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Epson Printers for DTF Printing

Source: https://achievement.co.za/epson-printers-for-dtf-printing

What this page is

This is the "Epson Printers for DTF Printing" post on achievement.co.za, one of AM.CO.ZA's company sites. It is a short pointer to the AcroRIP supported printers list on acrorip.co.za, the list of Epson desktop and office printers that the AcroRIP software can drive for DTF (direct-to-film), DTG (direct-to-garment) and small UV printing.

Original text (as published): "Find the perfect Epson printers compatible with AcroRIP™ for DTF, DTG, and UV printing. This guide helps you navigate through the best options available, ensuring you get the most out of your DTF printing projects. Ideal for both home and office use, these printers provide versatility and high-quality output."

This Knowledge Base version expands that pointer into a plain guide. Every point below comes from AM.CO.ZA pages and Buythis product data already in this KB, which are linked so you can read the full wording.

Important: AcroRIP is not sold or recommended today

AcroRIP is marked Cold for sales across this KB: AM.CO.ZA does not sell it and does not recommend it to new buyers. AM.CO.ZA only ever distributed AcroRIP (under the co-brand AM.CO.ZA® AcroRIP®); technical support comes from the developer, not from AM support (AcroRIP: AM distributes only; developer supports). The supported-printer list this post links to is therefore support knowledge for existing AcroRIP owners, not a shopping list.

Situation What to say or do
A new client asks which Epson printer to buy for DTF Do not recommend an Epson office printer plus AcroRIP. Offer AM.CO.ZA's own DTF printers, which ship with AM's InkRIP or SAi FlexiPRINT (see "What to offer new DTF buyers" below).
An existing AcroRIP owner asks if their Epson is supported Check AcroRIP supported printers, which lists all 22 printers on acrorip.co.za with edition rules and setup notes.
The owner needs technical help with AcroRIP Send them to the developer's support and training routes listed on the AcroRIP site page and acrorip.co.za/training. AM support does not troubleshoot AcroRIP.
The client only wants sublimation printing No white ink is needed, so AcroRIP is not needed. A normal Epson EcoTank with its own driver, sublimation ink and paper is enough (AcroRIP site FAQ, summarised on the supported-printers page).
Prices or availability Not on this page. Use the Buythis product links for current prices and the live stock source for availability.

Why Epson printers are used for DTF

DTF printing prints a design with CMYK colour plus a white ink layer onto PET film, covers the wet ink with adhesive powder, cures it, and then heat-presses the transfer onto a garment. Desktop DTF and DTG grew out of converting Epson office and photo printers, because:

The same Epson head families are used in AM.CO.ZA's own DTF machines: the A3, 300 mm and 600 mm DTF printers run Epson XP600 heads, and the faster 600 mm version runs Epson I1600 heads (DTF I1600 vs XP600).

Epson printers on the AcroRIP list (for existing owners)

The acrorip.co.za homepage singles out five Epson printers, and calls the EcoTank series the most popular choice:

Printer Print width class AcroRIP edition
Epson EcoTank L1800 A3+ desktopDTF
Epson ET-8550 EcoTank A3+ desktopDTF
Epson ET-8500 EcoTank A4 desktopDTF
Epson EcoTank L805 A4 desktopDTF
Epson EcoTank L800 A4 desktopDTF

The full list of 22 printers (including the XP-15000, Stylus Photo 1390, the SureColor P-series and Stylus Pro wide models, and the EcoTank L8050 and L18050 added in V11) is on AcroRIP supported printers. Key rules from that page and the acrorip.co.za changelog:

The release history behind these rules is on AcroRIP updates and changelog, AcroRIP V11 desktopDTF and wideDTF and AcroRIP 10.4 with new Epson drivers. The Buythis records for the two V11 editions are kept for reference only: X-ACRORIP/DESKTOP and X-ACRORIP/WIDE.

Parts for converted Epson office printers

Owners who have already converted an Epson office printer for DTF can still get bulk-ink parts from AM.CO.ZA:

What to offer new DTF buyers

New buyers should get an AM.CO.ZA DTF printer instead of a converted office printer. These are built for DTF, use Epson printheads, and ship with AM's own RIP software. The full range is compared in DTF and UV-DTF printers.

Need AM.CO.ZA option Epson head RIP
Cheapest way in, home office or start-up H-DTF/A3T/XP600 (KB page): A3 DTF printer with powdering and baking oven, inks, cleaner, powder and a 30 cm film roll One XP600 InkRIP
Same, with automatic powdering H-DTF/A3PT/XP600 (KB page) One XP600 InkRIP
Printer only, to build your own set F-DTF/A3 (KB page): A3 barebone unit, ships without a head; a sealed XP600 head is EPSON-XP600/SEALED One XP600 Separate
Small production H-DTF/306/XP600 (KB page): 300 mm printer with automatic powder shaker and full consumables XP600 heads SAi FlexiPRINT
Higher volume H-DTF/606/XP600 (KB page): 600 mm complete package with 60 cm film XP600 heads SAi FlexiPRINT
Faster 600 mm printing F-DTF/I600 (KB page): two I1600 heads, about 20% faster than XP600 I1600 Separate

The RIPs are sold on their own as well: S-INKRIP (AM.CO.ZA InkRIP Easy RIP activation code, KB page) and AC-FLEXIPRINT/D (SAi FlexiPRINT cloud edition with white and varnish channel, KB page). The A3 printers use the PrintExp alignment tool and InkRIP (A3 DTF: one XP600, PrintExp and InkRIP).

For buying help and set-up detail, see A3 DTF printers for home business, Cheap A3 DTF printer and Industrial high-performance DTF printers. For stickers on hard items, see UV DTF printing solutions.

Videos

AM.CO.ZA's own Epson-head DTF printers in action:

Converted Epson office printers with AM.CO.ZA's bulk ink system (for existing converters):

Read more