you'd expect. Everything from the camera snapshot to the test printing. It goes into maintenance mode every 3 days which requires an ink injection before you can print and that takes about 10 minutes and then add on the test print after that.
The white ink does what white ink often does and can be a real pain if you're not printing every day. Usually a deep clean and good shake will get the white ink printing again, but I will admit I did have to replace the E1's print head on my brand new machine due to a continuous problem with the white.
The software, EufyMake Studio, is free and easy to use but can be quirky. Fortunately you can now measure dimensions in inches by updating the software.
Software updates are one of the most frustrating things to me. I usually prefer NOT to update right away in case there are bugs. However, EufyMake Studio updates are required and you won't be able to use the software again until you complete the update. Sometimes updates come in near-immediate succession...like before you even completed the first one.
Errors like "Device is Busy" are not well explained. Hint: it means your printer is in maintenance mode and you need to inject ink. And the machine requires you to take a time-consuming new snapshot after every print regardless of whether you've moved anything on the platform or not.
I have a complete troubleshooting series on the EufyMake E1 if you need help with white ink issues or maintenance mode:
Who is the Eufymake E1 for and who should get a different UV Printer?
Best for: beginners, home-based businesses, small batch production, anyone wanting to test UV printing without a large investment, crafters who want 3D texture capability, Mac and PC users.Epson V1070 - professional-level UV printer for serious small businesses
The V1070 is Epson's first desktop UV printer intended for "pro-sumers" or small businesses. But the price is not small. The Epson V1070 starts around $9,000. That is nearly four times the price of the EufyMake E1. So when I say it's worth it for the right person, I mean a very specific kind of business owner - not someone who is going to uv print occasionally.
Here's the thing about that price of the Epson uv printer. Remember when I said: you get what you pay for? Well, the V1070 works. Consistently. I never had white ink issues on the V1070 - not once. I do have to shake the inks from time to time, but I have not had to troubleshoot or do maintenance beyond that. This is so important for small businesses that need consistency with their equipment.
The V1070 has a decent size footprint. This is not a machine you're going to tuck into a corner of your desk or move around. You need a dedicated workspace for it. Mine takes up the better part of the large desk it sits on.
Mac or PC? Important - the V1070 is PC only
If you are a MAC user like me, this may be a deal breaker. The Epson V1070 requires Epson Edge Print software to operate, and Edge Print is PC only. The EufyMake E1 and xTool UV printer are both Mac and PC compatible - the V1070 is not.
The suction bed vs. sticky mat
The V1070 uses an air vacuum bed - tiny holes across the printer platform create suction that holds your material completely flat during printing. In my experience this is easier to work with than a sticky mat. There's no consumable part to replace, no wondering whether the stickiness has worn off, and no residue on your objects. You turn on the suction, place your material, and it holds. For thin materials like UV DTF film especially, the vacuum system is very reliable.
The EufyMake E1 uses a sticky mat platform by comparison - functional, but the mat is a consumable that will eventually need replacing, and thin materials can still shift if the mat isn't perfectly clean. With that said, the sticky mat does have one huge benefit: if you get ink overspray or you're print is not aligned correctly and you print on the bed you can simple remove the sticky liner and replace it with a new one.
Ink system - bags vs. cartridges
The V1070 uses large proprietary ink bags at $77.00 per 140ml. That price is the same regardless of color. The EufyMake E1 uses ink cartridges at $42.99 per 100ml cartridge. We're not yet sure what type of ink system the xTool UV printer will have.
For the V1070 and the E1, neither system is refillable and both are proprietary consumables. When you do the math, EufyMake ink runs about $0.43 per ml vs. $0.55 per ml for the Epson.
The bag system on the V1070 does mean larger ink capacity per cartridge which suits higher volume printing - so if you're running a lot of prints daily the less frequent ink swaps are a practical advantage. But from a pure cost perspective, the EufyMake E1 wins on ink.
The print process runs in three separate layers - full white pass first, then the full color layer, then the full varnish layer. This process can be slow depending on the number of layers.
Auto material thickness measurement
One of my favorite features on the V1070 is the auto material thickness measurement. You place your material, press a button, and the printer automatically measures the thickness and adjusts the print head height accordingly. It works on everything from paper-thin UV DTF film to cutting boards nearly half an inch thick.
