Over the past decade, the Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 printhead has been a dominant force in the direct digital printing industry. Companies such as MS, Reggiani, and Atexco have integrated Kyocera print heads into their machines. However, today we have another promising option for direct-to-fabric printers: the Epson S3200 A3 printhead. Compared to the Kyocera KJ4B, the Epson S3200 A3 series offers a wider range of applications, particularly excelling in digital textile printing.
Today, Johope has chosen a much-discussed Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 printhead to compare the actual application of the Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 printhead and the Epson S3200 printhead. This is just a personal opinion and does not represent the views of each nozzle manufacturer. It is for your reference when choosing. The analysis and comparison content is described below.
Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 vs. Epson S3200: Nozzle Spacing and Nozzle Number
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Nozzle spacing and effective printing width | 600dpi, 4.73 inches(about 120mm) | 600dpi, 4.73 inches(about 120mm) |
| Nozzle Number | There are 2656 nozzles in total and 49 nozzles from each head for overlapping splicing. The actual effective nozzles of each single head are 2558. | There are 2656 nozzles in total and 49 nozzles from each head for overlapping splicing. The actual effective nozzles of each single head are 2558. |
The S3200 is slightly better. Multiple nozzles are provided on both sides of each small unit printhead for overlapping splicing, which can be flexibly edited by the software to make the splicing more uniform.
Ink Droplet Volume and Speed
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Ink Droplet Volume | 0, 35, 7, 14pl If conditions permit, an additional level of 20-22pl can be added | 0、5、7、12pl（0、5、12、18pl） |
| Ink Droplet Speed | About 6m/s | About 7m/s |
In the ink droplet volume:
①The amount of ink droplets in each basic grayscale is similar, but the small ink dots of S3200 printhead will be smaller, and the short spacing of paper spraying has the advantage;
②In textile direct printing applications, larger ink droplets of Kyocera printhead have advantages.
In the ink droplet speed:
①Epson S3200 is a silicon-based MEMS surface;
② Kyocera has a punched panel;
③The short-pitch ink drop positioning is almost the same, and the long-pitch Kyocera is slightly better.
Frequency and Printing Spacing
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Frequency(frequency*droplet volume) | Grayscale 24K, 14pl (336) | Grayscale 30K, 12pl (360)20K, 18pl (360) |
| Printing Spacing | 1.5-3.5mm | 3.5-4.5mm |
In the frequency, the Kyocera printhead is slightly better, and in the printing spacing:
①Short spacing, the two are almost the same.
② For long spacing, Kyocera is slightly better.
Ink Viscosity and Ink Surface Tension
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Ink Viscosity | 3.5-4.5cP | 5.6-6.5cP |
| Ink Surface Tension | Small spacing: 27-28mN/m Large spacing: 32-34mN/m | Small spacing: 27-28mN/m Large spacing: 32-34mN/m |
In the ink viscosity, S3200 has higher requirements for all inks, so the price will be slightly higher for the same quality.
In the ink surface tension, small spacing is used for paper spraying, and large spacing is used for cloth spraying. The requirements for the two are similar.
Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 vs. Epson S3200: Ink Supply System and Service Life
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Ink Supply System | ①The circulation volume is not more than 80ml/min;②The pressure difference between the inlet and outlet is between 5.0-7.5kPa;③It is better to use degassed ink. | ①The exhaust port can be used;②The pressure difference between the inlet and outlet needs to be measured experimentally;③It is better to use degassed ink. |
| Serive Life | Two years | Two years |
Ink the ink supply system,
①Epson S3200 belongs to the main ink channel circulation in the printhead and does not circulate the ink channels around the nozzles. However, if this function is enabled, it will have an advantage over Kyocera;
② The circulation volume should be as close as possible to the required value. Kyocera printheads can also use this method;
③If possible, use degassed ink to make printing more stable;
④The S3200 ink supply system has higher requirements than Kyocera's. It requires high and stable double negative pressure, and the cost will rise a bit.
They are the same in the service life basically, but the S3200 printhead is more strict than Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 in ink supply.
Printhead Splicing and Printing Quality
| Epson S3200 Printhead | Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 Printhead | |
| Splicing | ①Four small heads are combined into one big head;②The ink droplet ejection angle at the splicing of each small head changes slightly from the middle;③The linear splicing between the big heads is convenient, the space is small, and the built-in positioning is convenient for replacement. | |
| Printing Quality | ①The quality is good when the distance between spray paper is close;②When the direct spray distance is greater than 3.5 minutes, it is recommended to turn off the small ink droplets;③The uniformity of the four spliced small heads will be slightly insufficient;④The consistency of ink droplets and speed in each hole is better than other printheads. | ①The quality is good when the distance between spray paper is close;② It is advantageous to have a direct injection distance greater than 3.5 minutes;③The linear splicing distance between each head is increased, and the uniformity of the splicing is slightly insufficient;④The consistency of each nozzle is average. |
In the printhead splicing,
①Epson S3200 printhead has obvious advantages in linear splicing;
②It is convenient and simple to replace the S3200;
③The uniformity of the splicing of the four small heads in the S3200 big head will be reduced.
In the printing quality,
① There is no special difference between S3200 and Kyocera KJ4B-QA06 printhead in paper printing;
② Kyocera has advantages in the direct injection of textiles;
③S3200 has a slight advantage in printing color block uniformity.
