The New SureColor

On Aug. 20, Epson launched its new SureColor F10070 dye sublimation printer in North America (the printer was launched earlier in Europe). This printer is the first industrial-class dye-sublimation printer in the SureColor F-Series portfolio.

“We started this project almost five years ago," said Timothy Check, SureColor F-Series product manager. "The printer, at 76 inches wide, is geared for production of apparel, promotional goods, blankets and home décor. We have seen dramatic change in the apparel space where brands and retailers traditionally produced a lot of clothing in the Middle East or Asia using rotary screen technology which produces high volumes at low cost. But there have been lots of mergers and bankruptcies, and they are increasingly looking to get out of these large, long-term contracts. This change is driving a more rapid migration from traditional rotary screen printing over to digital. That allows them to produce more regionally, turn product quicker, produce shorter runs that are just enough plus safety inventory, and easily reprint to restock inventory.”

Suitable for Jobs Up to 20,000 Square Feet

Last year, Epson introduced the production class SureColor F9470, and the SureColor F10070 is the next logical step for the company. This high speed, highly reliable printer, estimated to have a market price in the $90,000 range, shares a common workflow and inks across the F-Series portfolio. The company estimates that the SureColor F10070 is suited for jobs of up to 20,000 square feet, encroaching on volumes that would have been produced using rotary screen print. It’s 76-inch width also makes it suitable for producing larger items such as shower curtains, blankets, table-top displays and more.

“But the most exciting thing about it is its speed," Check said. "It’s a multi-pass system with each pass being just under 5 inches in material moving through the printer at up to 2700 square feet per hour or 7.5 linear feet per minute.”

Continuous Printing and Ease of Operation

Epson UltraChrome DS inks are available for the printer in 3- or 10-liter containers, and hot-swappable dual CMYK containers ensure continuous printing while refreshing the ink supply. It features a signal lamp on the top of the printer to give operators easy visibility to the printer’s operating condition, as well as a touch screen control panel.

“Everything inside the printer is also lit up during printing,” Check said, “to make it easy to see any print defects.”

The printer also has a special mode for printing for sports apparel, stretch fabrics that need higher ink saturation to maintain color when stretching. In that mode, the printer runs at 1,600 square feet per hour, or 5.5 linear feet per minute. In all, the printer has 11 different print modes, including modes that support both fabric printing as well as producing rigid products such as Chromaluxe panels, drinkware, etc.

One feature that helps boost the printer’s production speed is the ability to manage all step-and-repeat functions.

“If you want to do a repeat 12x12 inch pattern over 100 yards, rather than having a computer process the whole thing and send it over, the computer can just process the pattern, and the printer will manage all step-and-repeat functionality," Check said. "This cuts down on the amount of data moving back and forth, and the computer only takes a few seconds to get the file over to the system.”

Job Connection is another new feature that reduces start-up and end sequences for improved throughput. If the printer is processing a current job, and another one is lined up right behind it, the printer will skip over the normal start-up and shut-down routines that take place between jobs for continuous movement and printing of the paper.

Printheads Designed to Last the Life of the Printer

Check also points out that the Epson printheads are designed to last the life of the printer, but if they do need to be replaced, an operator can do so within two or three minutes. It has an on-board camera that takes care of alignment, and the system can be back up and running within 30 or 45 minutes with no need for a service technician.

The SureColor F10070 includes a hardware-optimized processing engine, the Epson Precision Dot Print Engine and Epson Edge Print. For shops that are using workflow from another vendor, Epson provides the ability for the printer to integrate with those systems and leverage the existing workflow.

Unique Dryer Configuration for a Compact Footprint

The printer’s relatively small footprint – 14 feet long and 3.5 feet deep including the ink tray – is made possible by its unique drying capability. It includes a front-side heater that heats up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit and a back-side heater that heats up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures that the paper is completely dry before it is wound back up on the take-up reel.

 Epson SureColor F10070 Dryer

Easily Manage Multiple Printers

Finally, Epson offers an operational dashboard view of the production line, across the plant or across multiple plants, with the new Epson Cloud Solution PORT. It allows operators and managers to view production rates, printer utilization, uptime and more from any connected device, real-time information that helps optimize production efficiency.

Product shipments begin September 1.

While I haven’t been able to see any sample output, it appears that this new printer will be quite competitive in the dye-sub market. We look forward to talking to early customers to get their view on its capabilities.