Epson ET-2720 vs EufyMake UV Printer E1: Which Should You Actually Buy?

The Real Comparison: Sublimation vs UV

I manage purchasing for a 30-person company. I process maybe 60 orders a year, and I report to both operations and finance, which means every equipment purchase needs a paper trail. When I took over purchasing in 2021, I had to learn the difference between buying office supplies and buying production equipment. They are not the same skill.

In 2024, we evaluated two ways to handle small-batch custom products in-house: the Epson ET-2720 printer with a dye-sublimation setup, and the EufyMake UV printer E1. These are not competitors in the traditional sense. One prints via heat transfer using sublimation ink. The other prints directly onto hard surfaces with UV ink. But they end up in the same procurement conversation because they solve the same basic problem: how do we print custom stuff in small quantities without paying a service bureau every time?

The question isn't which printer is better. The question is which workflow loses less money when you factor in consumables, software, training, and mistakes. My rule for every equipment quote is the same: I ask what's NOT included before I ask the price. If a vendor lists all fees upfront, even a higher total is easier to defend to finance than a cheaper quote with surprise add-ons. That rule shaped this comparison.

Total cost of ownership is not the sticker price. It's hardware, consumables, software, maintenance, and the time you waste troubleshooting.

Money Up Front: Why the Sticker Price Lied

The Epson ET-2720 printer is cheap. As of January 2025, I've seen it around $250, but verify current pricing before you present it to your boss. That price is also misleading. To use it for sublimation, you need to add sublimation ink, transfer paper, heat-resistant tape, and a heat press. If you don't already own a heat press, you're adding a few hundred dollars. A complete sublimation printer set with ink and paper helps, but it doesn't eliminate the other gear.

The EufyMake UV printer E1 costs more up front. It also arrives with a different set of requirements: UV ink, a printer that cures ink as it goes, and enough space to keep the unit ventilated. I won't quote a specific price for the E1 because it changes with bundles and availability. That's not a criticism, but it makes budget forecasting harder. The Epson price is visible in dozens of stores; the E1 price depends on where you look and who covers shipping.

My conclusion on hardware cost: the Epson setup is cheaper only if you already own a heat press. If you're starting from nothing, the gap narrows fast, and the E1 starts to look reasonable.

Per-Item Cost: The Number Nobody Puts in the Spreadsheet

This is where I made my rookie mistake. I assumed cheaper printer plus cheaper ink meant cheaper per item. Not always.

With the ET-2720, every transfer consumes sublimation paper and a coated blank. For a mug or a mousepad, the blank is the largest part of the cost. If you misprint, you just ruined the blank. I don't have hard data on our defect rate, but based on the first three months, I'd guess we wasted 10 to 15 percent of blanks while learning. That wasn't because the printer is unreliable. It was because color alignment and time and temperature all go wrong before you see the result.

The EufyMake E1 prints directly on hard goods. No transfer paper, no heat press, no waiting for a coated blank. UV ink costs more, and you still pay for the object you're printing on, but you aren't throwing away a bunch of pre-treatment or paper. For short runs of wood signs, glassware, or plastic parts, that changes the math. The expensive printer can be cheaper per item.

Counterintuitive, but true: the higher upfront cost can be the lower cost per item for small hard-good orders.

Software: The Part I Underestimated

I almost skipped software when I compared these two. I don't identify as a print operator. But software ended up causing more delays than all the hardware combined.

If you search for 'Epson printers sublimation,' you'll find a lot about ICC profiles, color curves, and why the colors on screen don't match the mug. The Epson uses a standard printer driver. It has a learning curve, but it's manageable. For a simple sublimation shop, you can learn the basics in an afternoon. Buy a sublimation printer set with a known ICC profile and you'll save yourself another day of guesswork.

The EufyMake UV printer E1 uses dedicated UV printer software. That software controls ink layers, white ink, varnish, and pass counts. You aren't just clicking print. You're telling the printer exactly how to build the print. White ink makes a huge difference, because the ET-2720 cannot print white ink at all. Dark shirts and clear stickers are a different world.

I wish I had tracked the time I spent on software calibration. My honest estimate: the Epson took half a day to feel comfortable. The E1 took closer to two days. The E1 software has more options, and more options means more ways to mess up. But the options are what make UV printing worth considering.

Maintenance, Warranty, and Other Fine Print

This section is where I sound like a parent telling you to read the terms. I'm okay with that.

The Epson ET-2720 is not sold by Epson as a sublimation printer. The community uses it with sublimation ink because it has refillable tanks, but that choice voids the warranty. I've never fully understood why Epson doesn't officially support a printer that is so popular for this. If someone with inside knowledge can explain it, I'd genuinely like to hear it. In the meantime, a clogged printhead might mean replacing the unit.

The EufyMake E1 is purpose-built for UV printing, so the support model is different. But it's a smaller product line. Parts, software updates, and tech support are less established than for a mainstream document printer. I can't tell you which one fails less. My best guess is the Epson fails in familiar ways, while the E1 might fail in ways that are harder to troubleshoot. That uncertainty is worth building into your decision.

If I sound cautious, it's because I've been burned by glossy spec sheets. The vendor who couldn't provide proper invoicing cost us $2,400 in rejected expense reports. Now I verify the total cost and the support reality before I place an order. That's not pessimism. It's budgeting.

So Which One Should You Buy?

Here is my honest, scenario-based advice.

Choose the Epson ET-2720 sublimation setup if: you want polyester apparel, mugs, mousepads, and other coated blanks; you already have a heat press; your budget is tight; and you can accept that you are running a community-supported color workflow. Buy a complete sublimation printer set, start with simple products, and don't expect Epson to hold your hand.

Choose the EufyMake UV printer E1 if: you need white ink, hard substrates, direct printing, and small batches. You should be comfortable with dedicated UV printer software and willing to troubleshoot a less mainstream machine. If you're printing on existing products—wood, metal, glass, plastic—the E1 can be the lower-risk choice despite the higher sticker price.

And if you don't actually need in-house customization, don't buy either. For standard business cards, flyers, brochures, and printed booklets, an online printer like 48 Hour Print does those well at standard turnaround. Keep specialty equipment for the jobs that really need it. That's the kind of advice I wish someone had given me before I bought my first dedicated printer.

The two printers aren't direct competitors. They're two different answers. Figure out which product you're actually going to sell or produce first, then let that answer pick the machine. I did, and I still think we made the right call—eventually.