Why the X One Exists — The Problem It's Built to Solve
The custom product market has always forced a painful choice. You can invest in a UV flatbed printer and get gorgeous full-color output — but only after applying primer or coating to most hard surfaces, and only in the printer's additive, ink-on-surface approach. You can invest in a laser engraver and get permanent, durable material marking — but the output is inherently single-color, shaped by the material itself. You can add a UV DTF printer for curved surface transfers and peel-and-stick decals — but that's a third machine, a third learning curve, and a third maintenance overhead.
Procolored's insight with the X One is that these three workflows are not as separate as the hardware has historically made them appear. The laser, run first, can prepare a surface for UV ink adhesion — replacing the pre-coating step that has frustrated UV printer users for years. The UV printer then lays down full-color, photo-realistic imagery on the laser-prepared surface. The UV DTF mode outputs transfers on film for instant, no-laminator peel-and-stick application on any surface, including irregular and curved objects.
That integration — laser surface prep feeding directly into UV print quality, all managed in one software environment, all on one machine — is the X One's core engineering achievement. It's not just hardware consolidation. It's a workflow redesign that makes each mode better because the others exist alongside it.
Three Modes, One Machine — UV Print, Laser, and UV DTF
Full-Color UV Printing · Precision Laser · Instant UV DTF Stickers
The X One's three modes aren't afterthoughts bolted onto a single-purpose machine — they're designed to complement each other within a unified workflow. In UV printing mode, the machine delivers photo-level color reproduction on wood, metal, acrylic, plastic, leather, and dozens of other surfaces. The UV varnish system uses instant-curing technology to apply a high-gloss protective finish that resists scratches, moisture, and fading — critical for products that need to last. The laser surface preparation step, run before printing, dramatically improves ink adhesion on non-porous materials like metals and copper, which have historically required chemical primer application.
In laser mode, dual replaceable laser modules give users flexibility across material types. The precision cutting and engraving capability handles metals, plastics, and 400+ additional materials with clean edges and clear-contrast detail. Critically, the laser module is designed to be swappable — the right tool for the right job without needing a second machine sitting next to the first.
The UV DTF mode produces peel-and-stick transfers on film without any laminator. Output is production-ready: high-resolution, glossy, and durable — applicable to irregular surfaces, curved objects, or any hard substrate you can't easily run through a flatbed printer. For small businesses selling on Etsy or at craft markets, UV DTF stickers represent a high-margin product category that previously required dedicated equipment. The X One makes it a secondary mode rather than a separate capital investment.
Core Capabilities by Mode
Full-Color UV Printing
Photo-realistic color output on 400+ materials including wood, metal, acrylic, plastic, and leather. Instant-curing UV varnish finish creates a scratch-resistant, moisture-proof, fade-resistant surface. No separate laminator needed for protection.
Precision Laser Engraving & Cutting
Dual replaceable laser modules for flexible material coverage. Clean engraving on metals, plastics, and organic materials with smooth-edge cutting. Ultra-fine detail marking on metals and plastics. Laser surface prep improves UV ink adhesion — no chemical primer needed.
UV DTF Sticker Output
Production-ready peel-and-stick transfers on film. No laminator required. High-resolution, glossy, and durable finish. Applicable to irregular, curved, and hard surfaces — perfect for personalizing objects that can't go under a flatbed print head.
Combined Laser + Print Workflow
Laser prep followed by UV print in a single, no-repositioning workflow. Stronger ink adhesion on metals, copper, acrylic, and other challenging surfaces. Unified software manages both processes without manual machine switching.
Rotary Surface Support
360° rotary capability for engraving and decorating cylindrical and curved objects — tumblers, mugs, bottles, rings. Expands the addressable product range beyond what flatbed-only systems can reach without additional hardware.
A5 to A3 Format Range
A5 format for fast-turnover small product customization (jewelry tags, phone cases, keychains). Larger format for signage, art prints, and high-value decorative items with bigger margin potential. One machine spans both ends of the product size range.
