This article breaks down some differences amongst to brand DTG printers.
A Buyer’s Guide to DTG Printers from Epson, Brother and Kornit
There are two main types of direct-to-garment (DTG) printers in the marketplace: those intended for smaller, infrequent printing and DTG machines engineered for large production level printing. Originally, production printers and large-scale online retailers used POD printing by grouping smaller, slower DTG printers around a conveyor dryer. As technology has advanced, there are a few different industrial DTG printers designed specifically for high volume, production direct to garment printing.
The chart below is a buyer’s guide to comparing the different industrial DTG printers. This comparison chart compares the Epson SureColor F3070, Kornit Storm II, Brother GTX Pro B, and the Kornit Breeze in terms of productivity, price and compatibility.
| Epson SureColor F3070 | Kornit Storm II | Brother GTX Pro B | Kornit Breeze | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Estimated Productivity - Printing Dark Shirts (14” x 16”), Including Garment Loading Time |
60 shirts per Hour |
65 shirts per hour |
25 shirts per hour |
20 shirts per hour |
|
Number of Inks |
5 Colors (CMYK + White) |
5 Colors (CMYK + White) |
5 Colors (CMYK + White) |
5 Colors (CMYK + White) |
|
Estimated Ink Price |
$150 per Liter |
$150 per Liter |
$220 per Liter |
$225 per Liter |
|
Print Software Compatibility |
Mac & Windows |
Windows Only |
Mac & Windows |
Windows Only |
|
MSRP |
$49,995 |
$225,000 |
$36,000 |
$65,000 |
In reviewing the comparison chart, a few things stand out. Read the below commentary for an analysis of the DTG chart.
Production Capability Analysis The Epson F3070 produces the second highest amount of shirts per hour, second only to the Kornit Storm II. However, the Epson F3070 is significantly less expensive by about $175,000. For the difference in price, you can get 4 Epson F3070s for the price of 1 Kornit. Doing so would quadruple your DTG production with the same amount of investment dollars.
DTG Ink Pricing Analysis In the past, the main complaint against the Epson SureColor F2100 was the cartridge system and the ink prices. Epson changed all of that with the F3070. They dramatically lowered the ink price by a whopping 38% to make it only $150 per liter. Using the same UltraChrome ink, it looks like the Epson DTG bulk ink system has really saved money.
In comparison, Epson’s DTG ink is the same price as Kornit but it is common knowledge that the Epson has an undisputable better quality compared with the Kornit.
The Brother GTX Pro ink is 47% more expensive than the Epson F3070.
Price While the Brother GTX Pro is the cheapest listed, it is also the slowest. A better comparison for the Brother might be the Epson SureColor F2100 due to similar print speeds. When making this apples to apples comparison, the Epson F-2100 is only $13,995. In which case, the Epson is a better deal.
Of the other industrial DTG printers (Epson and Kornit), the Epson F3070 is not only the best priced printer, but the best value for the production rate and ink costs.
ConclusionBased on price, production speeds and ink costs the Epson SureColor F3070 seems to be the best DTG printer for production, high-volume printing.
