If you’ve ever tried to produce a full-color figurine or a one-off branded product on a desktop 3D printer, you already know the routine. You print in a single color, then spend hours hand-painting, curing, sealing, and hoping the finish doesn’t look like a craft project. 

Most desktop 3D printers produce stunning geometry, but color and surface finishing remain almost entirely manual. The last 30% of the work takes 70% of the time. And if you also need to print directly onto physical objects, like phone cases or packaging samples, you’re looking at a second machine, a second workflow, and a second learning curve.

That gap is what 3D printer OEM HeyGears is targeting with the G1 Series, which launched on Kickstarter today at 9:00 AM PDT. It’s a modular desktop system that combines full-color 3D printing, 3D-textured UV printing, and 2D UV printing in a single platform. The pitch is that you take a digital design and produce a finished, colorful, ready-to-use object without the painting and post-processing marathon.

A textured book cover printed using the G1 Series’ 3D-texture UV printing mode, combining raised surface detail with full-color output. Photo via HeyGears.

Full-Color Printing Meets UV Printing

The G1X, the full-color 3D printing model in the lineup, uses Precision Piezo Inkjet technology paired with UV curing to build models layer by layer in full color. It can reproduce millions of colors, handle gradients and fine detail, and even combine transparent and colored materials in one print. 

Water-soluble support material means you’re not spending another hour with a hobby knife trying to clean up complex geometries. For anyone producing character figures, artistic models, or visual prototypes, this is the part that matters most: the object that comes off the build plate looks close to finished.

On the UV printing side, the G1X carries an Epson i3200 industrial-grade printhead with 3,200 nozzles and eight ink channels, pushing resolution up to 1440 × 2400 DPI with 3.9-picoliter droplets. It can print directly onto compatible flat and cylindrical surfaces, which opens the door to customized merchandise, signage, and packaging prototypes without outsourcing to a print shop. 

The system includes object-recognition and positioning features for aligning designs across batch runs, plus built-in white-ink circulation and automatic printhead cleaning to reduce the kind of maintenance headaches that plague inkjet systems over time.

Worth knowing: HeyGears claims support for 400+ base materials, which is an ambitious number. Actual compatibility and performance across different materials and workflows will become clearer as users gain hands-on experience.

A full-color Viking bust 3D printed on the G1X by Black Forge Games. Photo via HeyGears.

Software That Simplifies the Workflow

Beyond the hardware, HeyGears pairs the G1 Series with its HeyVerse and Blueprint Studio ecosystem. The idea is to let users who aren’t experienced 3D modelers still get from concept to print. 

The software provides a library of digital assets, AI-assisted model generation from text or images, and built-in tools for layout and material estimation. How well those capabilities translate into day-to-day workflows will become clearer as users gain hands-on experience.

So who is this actually for? The G1 Series starter packs, which pair the G1 base unit with 2D & 3D-texture UV printing capability, make sense for small customization businesses and makers who want to print onto existing products. 

The full-3D packs, built around the G1X, are aimed at creators and small studios producing original full-color objects, from collectible figures to product prototypes. Users who need multiple workflows may see more value in the integrated platform than those requiring only a single printing capability.

Kickstarter Super Early Bird pricing ranges from $1,999 to $6,798 depending on the configuration, with savings of up to 38% off MSRP across all tiers.

The G1 Starter Pack comes in at $1,999 (MSRP $2,699), while the G1X Starter Pack runs $3,299 (MSRP $4,999). The G1X Full-3D Pack is $3,599 (MSRP $5,499), the G1X Deluxe Bundle is $4,999 (MSRP $7,999), and the G1X Full-3D Twin Pack is $6,798 (MSRP $10,998).

Backers who get in within the first 48 hours receive a free white ink or resin set (worth $109) depending on their reward tier, plus an entry into a draw for a full refund on their reward. Super Early Bird quantities are limited, so if the specs and functionalities match what you’ve been looking for, now is the best time to lock in the lowest available price.

Back the G1 Series on Kickstarter now!

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Featured image shows HeyGears G1 Series now available on Kickstarter. Image via HeyGears.