What is Epson showing at The Print Show 2026?
Epson has confirmed that three technologies will headline its stand at the NEC Birmingham event:
- the SureColor G9000 high-productivity DTF printer;
- the SureColor V4000 UV flatbed printer;
- the SureColor F300 compact dye-sublimation printer.
For custom clothing businesses, the G9000 is the most directly relevant. Epson describes it as its first high-production DTFilm printer, designed for businesses that need greater capacity than entry-level or smaller-format DTF systems can provide.
The company says visitors will be able to see live demonstrations and printed samples, with the wider showcase focused on personalised products, garment decoration, promotional merchandise, soft signage and retail graphics.
Why the SureColor G9000 matters to garment decorators
DTF has grown quickly because it allows a printed transfer to be heat-applied to a broad range of materials. That makes it useful for jobs where a printer may need to decorate cotton one day and polyester, nylon, blends or performance fabrics the next.
Epson says the G9000 is designed specifically for high-volume DTFilm production, rather than occasional low-output work.
According to Epson's UK product information, the printer supports media widths up to 1,626 mm, uses high-capacity 1.6-litre ink pouches, and offers a default 1200 × 600 dpi production mode with higher-quality modes available up to 1200 × 1200 dpi.
That wider roll format matters because production DTF businesses often arrange many transfers together across a roll. A wider printable area can increase layout flexibility and make better use of gang sheets when several jobs are being produced together.
Automation and maintenance are a major part of the pitch
One of the most important themes in current garment-printing equipment is not simply faster print speed. It is reducing the amount of manual intervention needed to keep production stable.
Epson is highlighting several features on the G9000 aimed at that problem.
Automatic cleaning
The printer includes automated cleaning functions and a fabric wiper intended to reduce daily maintenance demands.
Nozzle Verification Technology
Epson's Nozzle Verification Technology monitors nozzle performance and can compensate to help maintain print quality when problems are detected.
User-replaceable printhead
Epson also promotes a user-replaceable printhead as a way to reduce downtime and avoid waiting for an engineer for every printhead-related service event.
For a high-volume print shop, uptime can be as important as headline speed. A machine that prints quickly but requires frequent stoppages can create production delays, especially during seasonal peaks or large event-merchandise runs.
Why DTF is attracting investment
Epson said when it launched the G9000 earlier in 2026 that DTFilm had become one of the fastest-growing areas of digital textile printing, citing its own forecast of approximately 8% annual growth since 2020.
The attraction is flexibility.
A DTF transfer can be produced separately from the garment and applied later using a heat press. That makes the process useful for:
- polyester sportswear;
- cotton and cotton-blend garments;
- workwear;
- promotional clothing;
- small logos and chest prints;
- personalised names and numbers;
- mixed-product orders;
- short-run merchandise;
- pre-produced transfer stock for later application.
For businesses serving many types of customers, that flexibility can reduce the pressure to use one print process for every garment.
DTF does not replace DTG for every job
The growth of DTF does not mean Direct-to-Garment printing has suddenly become irrelevant.
DTG and DTF solve different production problems.
DTG can be especially suitable for
- detailed full-colour artwork on suitable cotton and cotton-rich garments;
- prints where a softer hand feel is important;
- one-off and low-quantity custom T-shirts;
- designs printed directly into the garment rather than transferred from film.
DTF can be especially useful for
- polyester and mixed fabrics;
- performance clothing;
- some workwear applications;
- transfer stock that can be applied later;
- mixed garment orders;
- placements that are awkward for direct printing.
The useful question for a customer is therefore not "Is DTF better than DTG?" but which process best matches the garment, artwork, quantity and required finish?
What makes the G9000 different from smaller DTF systems?
The UK DTF market includes everything from compact desktop equipment to industrial roll-to-roll production lines. The G9000 sits much closer to the production end of that spectrum.
Epson's product page lists a PrecisionCore Micro TFP printhead, CMYK plus white UltraChrome DF inks, large ink packs and roll-to-roll production support.
The system also integrates with Epson EdgePrint and Fiery Digital Factory, which are designed to help with RIP processing, colour management, nesting and production workflow.
For a commercial operation, those software functions matter because the bottleneck is not always the physical printer. Preparing artwork, arranging gang sheets, managing colour and keeping several orders moving through production can consume significant operator time.
Why the UK live demonstration is timely
The G9000 was announced earlier in 2026 and is now available through Epson's UK sales channels, but a live NEC demonstration gives UK printers an opportunity to evaluate the workflow in person rather than relying only on specification sheets.