Smart Automation — Visual Positioning, IR Height Sensing, Auto Maintenance
Vision Positioning + IR Height Sensing + Hands-Free Maintenance
A common failure point with combined UV printing and laser systems is alignment. If the machine can't precisely locate where a workpiece sits, combining laser prep with UV printing becomes a manual, error-prone process that destroys the efficiency advantage. Procolored addresses this directly with an integrated visual positioning and infrared height measurement system that automatically recognizes the position, contour, and height of whatever is placed on the work surface.
Visual positioning eliminates the manual alignment errors that plague less sophisticated systems — particularly important when you're running batch jobs where each piece needs to be positioned quickly and accurately. The IR height sensing adapts to objects of varying thickness and irregular profiles, ensuring the print head and laser maintain the correct standoff distance without operator intervention. The system is designed so that professional-grade positioning accuracy is accessible to beginners, not just experienced machine operators.
Maintenance is another area where Procolored claims meaningful engineering investment. The print head maintenance is hands-free and automated — a critical feature for UV printing systems, where printhead clogging from pigment settling has historically been one of the most frustrating ongoing costs of machine ownership. An internal ink circulation system continuously stirs white UV ink to prevent pigment settling, extending printhead lifespan and reducing the inconsistent output quality that comes from partially-settled ink channels.
Automation & Intelligence Features
Visual Positioning System
Automatic recognition of workpiece position and contour. Eliminates manual alignment errors — critical for combined laser+print workflows where precision between operations is essential. Batch production becomes repeatable without re-positioning each piece.
Infrared Height Measurement
Auto IR height sensing detects workpiece height and surface contour automatically. Maintains correct print head standoff distance on objects of any thickness. No manual height adjustment — smart sensing adapts from the first piece to the last in a batch.
Hands-Free Auto Maintenance
Automated printhead maintenance ensures heads are always production-ready. No manual cleaning cycles triggered by clogging events. Reduces downtime and extends printhead lifespan — one of the most valuable operational improvements for professional UV print users.
Ink Circulation & Anti-Settling
Continuous ink circulation system stirs white UV ink to prevent pigment settling and nozzle clogging. Extends printhead lifespan, guarantees consistent color quality across long production runs, and reduces the material waste caused by clog-related print failures.
AI Design Tools
Integrated AI generation and background removal tools for creating production-ready artwork from simple prompts. Designed for makers who need to produce custom designs quickly without a professional graphic design background — accelerating the design-to-production pipeline.
Replaceable Dual Laser Modules
Two swappable laser modules for different material and application needs. The modular design means you can optimize for the task at hand — precision engraving on metals and plastics, or cutting and surface prep on other materials — without buying a second machine.
The Business Case — Print, Engrave, Finish in One Workflow
From Maker to Production — Products You Can Build With the X One
The most compelling business argument for the X One isn't the hardware consolidation itself — it's what workflow integration enables in terms of product quality and production efficiency. Consider a custom metal keychain order: previously you'd engrave on a laser, then send it to a UV printer for color fill, requiring careful manual repositioning and two separate machine setups. With the X One, the laser engraves the design, the machine recognizes the precise engraving location, and UV ink fills color directly — all in one session, without the piece leaving the work surface.
For personalized drinkware — tumblers, mugs, water bottles — the rotary attachment enables 360° engraving or printing on cylindrical surfaces, then UV DTF mode produces matching branded stickers that can be applied to packaging or accessories without a laminator. A jewelry business can engrave pieces, add color UV accents, and produce branded hang tags with UV DTF in a single production session. A trophy shop can combine engraved metal plaques with full-color UV printed bases and UV DTF logo transfers.
The key economic insight is that the X One doesn't just save equipment cost — it removes the switching overhead between machines that previously fragmented production runs and added unpaid setup time to every order. For Etsy sellers and small business owners where every hour of production time matters directly to profitability, that overhead reduction compounds into meaningful throughput gains.
High-Value Products the X One Makes Possible
Color-Filled Metal Engravings
Laser engraves the design, UV ink fills color directly into engraved channels on metal, copper, aluminum, and brass. No masking, no paint fill, no repositioning. Premium personalized nameplates, awards, and branded hardware with both texture depth and color vibrancy.
Personalized Drinkware & Tumblers
Rotary attachment enables 360° engraving and printing on mugs, tumblers, and bottles. Pair with UV DTF branded sticker output for matching packaging and accessories. High-margin product category with strong repeat customer potential.
