Since launching their first dye-sublimation printer 11 years ago, Epson has emerged as a market leader, selling more large-format dye-sub printers than any other manufacturer worldwide. This month, Epson announced their second-generation 76” industrial dye-sublimation printer. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to the brand-new Epson SureColor F11070, highlighting its new features, speeds, and costs. If you’re interested in learning about the most productive dye-sublimation printer Epson has ever created, read on.
Introduction to the Epson SureColor F11070
The Epson F11070 is the successor to the F10070, building on over three years of market presence. At first glance, the F11070 may look almost identical to its predecessor, but there are several significant enhancements.
Enhanced Ink Sets
One of the most notable upgrades is the expanded ink set options. The standard F11070 uses a four-color CMYK ink set, perfect for printing soft signage, fashion garments, home textiles, and furnishings. However, the F11070 also offers a six-color version, the F11070H, with three different ink configurations:
- Fluorescent Ink Set: Adds Fluorescent Pink and Fluorescent Yellow to the CMYK set, ideal for eye-catching fashion, sportswear, and high-visibility workwear garments.
- Light Cyan and Light Magenta: Provides smoother gradations and reduced graininess, making it suitable for a variety of signage, including exhibition banners and photographic displays.
- Vivid Ink Configuration: Includes Orange and Violet inks, offering an extended gamut for designs with challenging color palettes, sportswear, and promotional products requiring color-critical logos.
These ink sets, available in large 10L boxes, ensure that the F11070 can meet the needs of every corner of the industrial dye-sublimation market. The dual-box setup allows for continuous printing, even when an ink box needs replacement, thanks to its hot-swapping capability.
Advanced Print Heads
The F11070 retains the robust 4.7” print heads from the previous generation, using variable drop sizes to deliver superior quality on various substrates. These print heads feature nozzle verification technology and built-in redundancy to prevent banding from dropped nozzles. Importantly, they are user-replaceable, minimizing downtime and eliminating the need for costly service calls.
The standard CMYK F11070 comes with four print heads, each with 3200 nozzles. The F11070H models add two more print heads, maintaining the same print speed despite the additional ink channels. This configuration allows for speeds of over 2600 square feet per hour for fashion and signage applications, and up to 1600 square feet per hour for high-saturation sports apparel.
Increased Media Capacity
One of the major enhancements in the F11070 is its increased media handling capacity. Responding to customer feedback, Epson has introduced an optional large roll media unwinder that supports rolls up to 19.7” in diameter and 661 lbs. This allows for nearly five times longer rolls compared to the previous F10070 model, making it ideal for high-volume sublimation shops.
Enhanced Productivity and Reliability
To support its high-speed capabilities, the F11070 features a multi-core processor and fiber optic cable to the print head for rapid data transfer. It also includes a compact integrated drying unit to handle heavy ink loads on lightweight paper, ensuring efficient drying and preventing ink bleeding.
Epson has also focused on minimizing printer downtime with automated maintenance features. The F11070 is equipped with an active air filtration system, a media cleaning system, and an automatic fabric wiping system, ensuring reliability in harsh factory environments and reducing maintenance to just five minutes per month.
Costs and Pricing
The Epson SureColor F11070 is priced at $96,995 for the standard 4-color version and $111,995 for the 6-color F11070H. Both models support the standard 9.8” diameter rolls with a maximum weight of 132 lbs. For an additional $15,000, customers can upgrade to the large roll unwinder unit, capable of handling mini-jumbo rolls.
Conclusion
The second-generation Epson SureColor F11070 brings improved productivity and flexibility to the 76” industrial printer market. With support for longer rolls, faster print speeds, and advanced ink configurations, the F11070 is designed for high-volume sublimation shops looking for around-the-clock productivity. Combined with minimal maintenance requirements and Epson’s renowned image quality, the F11070 stands out as a top choice in the market.
If you have any questions or would like to see the F11070 in action, please contact us at 1-800-771-9665 or visit our website itsupplies.com. Thanks for reading!
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