1610 vs 2513 UV Flatbed Printer: How to Choose an Industrial Size
Once your orders outgrow a 6090, the next decision is a 1610 (1.6×1 m) or a 2513 (2.5×1.3 m) industrial UV flatbed printer. Both are built for daily production on rigid boards — the difference is the applications each bed can accept, and the head and board configuration you choose.
What each size prints
- 1610: the workhorse for signage shops, kitchen and cabinet door printing, acrylic displays, PVC foam boards and exhibition graphics. It handles standard 1.2×2.4 m sheet cutting into pieces, so offcut waste is low.
- 2513: handles larger single-piece jobs — full door panels, furniture components, large display boards and industrial panels. If customers send you a 2.4 m piece as one unit, only a 2513 will do it in one pass.
Heads and boards
Industrial flatbeds are usually offered with three to eight I3200 heads or Konica G5/G6 heads, plus a genuine looking industrial board and servo motor system. More heads mean more speed, not better quality. Choose head count from your daily square metres: a sign shop printing under 60 m² a day rarely needs more than three or four heads, while a production line running multiple shifts should size up.
Cost drivers to compare fairly
- Bed flatness and frame rigidity — this determines dot placement on large pieces.
- Ink supply system — negative pressure and white ink circulation as standard.
- Board and software — an industrial board with proper servo control, not a hobby board.
- Lamp and gantry — LED curing matched to your speed.
Which one should you buy
If your average job fits inside 1.6×1 m and you value material efficiency, the 1610 is the smarter buy. If you regularly receive single pieces larger than 1.6 m, or you print furniture and doors, step up to the 2513 — trying to split large jobs costs more in labour and reprints than the price gap.
FAQ
Can a 1610 be upgraded to more heads later? Head count is fixed on most gantries; decide it at purchase.
Is 2513 overkill for a small shop? Yes, unless large single pieces are core to your work.
Throughput and floor-space math
The 1610 (160×100 cm) and the 2513 (250×130 cm) are not two sizes of the same decision — they are two different businesses. Work through the numbers with your own product list.
- Area per pass: the 2513 bed holds about twice the printable area of the 1610, so two 1610-sized jobs become one 2513 pass — halving the per-job setup and head-cleaning cycles.
- Hourly output: for full-bed graphics like acrylic signage, the 2513 typically prints a finished panel in a single pass where the 1610 needs a second pass or a split job.
- Floor space and power: the 2513 needs roughly 6×4 m of working clearance and a stronger supply. If your workshop cannot host it, the 1610 is the only honest answer.
Choosing by product mix
- 1610 fits: giftware, small signage, promotional items — anything that one person can lift and that fits within 160 cm.
- 2513 fits: furniture panels, doors, large acrylic signs and batch production of medium items where nesting several per pass matters.
Rule of thumb: if your average order exceeds 30 full-bed panels a week, move up. Below that, the smaller machine's lower running cost wins.
Send us your typical board sizes and daily volume — we will quote the right 1610 or 2513 configuration with head and board options matched to your workload. Get Free Quote | See industrial UV flatbeds