xTool says its 01 Omni Printer can ‘print it all’ — firm steps into the world of UV printing for output on ‘all surfaces’ at up to 5mm thick
xTool launched its 01 Omni Printer today at a special event in Berlin that we attended. The digital-to-physical hardware firm claims this device is the “world’s first 4-in-1 printer,” and said it was ready for makers who want to “print it all.”
So, what are the four things this device can replace, exactly? It “natively combines UV, DTG (direct-to-garment), DTF (direct-to-film) and UV DTF technologies within a single desktop ecosystem,” says xTool. Pricing starts from $1,699 for the single UV edition, rising to $2,699 for the Dual UV edition, and peaks at $2,799 for the UV and DT Fabric Edition.
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At the launch presentation, xTool CEO Jason Wang introduced his firm as a business established 10 years ago to build better digital tools for makers. Wang reckons xTool has now established itself as the No. 1 laser cutter maker and is leveraging the knowledge and software it has developed to expand into other tools, which will be valuable to makers.
Last year, xTool took its first steps into the printing market with a laser DTF, as well as the versatile but flawed M1 Ultra. This year, it has improved features and capabilities with the new M2 color craft laser (review soon) and today’s announcement, the 01 Omni Printer.
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Both of the newest xTool products use the firm’s excellent xTool Studio software, which makes tackling a blank canvas very easy with its access to a cornucopia of online ideas and templates from xTool / Atomm and the associated community. Then there are built-in AI generators for logos, designs, illustrations, whole projects, and more.
After the presentation, I saw this software handle a single job between xTool machines. The workflow printed some bright glossy designs on the new 01 Omni Printer, then the powerful P3 laser accepted the work as input to accurately cut them all out. I also saw one computer handling multiple 01 Omni machines.
Why get a 4-in-1 UV printer?
The attraction of the 01 Omni Printer is the humongous range of materials you can print on with good results. Suitable mediums include wood, acrylic, glass, and metal, as well as customizing garments directly or producing complex UV DTF transfers. But, in practice, the system “can print on virtually any imaginable surface.”
One of the appeals of UV printing is that it can build up quite a strong texture. I think some firms have referred to the process as 2.5D printing, as it can output artwork that has up to 5mm of relief – that’s a deep textural quality. This kind of work can use up a lot of the base white ink, but one of the makers told me xTool’s ink was about a third the cost of that sold for the EufyMake UV printing device. This could be a serious draw for makers if it stays relatively affordable. Moreover, xTool asserts that its UV inks/curing don’t smell so bad. On the day, I didn’t notice the presence of any bad ink smells.
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There were expert artists and makers at the event, showcasing a variety of projects pre- and post-show. I received a nicely printed cup and a candle from some of the kind makers in attendance. The cup was branded with some Berlin artwork as a memento, and the candle an xTool Studio (AI) generated floral motif. Both of these were produced using a rotary tool that the 01 Omni Printer can load.
Outputting each of these projects takes around 15 minutes, with the current firmware/software. For both these jobs, a few minutes were taken up by the machine scanning the 3D shape of the item on the rotary tool ahead of the print process. Then several white coats were required to build a good foundation for the final color layers. I’m not sure if these had a varnish applied. So, as well as CMY and K inks, the 01 Omni had tanks for white and varnish. Yes, it’s a CMYKWV process. The cup should be dishwasher safe, but we will see.
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The makers in the demo hall were still pretty inexperienced with the xTool 01 Omni, of course. I’d say there were still teething troubles with the fresh hardware and its software integration. For example, I noticed a few false starts getting some jobs to output, and I heard that there had been a few issues with the print head and work colliding.
Both makers and xTool seem well aware of early wrinkles, so it’s likely that the early kinks will get worked out. When asked about output times, some makers said that updates were coming to the 01 Omni Printer, which are expected to give it an extra shot of speed. Such considerations are very important for folks who are buying hardware like this to propel a business. With the considerable investment needed for this hardware, we recommend reading or watching a good third-party review. Review updates can also be important to make sure any early issues in day-zero coverage are tackled.
