HeyGears G1 Series First Desktop Full-Color 3D & UV Printer
HeyGears, a Guangzhou-based 3D printing company with roughly a decade of experience building industrial and dental photopolymer printers, has introduced the G1 Series, a desktop machine that switches between full-color 3D printing, raised 3D-texture relief printing, and flat 2D UV printing on external objects. HeyGears bills it as the first desktop system to combine all three in one machine.
The product is currently available through a Kickstarter campaign rather than direct retail, with a listed shipping window that has not yet arrived. HeyGears ran an earlier deposit-reservation phase offering a further $300 off the public campaign price; the general public entry price without that deposit is listed at $1,999.
What the three modes actually do
HeyGears describes the G1 Series as supporting three distinct workflows on the same hardware platform, each using a different ink configuration:
| Full-color 3D printing | Builds three-dimensional models layer by layer using an 8-part ink set (CMYK + double white + water-soluble support + transparent), producing colour inside and outside the model without post-print painting. HeyGears claims over 10 million colours. |
| 3D texture / relief printing | Applies raised surface textures — HeyGears cites uses from leather-like grain to brush-stroke effects to functional braille — up to 10mm high, with 5mm or less recommended by the company for print stability. |
| 2D UV flatbed printing | Prints flat, high-resolution colour graphics directly onto external objects. HeyGears lists compatibility with more than 400 base materials. |
Hardware specifics
Specifications differ meaningfully between tiers — the numbers below are for the top-spec G1X configurations unless noted:
| Printhead (G1X tiers) | Epson i3200, industrial-grade, 3,200 nozzles, 3.9 pL droplet size, 1440 x 2400 DPI UV printing resolution |
| Printhead (G1 Starter tier) | Epson F1080 — a lower-cost printhead giving 720 x 900 DPI, roughly a quarter the resolution of the G1X tiers, and a shorter rated printhead lifetime (6–12 months vs 12–24 months on G1X) |
| Ink channels | 8 channels on G1X tiers (CMYK + white + varnish + light cyan + light magenta); 6 channels on the G1 Starter tier (CMYK + white + varnish, no light cyan/magenta) |
| Tank capacity | 1-litre high-capacity tanks with automatic white ink agitation, cited to prevent pigment settling in storage |
| Anti-clog design | Printhead heating combined with ink viscosity control, plus automatic self-cleaning after 3 days of inactivity |
| UV print speed claim | HeyGears claims “up to 3x faster” printing on the i3200 printhead — but its own footnote specifies this is measured against HeyGears’ own F1080 printhead, not against competitors’ desktop UV printers generally |
| Colour gamut claim | HeyGears cites over 97% coverage of the ISO 12647-2 standard for 2D/UV printing, and approximately 90% coverage for full-color 3D printing — both figures from the company’s own published specification, not an independent test |
| Weight | 45kg for the G1X Full-3D Pack; 25kg for the G1X Starter Pack and G1 Starter Pack. Even the lighter tiers are heavier than most desktop printers, and the Full-3D configuration needs a dedicated bench rather than a shelf. |
On the performance and colour claims. HeyGears’ “10 million colours” and “3x faster” figures, along with its ISO 12647-2-referenced colour gamut claim, all come from the company’s own marketing material. None of the coverage found for this article — including outlets running sponsored launch pieces — cited an independent lab test, third-party certification, or side-by-side benchmark against a competing machine. That doesn’t make the claims false; it means they’re currently unverified outside HeyGears’ own testing. HeyGears’ own product page also carries a standard disclaimer that images and videos may depict prototypes or pre-production units, and that final specifications, materials, and features are subject to change before mass production.
