If you’re going to use inkjet printers to add text and graphics to objects, the traditional route is to print it on sublimation paper, cut the design, and heat press that to the mug, bottle, or whatever else you’re dressing up. It’s simple enough, but can be quite time-consuming. The Xerox Direct to Object Inkjet Printer changes that by printing its designs directly onto any three-dimensional item of choice, transforming an erstwhile multi-step process into a single-step job.
Simply insert the object inside the imaging area of the cabinet-style printer and have it go to town. In minutes, you can get your freshly-printed item, making for a machine that should prove a lot more efficient than most traditional printing systems.
The Xerox Direct to Object Printer comes with print heads bearing microscopic stainless steel nozzles that accurately spray ink onto its target. It has an imaging area measuring 13 x 2.8 inches (height x diameter), allowing it to handle any object up to one cubic foot in volume. According to Xerox, this allows it to print on objects as small as bottle caps and as big as football helmets, while the tall profile should make it suitable for printing on baseball bats and a whole host of products with similar dimensions.
While actual print time will likely depend on the size of the designs, it’s rated to print at an average rate of 30 objects per hour, which can really cut down on production time for a lot of printing projects. It can print on most any material, too, including plastics, metals, glass, ceramics, and other substrates.
A made to order product, pricing for the Xerox Direct to Object Inkjet Printer starts at $145,000.