HeyGears G1X Brings Full-Color 3D and UV Printing to the Desktop

One Machine, Three Workflows

HeyGears has started shipping a new category of desktop printer. The G1X, announced this week and already live on Kickstarter, promises full-color 3D models, raised UV textures, and flatbed UV printing from a single 45 kg box. Early pricing starts at $1,999 for the G1 Starter Pack and $3,299 for the faster G1X.

This is not the first desktop UV printer to appear this year, but it is the most ambitious attempt to merge material-jetting color 3D printing with a practical flatbed workflow. Most competing machines either print color on flat surfaces or build monochrome 3D objects. HeyGears claims the G1X does both without swapping hardware.

What Is Inside the G1X

The headline component is an Epson i3200-U1HD printhead with 3,200 nozzles feeding eight ink channels. That setup handles cyan, magenta, yellow, black, two white channels, varnish, and support resin. The company says this yields more than 10 million colors and UV print resolution up to 1440 x 2400 dpi. Layer thickness for full-color 3D work is listed between 10 and 30 microns.

A line-scan camera and LiDAR mounted on the carriage track layer height in real time. The printer adjusts material output on the fly, which should help keep flat prints flat and tall color models from drifting. Support material is water-soluble, so manual removal with tools is not supposed to be necessary.

The Catch: File Formats and Software

There are still gaps in the workflow. DEVELOP3D reports that the G1X does not accept native 3MF files from tools like KeyShot. Users are limited to OBJ files for color and texture work, which is an older format with known limitations around color accuracy and file size. The company pitches its HeyVerse AI and Blueprint Studio as the primary design path, but a clear CAD-to-print pipeline for existing 3D assets is still missing.

For pure UV flatbed work, the machine is more straightforward. It can print on over 400 materials including metal, acrylic, wood, leather, and ceramic. Raised texture height is rated up to 10 mm, though HeyGears recommends staying at 5 mm for better quality and stability.

Pricing and Positioning

Kickstarter pricing undercuts the eventual retail cost by a wide margin. The G1X Full-3D Pack is $3,599 against an MSRP of $5,499. The G1X Starter Pack is $3,299 versus $4,999. The entry-level G1 Starter, which uses a six-channel F1080 printhead rather than the i3200, is $1,999 versus a future $2,699. The top Deluxe Bundle, which adds rotary, roll-to-film, and DTF transfer capability, runs $4,999.

At those prices the G1X is not competing with the Bambu Lab A1 Mini. It is aimed at small studios, custom product businesses, and makers who want full-color prototypes or personalized goods without paying industrial PolyJet prices. Whether it can match Stratasys or Mimaki on color fidelity is the question buyers will ask once independent reviews appear.

Crowdfunding Caveats

The Kickstarter campaign has raised over $3.5 million, which shows strong interest, but hardware crowdfunding always carries schedule risk. HeyGears is an established company with dental and industrial printer lines, so it is not a first-time vendor. Still, the G1X is a complex machine with multiple printing modes, and the final software experience will make or break the workflow.

For now, the G1X is one of the most interesting desktop announcements of the year. It may not replace a dedicated FDM or resin printer for mechanical parts, but it could be the first machine that lets a small shop print full-color figurines, branded phone cases, and textured signage without leasing industrial equipment.

More details are available on the official Kickstarter page and in DEVELOP3D's hands-on overview.