XTool's new Apparel Printer could be an industry game-changer

XTool is diving into the direct-to-film (DTF) space with its latest XTool Apparel Printer, and this new all-in-one unit looks to be a game-changer for fashion brands and businesses. It offers an automated process that works in just a few clicks. The machine has now officially launched on Kickstarter, at an early bird price of $3,999, but you'll need to pay a refundable $50 deposit before April 6, 2025, to secure one.

You might already be familiar with XTool as makers of some of the best laser cutters and engravers. But this is a new market for them, and with this printer, they're definitely entering Cricut territory. Some of the best Cricut machines like the EasyPress range are popular for heat printing on garments, and even Cricut alternative machines are great for small businesses printing hats and bags too, so it's interesting to be getting another big brand in the space.

XTool says it has one mission: to make quality printing accessible to everyone, without the need for pro-level experience or complicated setups. It also describes its Apparel Printer as a "game-changing innovation in its price segment". While I think this ambition is great, I'm not so sure that $4K is an investment that newcomers to the craft can afford to make right off the bat. For businesses, however, it looks like this will be solving several pain points for the maker community, with fully automatic print-to-bake functionality, self-maintenance, and AI monitoring.

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The video above from XTool highlights some of the top features of its shiny new Apparel Printer, but I think what makes this machine so innovative is its streamlined all-in-one process and appeal to newcomers (I'm hoping to get into digital crafting myself this year as a newbie). I've listed a few of the top specs of the XTool Apparel printer below that I think will appeal to digital crafters and designers.

From what I can gather, the XTool Apparel Printer will take care of the entire process for you, from printing to baking in around 8 minutes. This includes elements like powder application, shaking, and curing. All that's left to do afterwards is heat-press your printed film onto the fabric (and it works with virtually any fabric type and colour too).

This process differs from traditional screen printing and sublimation methods in that it can offer multi-colour and complex patterns in a single print, and there's no need for any manual cleaning either. The output from the XTool Apparel Printer is said to be much better quality than more cost-effective methods too, with higher clarity and complexity thanks to the Epson I1600 Dual Print Head Technology.

The price of the XTool Apparel Printer seems competitive for a machine in this category, although keep in mind that while a device like this DTF printer is certainly an investment to businesses, you will still need to factor in material costs and accessories on top. XTool has helpfully broken this down by calculating that an A3-sized design will cost around $4–6 per shirt to print, which can be sold for $20–$40, leaving you with $14–$36 of profit margin per shirt.

Note: the Kickstarter early bird offer from XTool will also throw in some white and black ink worth $118 as a bundle deal. If this machine isn't quite for you, take a look at these deals below on some other top products from XTool.