The biggest downside - no camera for alignment
The biggest drawback with the Epson V1070 is there is no built-in camera. That means you can't see where your design is going to land before you print. You're working from measurements and coordinates rather than a live preview in your software.
I wasted a lot of projects - and a lot of ink and materials - learning how to best center images. Getting alignment right on the V1070 takes extra steps, a learning curve, and honestly some trial and error. Once you figure out your workflow it gets better. Compared to the EufyMake E1, though, where you can literally see your design sitting on your object before you confirm the print, the V1070 alignment process is a real friction point.
If precise placement on irregular or one-of-a-kind objects is important to your work, this is a significant consideration.
The Epson V170 is also an enclosed system meaning the object must fit on the bed to print on. With the Eufymake E1 and the xTool UV printer you can print on items that overhang the bed. For example, I printed directly on a skateboard in two sections by moving the board in between each print.
Setup is intense - this is NOT plug and play
Epson's own marketing says setup takes "just a few minutes." I'm going to be straight with you - that is not accurate. Real setup takes over an hour with multiple 15-20 minute wait periods, nine or more steps for ink charging alone, and multiple charging cycles. The EufyMake E1 by comparison is much closer to plug and play although it's still a lengthy process.Edge Print software also requires a 16-digit license key, and if you lose that key you'll need to purchase it again. It's not cheap. Software installation has to happen in a specific order - drivers first, then firmware, then Edge Print - and rushing this causes problems.
Who's the Epson V1070 Good For?
Best for: established businesses running consistent print volume, anyone who needs reliable white ink every single time, PC users with dedicated studio space.xTool UV printer - the one to watch
While we still don't have a launch date for the xTool UV printer, we know a decent amount about it especially in comparison to the other UV printers. I got exclusive hands-on access to it at CES 2026 and since then more details and info have been released.xTool UV printer bed size and Z-axis clearance
The print bed on the xTool UV printer is A3+ - 330mm x 420mm. That is significantly larger than the EufyMake E1. More importantly, the Z-axis clearance (or height clearance) is approximately 6 inches.The EufyMake E1 issues and error when items exceed the max thickness of 60 mm or 2.3 inch clearance.
xTool UV printer accessories
Much like the Eufymake E1, the xTool UV printer has a bunch of add on accessories. There are five accessories available that significantly expand what the machine can do - the small flatbed, large flatbed, rotary attachment, laminator attachment, and roll-to-roll feeder. The big difference however is that the laminator and roll feeder seem to be able to connect directly to the xTool UV printer for a complete inline UV printing system.xTool UV printer dual-head technology
The xTool UV printer also features dual-head technology designed to speed up print time compared to single-head desktop UV printers. Single head UV printers have to put the white ink down first then trail with the CMYK and gloss all using the same print head which means they usually have to double or triple back.But a dual had UV printer would have one print head dedicated to CMYK and another dedicated to white. Both can work in tandem significantly cutting down the print time.
Since print speed is one of the biggest frustrations with the EufyMake E1 and the V1070, this is will be a big deal if the xTool UV does in fact deliver on this promise.
xTool Creative Space Seamless Integration
All of the xTool machines - including the lasers and the DTF printer - run on the same software and it's expected the UV printer will seamlessly integrate as well. xTool Creative Space is a relatively powerful software program with an extremely user-friendly interface.
One of the biggest benefits of this software is that it allows the user to import an image or a design for one machine and then switch the machine keeping the design in the exact same dimension and proportion. This makes it EXTREMELY easy for multi-step processes like UV printing on acrylic or wood then laser cutting.
Who should wait for the xtool UV Printer release?
Best for: anyone who needs to print on taller objects, higher volume production, businesses that want a full UV printing ecosystem from one brand, Mac and PC users, crafters who are frustrated by the speed limitations of other entry-level machines.
Not ideal for: anyone who needs a UV printer immediately, anyone on a tight budget - the xTool UV printer is expected to be "affordable" but will most likely be a higher price than the EufyMake E1.
👉 Sign up for xTool UV printer launch updates at Swing Design
.png)
No comments
Thanks for leaving a comment! We get several hundred comments a day. While we appreciate every single one of them it's nearly impossible to respond back to all of them, all the time. So... if you could help me by treating these comments like a forum where readers help readers.
In addition, don't forget to look for specific answers by using the Search Box on the blog. If you're still not having any luck, feel free to email me with your question.