The Print Show takes place at NEC Birmingham, Hall 1, from 29 September to 1 October 2026 and is free to attend after registration.
The event is also co-located with The Sign Show, bringing together equipment and suppliers across print, signage, personalised products and related production markets.
For garment decorators considering larger DTF capacity, the most useful questions at a demonstration are likely to go beyond headline output speed.
They include:
- How consistent is white ink across long production runs?
- How much daily cleaning does the system actually require?
- How quickly can operators change between different jobs?
- What happens when a nozzle issue is detected?
- How well does the RIP software handle gang-sheet nesting?
- What is the realistic ink and consumables cost per transfer?
- How much operator training is required?
- How easily can the printer fit into an existing powdering, curing and heat-press workflow?
Wider media support can expand product choice
Epson says the G9000's media handling is designed to support a wider range of DTF materials and production requirements.
That matters because custom clothing customers increasingly want more than a standard cotton T-shirt. Orders may combine hoodies, sports tops, workwear, bags and synthetic garments in one project.
A print business that can switch between products without radically changing its workflow can respond more easily to those mixed orders.
This is particularly relevant to clubs, gyms, event organisers, small brands and businesses that may need several garment types carrying the same identity or campaign artwork.
Why short-run personalisation keeps driving digital printing
One of the strongest commercial reasons for DTF, DTG and other digital decoration methods is the continued shift towards shorter runs and more frequent design changes.
Traditional high-volume production remains important, but more customers now expect to be able to order:
- a single sample before committing to a collection;
- a small staff order;
- limited-edition merchandise;
- personalised names;
- event-specific artwork;
- replacement garments without repeating a large minimum;
- several designs in one production batch.
Digital systems are well suited to this because they reduce the need for physical screen setup every time the artwork changes.
The G9000 represents the industrial side of that trend: taking the flexibility associated with digital garment decoration and scaling it for much larger production volumes.
What this means for UK custom-clothing customers
Most customers will never need to know the model number of the printer used for their order. But equipment developments can still affect the service they receive.
As production DTF systems become faster and more automated, print businesses may be able to handle mixed-fabric orders, short deadlines and variable designs more efficiently.
That can translate into:
- more garment choice;
- smaller viable quantities;
- faster repeat orders;
- improved consistency across larger transfer batches;
- easier production of sportswear and workwear alongside ordinary T-shirts;
- more flexible fulfilment for clothing brands and events.
For ElitePrints customers, the practical principle remains the same: the print method should be selected around the job rather than around marketing hype. Cotton T-shirts with detailed artwork may suit DTG very well, while DTF may be more appropriate for certain polyester, workwear or mixed-fabric requirements.
The Print Show is becoming more relevant to garment decoration
The Print Show traditionally covers a much broader part of the UK print sector than apparel alone, but garment decoration and personalisation are increasingly visible within the event.
Epson's decision to showcase DTF, dye-sublimation and UV personalisation technology together reflects how print businesses are diversifying beyond traditional graphics.
A single company may now produce custom clothing, mugs, promotional merchandise, signage and personalised gifts from connected digital workflows.
That diversification is especially relevant when print businesses are looking for additional revenue streams and customers expect more products to be available in small quantities.
The SEO opportunity: Epson G9000 UK searches are becoming more timely
The G9000 is no longer only a January product announcement. It is now entering a more practical UK evaluation phase, with Epson's UK product page live and a major Birmingham demonstration scheduled for the end of September.
That creates a more useful search angle around phrases such as:
- Epson SureColor G9000 UK;
- Epson G9000 DTF printer;
- The Print Show 2026 DTF printer;
- DTF printer Birmingham NEC;
- high-production DTF printer UK;
- Epson DTFilm printer UK.
People searching those phrases are likely to be looking for current product information, availability, specifications or opportunities to see the machine in the UK rather than generic explanations of what DTF printing is.
The bottom line
Epson's SureColor G9000 demonstration at The Print Show and The Sign Show 2026 in Birmingham is worth watching because it brings a high-production DTF system into a major UK print event at a time when garment decorators are increasingly focused on flexible, automated digital production.
The most important features are not simply resolution figures. The combination of wide roll support, large ink pouches, automated maintenance, nozzle monitoring, user-replaceable printheads and integrated workflow software shows where industrial DTF equipment is heading: higher throughput with less operator intervention.
For customers, the longer-term effect should be more choice and faster, more flexible garment production. For UK printers, the NEC demonstration will provide a useful opportunity to decide whether that promise translates into practical production gains.
