In the past few years, in the printer printhead industry, Epson DX5 printhead (F1440) is the most popular head.
Well, now the new I3200 printhead has gained more market recently.
For a printer, the printhead is very important, it is the core of speed, resolution and life, let us take a few minutes to understand their characteristics and differences.

Epson i3200 printhead, have 3 models:
Epson I3200-A1: sublimation and water-based printheads. Its predecessor is 4720 nozzle. Epson 4720 printhead is almost the same as Epson 5113 printhead in appearance, specifications and performance, but it has won the favor of many customers because of its economical price and availability. What's more, the 5113 printhead has been discontinued to lock the market. The 4720 printhead nearly replaces the 5113 printhead in dye sublimation printers. (TEXTEK DTF-A602 printer uses the I3200-A1 printhead).

From January 2020, Epson launched the I3200-A1 printhead, which is the 3200 printhead authorized by Epson. This printhead is no longer used as a 4720 printhead with incoder. The accuracy and lifespan of the printhead is 20-30% higher than that of the previous 4720 printhead.

Epson I3200-U1: UV printhead.(TEXTEK UV-F604 DTF Printer uses the I3200-U1 printhead)
Epson I3200-E1: Eco-solvent printhead

The difference between Epson original printhead I3200 and disassembled printhead 4720:

1. Production speed
A. In terms of printing speed, the disassembled printheads on the market can generally reach about 17KHz, while the original printheads can reach 21.6KHz, which can increase the production efficiency by about 25%.
B. In terms of printing stability, the dismantling printhead adopts the Epson home printer dismantling waveform, and the driving voltage setting of the printhead is only based on experience. Original printheads can have ordinary waveforms, and the printing is more stable. At the same time, it can also provide a driving voltage that matches the printhead (chip), so that the color difference between the printheads is smaller and the picture quality is better.

To sum up, the original printhead and the disassembled nozzle are both Epson printheads, and the technical data are relatively close. The biggest difference is that the disassemble printhead needs decoded card, and data will be lost during the printing process, resulting in poor printing accuracy and short life of the printhead, while the original printhead will not have the above problems.

Epson DX5
DX5 is the most stable, most commonly used and most recognized printhead on the market today. But due to insufficient supply and demand, the price is high. Therefore, it is gradually replaced by XP600 printheads in economical digital printers.

Epson XP600
The XP600 printhead released around 2018 is a 6-channel printhead designed as an economical water-based printhead with a lifespan of about 3-6 months.
XP600's color saturation will be worse than DX5 and I3200. But its price is very cheap, its stability is moderate, and it is widely accepted by the market.
The XP600 is 10-20% slower than the DX5. (DX5 4pass prints 12-15m²/hour, XP600 4pss prints 10-12m²/hour).
If maintained properly, the XP600 printhead can use 60-80% of the life of the DX5 printhead, and the price is only a quarter of the DX5.

Next, let's compare the Epson I3200 printhead and the Epson DX5 printhead to see what's the difference?

1. Speed. I3200 printhead has 3200 printheads(8*400), the printing speed can reach 26-33 square meters per hour (4PASS without burrs). The DX5 printhead only has 1440 printheads (8*180), and the printing speed is about 13-16 sqmh. Same print mode. So the I3200 has a much higher head speed.

2. Resolution. The I3200 printhead adopts TFP technology, the smallest ink drop is 2.5pl, and the variable ink dot technology ensures perfect high-resolution printing effect. and DX5 printhead with 3.5pl droplet.

3. Apply. The I3200 printhead has three models: I3200-A1, I3200-E1, and I3200-U1. It is suitable for water-based ink, eco-solvent ink, solvent ink, sublimation ink, UV ink, and pigment ink. It can be widely used in the printing industry.

4. Life and cost. Both heads have a lifespan of 1-3 years, but the price of DX5 is higher than that of I3200-A1. Perhaps this is also an important reason why people prefer I3200 printheads.

If you have any other questions about the print heads and the printing technical, or any info about the industry. please feel free to contact us.
TEXTEK's business covers many countries around the world, including emerging markets and mature markets. We have a complete sales system and are committed to using our professional knowledge and first-class service to help customers improve their digital printing business.