Configurations
HeyGears sells the G1 Series in three named packages, and full-color 3D printing is only included out of the box on the top tier. The prices below are HeyGears’ deposit-reservation VIP pricing — $300 below the public campaign price mentioned above — against stated MSRPs of $2,699 / $4,999 / $5,499 respectively:
| G1 Starter Pack — $1,699 | F1080 printhead, 6 ink channels, 720 x 900 DPI. Covers 2D UV and texture-relief printing only. Full-color 3D printing is not included but is described as “upgradable” by separately buying the G1X printhead, a Resin Station, Relay Fluid Hub, 3D Resin Kit, and additional light cyan/magenta ink. |
| G1X Starter Pack — $2,999 | i3200 printhead, 8 ink channels, 1440 x 2400 DPI. Covers 2D UV and texture-relief printing. Full-color 3D printing is not included but is “upgradable” by separately buying a Resin Station, Relay Fluid Hub, and 3D Resin Kit. |
| G1X Full-3D Pack — $3,299 | Same hardware as the G1X Starter Pack, with full-color 3D printing capability included from the start. |
Pricing for a product not yet in general retail may change by the time of wider availability, and these figures apply specifically to HeyGears’ deposit-reservation program rather than every possible Kickstarter reward tier.
Why this combination hasn’t shipped before
Full-color 3D printing on affordable desktop hardware isn’t itself new — several companies have shipped colour-capable resin and inkjet-based systems in the past two years. What’s more unusual is bundling that with raised-texture printing and flat UV printing onto external objects in the same chassis. The comparable device that has shipped closest to this idea, Anker’s eufyMake E1 UV printer, covers 2D and texture UV printing on external surfaces but does not build full 3D models the way the G1X does — the two products overlap rather than directly compete.
HeyGears’ own pitch for the category, echoed across the maker-press coverage, is that small studios currently juggling a resin printer for structure, a separate UV printer for texture, and a third device for surface graphics could consolidate to one machine. Whether that consolidation holds up against three specialised machines each doing one job well is exactly the kind of question that only gets answered once units are in the hands of people who aren’t the manufacturer.
HeyGears is not a new or unknown entity in 3D printing — the company has built dental and industrial photopolymer printers for roughly a decade, including a one-piece denture printing system and transparent-parts manufacturing solutions shown at trade events earlier this year. That track record is a reasonable basis for taking the engineering claims seriously, though it doesn’t substitute for independent verification of this specific, new product.
My Take — Mr Wangdoo
The number that jumps out here isn’t the colour count or the printhead spec — it’s the 45kg weight tucked into third-party coverage rather than HeyGears’ own headline material. A “desktop” machine that needs a dedicated bench is a meaningfully different purchase decision than one that sits on a shelf, and it’s the kind of detail that’s easy to miss if you’re only reading the manufacturer’s own listing.
The consolidation pitch is the part I find interesting rather than skeptical about. Anyone who’s run a small print shop juggling a resin printer, a UV flatbed, and separate ink systems for each knows that workflow friction is real money and real time. Whether the G1 Series delivers that in practice — rather than becoming a machine that does three things adequately instead of one thing well — is not something a spec sheet can answer. That’s a question for the people who actually receive units.
Common questions
What is the HeyGears G1 Series?
A desktop machine that combines full-color 3D printing, raised 3D-texture printing, and flat 2D UV printing in one system, made by HeyGears, a Guangzhou-based 3D printing company.
What’s the difference between the G1 and G1X tiers?
The G1 Starter Pack uses a lower-cost F1080 printhead at 720 x 900 DPI and 6 ink channels. The G1X Starter Pack and G1X Full-3D Pack both use the higher-spec i3200 printhead at 1440 x 2400 DPI with 8 ink channels. Of the three, only the G1X Full-3D Pack includes full-color 3D printing without buying extra components separately.
How much does it cost?
HeyGears’ deposit-reservation pricing lists the G1 Starter Pack at $1,699, the G1X Starter Pack at $2,999, and the G1X Full-3D Pack at $3,299 — each roughly $300 below the public campaign price for the same tier. The product is not yet in general retail, so pricing may change by wider availability.
Is the G1 Series independently tested or certified?
Not that this article found. HeyGears’ colour, speed, and gamut claims come from its own marketing and testing. No coverage located for this article cited independent lab verification or a side-by-side benchmark against competing machines.
Sources
- HeyGears — full specification comparison table, tier pricing, and product disclaimers. store.heygears.com
- HeyGears — Kickstarter campaign page. kickstarter.com
- 3D Printing Industry — on pre-launch technical specifications. 3dprintingindustry.com
- GizmoCrowd — on the absence of independent certification. gizmocrowd.com
- Make: — on Kickstarter campaign timeline. makezine.com
- 3dx.info — noting the paid-placement nature of some campaign coverage. 3dx.info
