Here is a December 2016 Update on an article we wrote back in 2013 about the Epson F2000 DTG printer: The article below was written back in November of 2013. A lot has happened since then. We have now had an F2000 for three years and while we love the print quality and ease of maintenance – a lot of things have started to shake out over the years. There have been widespread reports of people going through a number of heads per year due to clogs and failure. OK, this is NOT uncommon in any DTG printer and users pretty much learn to deal with it. And, it is not big deal if you have a warranty – the head is covered and within a couple of days the Epson tech shows up and you have a new head. Easy!
The problem is that Epson offers a one year warranty with the machine and then wants you to buy a service contract after that. They do not allow you to replace your own head or service the machine (other than normal maintenance). And, we have found in some cases dealers have told customers "you won't need a service contract because these machines are great." If you don't extend the warranty with a service contract – Epson won't let you do it later down the road. That means you have no way to replace a head other than to pay Epson for a one-time visit – and we are hearing quotes of $3,000 for the head and the tech. We have heard from a lot of users who did not opt in for a service contract who now either don't print white ink (it is the white ink that always is the issue), or their machines sit ide.
We are currently exploring head replacements using original OEM heads. We have a source and will report back here our findings. And, there are now a number of DTG ink companies offering ink for the F2000 at a much lower price than Epson. We are also exploring this to see if there are any problems. Check back for updates to this article.
We are still very high on the F2000. Every brand of machine on the market has some issues and quirks and it seems that the people with issues are now more in the minority. If you like this topic there is a closed Group on Facebook called Global F2000 DTG Users Group. You should request to join the group and you will see long threads about this printer and people who love it – and yes, some who hate it. There is also a general group called DTG Owners Group – All Brands. Check it out.
Original Article Written in November of 2013 – So…. is this going to be the Game Changer? On September 9, 2013 Epson released their direct-to-garment F2000 Series inkjet printer with lots of fanfare. They showed the printer at the SGIA Show in Orlando in October. Catch Scott Fresener's Final SGIA Show Report video with a lot of comments on this printer HERE.
The list price of the Epson printer is $19,995 which is about inline with other comparable printers including the Brother printer – if you factor in the Brother trade-in program. We already hear rumors of dealers discounting it. You can get a non-white or white model for the same price. The print area is 16" x 20".
Although the Epson website still has some "coming soon" sections you can actually get more information from their dealer websites. At the SGIA show Epson announced they had setup Lawson Digital and Screen, Belquette, Axiom, Equipment Zone, All American Supply and Stahls as their US dealer network. They have since announced many dealers in other countries and are doing a major push world wide on this printer.
It should be interesting to see how this shakes out. Dealers have been promised delivery in early January (rumor has it European dealers will have machines sooner) and even if a dealer is making their own machine – as most are – Epson does not seem to care. We are anxious to see if the current manufacturer/dealers drop their own lines to concentrate on the Epson printer.
It will also be interesting to see how Stahls handles this. They have been wanting to sell a DTG printer for a long time but smartly sat on the sideline while the problems have shaken out. They are probably the best positioned to sell this machine with good financial strength and a huge following.
Epson is shipping a simple RIP with their printer and is letting third party developers step up and make their own. In fact, T-Biz will be making a T-RIP DTG version that will work well with the Epson printer (and others) – release date is early January! In fact, we are considering offering training classes for the Epson DTG printer at our upcoming Printers Boot Camp classes in Scottsdale and Nashville.
Why might this be a game changer? Epson stood back (like Stahls) and watched the blood bath of early adopters/manufacturers shake out tech issues. They are offering a ONE YEAR warranty on the print head AND free on-site service for one year (US). We are not sure how they will handle this for international customers. This is HUGE.
Plus, the printer has a special "purpose built" head, a cool head wiping system, ink recirculation and more! They pretty much covered all the problem areas. There is great little video on their Gallery page HERE.
Read all the facts and specs HERE on the Epson website.
The Epson website still has many "coming soon" sections but here is an industry news release that has more details. Click HERE.
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