HeyGears' G1 series: full-colour 3D printing on a desktop, and what the three versions get you.

HeyGears - better known for fast resin printers - has put out a detailed Q&A on its G1 series, the desktop machine it's pitching as the first to do full-colour 3D printing at home. It prints the shape and the colour at the same time, so models come off the bed already coloured, with no painting. There are three versions and the gap between them is large, so here's what each one is, what it costs to run, and who it's for.

How it actually works

It isn't FDM or a resin vat - it's a UV inkjet that lays down UV-curable ink and cures it layer by layer, building up either raised texture or, on the full version, solid full-colour 3D objects. An 8-channel ink system gives over 10 million colours at a fine 10-20 micron layer, so it catches detail like fabric texture without the layer lines you'd get off an FDM print. It can even mix colour and transparency in a single piece - a clear shell over coloured internals, printed in one pass.

Models print with water-soluble supports, so rather than snapping them off you soak the part in water - roughly 8 hours, or 3-4 with HeyGears' wash station. The surface comes out matte; a coat of varnish takes it glossy. No painting at any stage.

The three versions

All three handle the UV side - flat 2D printing and 3D-texture relief on 400-plus materials including wood, acrylic, glass, leather and metal. What separates them is the printhead and whether full-colour 3D is on the table.

G1 Starter ($1,699) uses a consumer-grade F1080 printhead with 6 ink channels and does 2D and texture only - no full-colour 3D. Upgrading it to colour later means physically swapping the printhead, so it isn't a casual add-on.

G1X Starter ($2,999) steps up to the industrial i3200 head with 8 channels and roughly 3x faster UV printing. It's UV-only out of the box, but built on the same chassis as the full version, so you can add the resin station later without changing the head.

G1X Full-3D ($3,299) is the G1X Starter plus the resin station and resin kit, so full-colour 3D works from day one. If colour 3D is why you're here, it's the one to buy.

What it costs to run

This is the part that matters for a small business, and HeyGears has now put numbers on it. Resin works out around $0.7/g - call it roughly $10 of resin for a 10cm model - and 2D ink is under $50 a bottle (about $0.5 per square metre); the automatic head-cleaning sips a few millilitres now and then. The bigger line is the printhead: HeyGears estimates replacements at under $2,000 for the G1X and under $600 for the G1, though it's clear those aren't final. If you're costing custom work, the per-model resin and that printhead figure are the numbers to build in.

You don't need to be a 3D modeller

The workflow leans on two pieces of software: HeyVerse, a model library with AI text-to-3D and image-to-3D tools, and Blueprint Studio, which handles layout, slicing and sending the job. So you can get from an idea or a photo to a colour print without opening CAD. The hardware is a one-time buy; the AI/library subscription is optional (a year is included) and ordinary printing doesn't need it.

What it means for you

Full-colour 3D has meant five-figure machines until now, so for a UK maker or small studio doing painted miniatures, colour prototypes, architectural models or personalised gifts, the G1X could replace a lot of hand-painting. Setup is quick (about half an hour), it's quiet enough for a studio (under 60dB) with a built-in purifier, and the ink is low-odour next to vat resin. Just go in clear-eyed that the base G1 is a textured-UV flatbed, not a colour-3D machine, and isn't cheap to turn into one.

The catch is the wait and the entry cost. It's pre-order via a Kickstarter launching in July, shipping through 2026, with a 12-month warranty (two years for UK/EU consumers). The dollar prices above are crowdfunding VIP figures, not UK retail - though HeyGears says it'll cover most customs fees, which takes some of the sting out of importing one. UK VAT may still apply, so confirm the landed cost before you commit.