While perusing CES’s pantheon of startups at Eureka Park, I came across Anker’s eufyMake E1 UV printer, and boy was it fun.
UV printers use UV light to print a special kind of ink directly onto objects. Basically, if you’re interested in running a business on Etsy, this is the contraption for you. The user provides the material (while I was at the exhibit, I saw phone cases, cologne bottles, coasters, water bottles, a canvas board, and a metal sheet), and the printer then etches whatever particular image or pattern onto it that you want. So if you want to make 200 coffee mugs with a picture of your cat on it, I do believe this thing can handle it.
UV printers have been around for quite a long time, but for much of their existence, they’ve been used in industrial settings and have been prohibitively expensive. This device is relatively compact, and Anker says you can preorder it for $2,299 (an on-site staffer told me it would be available later this year). It also seems relatively simple to use. It comes with a software suite, where the user can select from a variety of templates or create their own unique image to print on the surface of their choice.
EufyMake has been funding the gadget via Kickstarter and says it has already raised a whopping $46 million.