UV DTF Branded Packaging
High-resolution glossy UV DTF transfers for product packaging, boxes, bags, and retail surfaces. No laminator. Peel and stick on any surface including irregular shapes and textures. Instant peel-and-stick on anything — curved, irregular, or hard surfaces.
Custom Jewelry & Accessories
Laser-engraved and UV color-accented pendants, rings, bracelets, and fashion accessories. Laser surface prep replaces chemical primer on metals. Full-color UV varnish finish creates durable, scratch-resistant surfaces on fine pieces.
Art Prints & Decorative Signage
A3 format UV printing for larger art prints, framed pieces, and wall art on wood, acrylic, or canvas-mounted board. UV varnish adds gallery-quality gloss finish. Laser engraving adds texture and depth dimension to prints that flat ink alone cannot achieve.
Awards, Trophies & Corporate Gifts
Engraved metal plates with UV color fill, acrylic bases with full-color printing, UV DTF logo transfers for gift boxes. The complete trophy and awards workflow in one machine — from raw materials to finished presentation-ready products.
Who Is Procolored — And Why It Matters for the X One
$1.8M Kickstarter Track Record · UV Since 2018 · Community of Creators
Procolored is not a startup entering the laser and printing market for the first time. The company has been developing UV printing technology since 2018, building a lineup of flatbed UV printers, UV DTF printers, and DTF printers that have found real users in custom product businesses worldwide. Their previous Kickstarter campaign — the K Series DTF printer — raised nearly $1.8M and attracted hundreds of backers, demonstrating both the market appetite for accessible production-grade printing equipment and Procolored's ability to ship hardware that delivers on campaign promises.
The X One represents the culmination of that experience: a machine that integrates the UV printing expertise from Procolored's existing flatbed lineup with laser capability, built by a team that has spent years understanding what UV printer users actually struggle with in daily production — printhead clogging, adhesion issues on metals, the friction of switching between machines for different workflow steps.
The community dimension also matters. Procolored's creator ecosystem offers integrated AI design tools, training resources, and a network of users sharing techniques and applications. For someone entering the custom product business for the first time, that ecosystem context — not just the hardware — is part of what makes the investment defensible. You're buying access to a workflow system and a community, not just a machine.
What We Know — Strengths & Open Questions
✓ Compelling Strengths
- True 3-in-1 integration — UV print, laser engrave, UV DTF in one machine
- Laser surface prep eliminates chemical primer for UV ink on metals
- Visual positioning + IR height sensing for automatic, error-free alignment
- Hands-free automated printhead maintenance — no manual clog clearing
- UV DTF with no laminator — production-ready stickers in one step
- Dual replaceable laser modules for flexible material coverage
- Proven Kickstarter track record with $1.8M K Series campaign
- AI design tools + creator community ecosystem included
? Open Questions to Monitor
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Pre-production campaign — final specification may evolve before ship
- Print resolution and DPI specifications awaiting campaign details
- Mode-switching workflow speed in real production conditions (TBC)
- Long-term ink consumable cost and printhead replacement pricing
- Enclosure and ventilation requirements for indoor professional use
The Procolored X One is the most coherent answer to the color problem in laser engraving that any maker-market brand has proposed — and the workflow integration goes deeper than hardware consolidation alone.
The core insight — that laser surface preparation can replace chemical primer, enabling UV ink to adhere properly to metals and other challenging surfaces without a separate pre-treatment step — is genuinely useful engineering, not just marketing. The 3-in-1 architecture (UV full-color print, precision laser engrave and cut, UV DTF sticker output) addresses three workflows that makers have historically needed three machines to service. Visual positioning and IR height sensing bring professional-grade automatic alignment to what is positioned as a desktop machine. The hands-free printhead maintenance tackles the most common operational frustration in UV printing. For Etsy sellers, custom product studios, trophy shops, and small production businesses looking to consolidate equipment and expand their product range, the X One's proposition is compelling on paper. Final judgement waits for production hardware in the hands of real users — but the engineering direction is the right one, and Procolored is a brand with enough track record to take seriously.
