UV Printhead Selection Guide

UV printing equipment is becoming more and more popular, but nozzle selection is still an underestimated key decision. As a consumables manufacturer, we summarize the following front-line user feedback and technical selection points to help you truly understand the adaptation boundaries and risk points of the three types of nozzles.

Ink Drops

Ricoh Gen5 / Gen6: Precise grayscale control, ink droplet 7–21pl, can take into account both soft and hard materials, especially suitable for UV printing of composite materials and embossing processes.

Epson XP600 / i3200: Ink droplet 3.5–12pl, suitable for materials with strong ink absorption and high demand for fine patterns, such as soft film, transfer film, cotton cloth, etc.

Konica 1024i / 512i: Ink droplet 14–42pl, suitable for non-absorbent materials such as PVC, glass, wood, floor film, but not suitable for high-detail patterns.

Heating Requirements

Printhead heating requirements determine ink selection:

Ricoh print heads usually have a heating module, and it is recommended to use low-temperature start-up and high-flow ink.

The Epson i3200 print head is extremely sensitive to temperature control. Once the environment is below 20°C, the risk of white ink precipitation and clogging increases sharply.

Konica print heads have a wide tolerance for operating temperature, but are extremely sensitive to viscosity fluctuations. Inferior quality inks can easily cause uneven spray lines and ink splashing.

PS: After the nozzle is selected, the ink cannot be randomly poured, otherwise it will easily clog the nozzle or even burn the board.

Grayscale Control

Grayscale control ability determines the relief/varnish process effect:

If you want to create varnish overlay, embossing, or partial glossy effects, it is more appropriate to choose Ricoh Gen5/Gen6 - it can achieve 6–8 levels of grayscale dynamic ink volume changes.

Epson does not support complex multi-channel dynamic superposition, and unless it is a high-end modified machine, the effect is limited.

Konica is mainly suitable for large-surface coloring scenes and is not recommended for varnish three-dimensional texture control.

Common Misconceptions

Myth 1: Buy a cheaper Epson machine first and then upgrade the print head later.

In fact, the control system, ink supply system, and circuit interface are all different. The nozzle model determines the entire machine architecture and cannot be changed casually.

Myth 2: I have always had no problems using Epson ink, so Ricoh ink should also be compatible.

In fact, due to different viscosities, surface tensions, and dispersant systems, the stability of ink particles in different nozzle channels behaves completely differently. Compatibility ≠ adaptation, short-term universality ≠ long-term safety.

Myth 3: Konica print heads are fast, so I bought one to print detailed pictures.

In fact, Konica's precision is physically limited to around 720dpi. High-detail images will be distorted and blurry, and customers will feel that the "colors are inaccurate" or "the clarity is not good enough".

Summarize

For personalized orders/customized patterns/gift printing → Choose Epson (high cost performance)

For industrial orders/stable supply/both precision and speed → Choose Ricoh (strong industrial compatibility)

To quickly output large quantities of color blocks/background walls/PVC films/floor paper and other long images → Choose Konica (pursuing production capacity)