eufyMake E1 Bidirectional Printing: What the Update Changes for Your Shop
The E1’s bidirectional update is available, with important limits. Here is what to verify, how to compare quality and why faster printing does not equal faster order turnaround.
The eufyMake E1’s bidirectional printing update is now an available feature, rather than a future promise. For a shop making flat personalized products, that makes this a good time to reassess its production schedule before assuming another printer is the only way to get orders out faster.
The important qualification is that speed depends on the job. This is a software-supported change to an existing printer, with calibration requirements and compatibility limits. It does not expand the E1’s bed, automate loading or eliminate inspection. Our assessment below is based on official documentation checked October 4, 2026, not a TopClassDesigns hands-on benchmark.
What bidirectional printing actually changes
In unidirectional operation, ink is deposited while the carriage travels one way. Bidirectional operation also deposits ink during the return movement. That puts more of the carriage’s travel to productive use without adding another printhead.
The official 4.3 release notes describe a roughly 40–75% reduction in print time compared with unidirectional operation, depending on the workflow. Treat that as a manufacturer performance claim. It is neither a guaranteed saving on every file nor a promise that your entire business can ship that much more work.
The release supports flatbed printing. Rotary printing, roll-to-film and flexible white ink are excluded. Owners who spend most of their time decorating cylinders or running those other workflows should not count this update as new capacity for them.
Check both versions before looking for the switch
According to the E1 bidirectional-printing FAQ, the minimum versions are:
- Printer firmware: 4.0.9
- eufyMake Studio on PC: 4.3.3
Both need updating. Installing new desktop software while leaving the printer on an older firmware version can leave the feature unavailable. The FAQ lists PC support and says mobile support is planned, without a confirmed release date.
Check the actual versions on your machine rather than assuming that an update notification covered every component. Save the settings for a familiar production job first, then choose a quiet period for the update and validation. A software change an hour before a courier collection leaves little room to resolve a calibration or quality issue.
There is also a useful scheduling distinction: installing an update, completing calibration and approving a new production setting are three separate tasks. Mark the change as ready for customer orders only after all three are complete.
Calibrate, then approve the result
The official usage guide places Bidirectional Calibration under Device → Adjustment → Calibration. Its printed pattern has S, M and L groups. You select the straightest numbered line in each group, enter the values and submit them. After successful calibration, choose Bidirectional in the print-direction setting.
Take this step seriously. Printing in opposite directions makes alignment between passes important. The guide identifies fine text, subtle gradients, light-color areas and uneven surfaces as reasons to consider unidirectional printing. It also warns that curling media can produce defects.
For production approval, use something harder than a bold, forgiving illustration. Include the smallest lettering you sell, a sharp-edged logo, a pale gradient and an area of solid color. Print on your actual blank with your actual white-ink and finish settings. A result that looks good on a different substrate does not approve the product your customer ordered.
Inspect the sample at its normal viewing distance, then look closely at edges and transitions. Record which setting passed. You can keep different validated presets for different product families instead of forcing one direction setting onto the whole catalog.
A calibration detail the official pages disagree on
The launch announcement says recalibration is needed when changing direction modes or beds. The operational FAQ is more specific: once calibrated, switching between unidirectional and bidirectional modes alone does not require repeating it.
The FAQ calls for recalibration after printhead replacement, a factory reset or use of a bed type that has not previously been calibrated. For a different physical bed of an already-calibrated type, it recommends recalibration for accuracy even though the software does not force it.
We would follow that operational FAQ and the prompts in the installed software. If they disagree on your machine, resolve the discrepancy with support before relying on the setting for a deadline. Keep a screenshot of the prompt and your version numbers; those are much more useful in a support conversation than “I installed the latest update.”
Print time and order turnaround are different measurements
A shorter printing stage matters most when that stage is the constraint. Personalized work can also spend substantial time in artwork approval, surface preparation, positioning, unloading, quality control and packaging. Our print-ready artwork checklist helps organize the file checks; use the E1’s own requirements for the actual UV-print setup.
Consider a deliberately hypothetical job: 40 minutes of printing plus 20 minutes of other work. If its printing stage falls to 20 minutes, the total falls from 60 to 40 minutes. That is a one-third reduction in total elapsed time, even though the printing stage was halved. These numbers explain the calculation; they are not E1 test results.
The distinction is especially useful for a small shop where the same person prepares artwork, loads the bed and answers customers. Freed machine time is valuable, but it becomes saleable capacity only when the rest of the operation can use it.
Before promising faster delivery, time a complete representative batch. Start the clock at the same point each time. Count acceptable finished pieces, not only pieces that passed under the printhead. