Epson, UV 9060, Dlican, or Sublimation? A Quality Inspector's Guide to Picking the Right Printer

Honestly, I used to hate questions like "which printer should I buy?" because the answer depends on what you're printing. I'm a quality and compliance manager at a commercial print company. I review every deliverable before it reaches customers—roughly 200 unique items a month. In Q1 2024, I rejected 12% of first deliveries due to color shift, registration errors, or media handling problems. So when people ask me about Epson printers, UV flatbeds, or sublimation, I don't start with specs. I start with scenarios.

It took me about three years and more rejected prints than I care to count to understand that reliability matters more than print speed. This article won't give you a universal "best printer" because I don't believe one exists. Instead, here's the same decision framework I use with our own vendors.

Three Scenarios, Three Different Printers

Your first job is to figure out which world you live in:

• Scenario A: You print large technical documents, plans, drawings, posters, and proof presentations.
• Scenario B: You print on rigid items like phone cases, acrylic, wood, glass, or metal plaques.
• Scenario C: You print on polyester textiles or coated hard goods with a heat press.

Each scenario has different needs, costs, and maintenance risks. The worst purchase I see is someone trying to make one printer do all three.

Scenario A: The Epson SureColor T2170 24" Wireless Printer

If you're an architect, engineer, surveyor, or small office that produces A1/A0 technical drawings, the Epson SureColor T2170 should be on your list. It's a 24" wide large-format printer designed for CAD, GIS, and technical graphics. As of January 2025, Epson lists it with wireless, Ethernet, USB, and a sturdy set of media handling features for roll-fed documents. It won't produce gallery-grade photos, but it doesn't need to.

Now, from a quality perspective, the phrase "Epson printer offline" is worth addressing before you buy. In my Q1 2024 audit, the most common failure in small technical offices wasn't a broken printhead. It was a connectivity or driver problem. If you've ever seen an Epson printer offline while a deadline is running out, you know that sinking feeling. My recommendation: for production use, connect the T2170 by Ethernet, not Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is fine for the conference room, but Ethernet removes a whole category of "why is it offline?" headaches.

Also, remember the T2170 is a technical printer, not a conversion machine. I do not mean you should turn it into a sublimation or DTF device. Epson's warranty and support are built around using the right media and ink. Treat it as a workhorse, and it'll treat you well.

Scenario B: UV Printer 9060 and Dlican UV Printer for Rigid Substrates

This is where I see the biggest mistakes, and also the biggest opportunities.

"UV printer 9060" isn't a single printer model. It's a size specification: a flatbed with roughly a 90 x 60 cm printing area. Many manufacturers produce this format, and Dlican is one brand that offers it. A Dlican UV printer can print on acrylic, glass, wood, coated metal, leather, and tile. For a small shop doing promotional goods, awards, signage, or personalized gifts, a 60 x 90 cm UV flatbed is a reasonable craving.

But here's something vendors won't tell you: "UV printer 9060" is an advertising hook as much as a spec. Two machines with the same bed size can have wildly different ink adhesion, color consistency, and banding. When I specified requirements for an $18,000 project involving UV-printed acrylic, I had the vendor run a test tile with a densitometer and an adhesion check. The first sample looked good under office lights, but failed after 24 hours (unfortunately). That failure cost a lot of money. When I compared a properly set UV print with a solvent-printed part side by side, I finally understood why UV edges can look almost die-cut—that crisp edge is often what customers notice.

If you're considering a Dlican UV printer or another 9060-style machine, get a test print on your exact substrate before you commit. Ask for an ICC profile, a list of consumables, and a support plan for printheads. And don't let a salesperson dismiss you because your first order is small. I started with a $200 test order once, and the supplier who took it seriously is still on my preferred list for larger jobs.

Scenario C: Best Sublimation Printer Brands for Polyester and Coated Goods

If you make sportswear, mugs, mouse pads, banners, or anything with a polyester coating, you need sublimation. The question "best sublimation printer brands" comes up constantly, and my honest answer is: it depends.

As of early 2025, Epson's SureColor F-series (the F170 and F1070), Sawgrass, and Ricoh are all names you'll see in serious discussions. Each has different strengths. Epson's F-series is popular for small-format and low-to-mid volume work. The F1070, for instance, is a 24" model that fits a lot of shops. But the printer is only half the system. You also need sublimation ink, transfer paper, a heat press, and a RIP that actually controls color.

Here's a quality inspector's warning: sublimation ink and the printer's color profiles are tightly connected. I've reviewed jobs where reds came out pink because a vendor used generic ink with an Epson profile. The warehouse noticed the difference only after a full batch had been transferred. That's the kind of mistake that makes "best sublimation printer brands" a question about the whole system, not just the brand name.

So when comparing Epson, Sawgrass, and Ricoh, compare total cost: the printer, the ink cost per print, the lifetime of the printhead, the warranty restrictions, and the local support. The best sublimation printer for a small online shop may be a basic Epson F170. For a bigger garment producer, it may be something else entirely. Do not buy based on a blog list alone.

How to Tell Which Scenario You're In

By now you're probably thinking, "Okay, but which one should I buy?" That's the right question. Here's the practical way to decide.

1. What substrate do you print on most days? If it's paper and film, look at the Epson SureColor T2170. If it's rigid samples, look at UV 9060 or Dlican. If it's polyester, go down the sublimation route.
2. What's your daily volume? A 24" technical printer can handle a few dozen drawings a day. A UV flatbed can handle small production batches. Sublimation setups are usually lower-volume and more job-shop oriented.
3. Who will fix it when it breaks? Epson has a broad service network. Dlican or generic 9060 machines may rely more on the seller. Know that before buying.

If you see "Epson printer offline" and panic, don't let that scare you away from the T2170. Offline is usually a simple spooler or network setting, not a mechanical failure. If you're buying a UV printer, budget time for daily cleaning and test prints. If you're buying a sublimation printer, budget time for color profiling.

A Small Business Bias: Don't Let Anyone Dismiss Your Order

I'll close with a bias I've earned: small orders deserve real service. When I was starting out, the vendor who treated my $200 test order seriously is the same one I still use for $20,000 orders. Small doesn't mean unimportant—it means potential.

At the same time, don't ask a vendor for huge-volume discounts on a five-piece trial. That's not how pricing works. Instead, ask for samples, clear specifications, and honest timelines. Good suppliers will respect that.

This was accurate as of January 2025. Printer prices, ink policies, and model availability change fast, so verify current details with the manufacturer before you buy. My experience comes from reviewing roughly 200 short-run promotional orders a year; if you're running a 24/7 production facility, your requirements will be different.