Epson partners EPS to launch direct-to-object printing system

UNITED STATES – Epson has selected Engineered Printing Solutions as its North America partner for the ContourJet direct-to-object digital printing platform, launched at Printing United Expo 2026 in Las Vegas from 23 to 25 September.

The robotic system is designed to print graphics directly on three-dimensional objects. 

An EPS spokesperson said robot-enabled print allowed packaging suppliers to decorate non-flat and non-cylindrical objects digitally for the first time, citing specialty bottles with complicated curves and shapes as one example. 

The spokesperson added that because the object is rotated via a robot and the printheads articulate, the shapes it can print on are almost limitless, with print quality free of stitches or defects and robots accurate to tens of microns.

Digital Platform Eliminates Changeover Costs Between Designs

According to EPS, ContourJet can support short runs, customisation and variable designs for packaging because the system is completely digital, involving no changeover costs between designs. 

The spokesperson said all users needed to do was click on a new artwork file, and the printing process would start, with variable data also available.

Label-Free Decoration Addresses Recycling Complexity

The spokesperson added that direct-to-object printing offered benefits compared with labels and other conventional decoration methods. 

Kenneth Stack, executive chairman of EPS, said labels added cost and often created recycling complexity, noting that the no-label look was considered premium versus having a label and that the system enabled it with direct-to-object inkjet printing.

Partnership Covers Sales, Training and Service Support

Shunya Fukuda, chief operating officer of Epson’s Inkjet Solution Operations Division, said EPS brought application expertise to industrial direct-to-object printing, expressing confidence the partnership would bring ContourJet to manufacturers across North America.

He explained that EPS would sell the system and provide applications development, installation, operator training and service support that industrial manufacturers require. 

Stack said Epson had a choice of partners across North America and selected EPS, reflecting four decades of work in industrial direct-to-object printing. 

On integration challenges, the spokesperson said training was key, noting that digital printers use process colours while analog technologies like screen or pad use spot colour, and that new pre-treatment technologies may be required with digital, making the analog-to-digital transition dependent on training and workflow expertise.

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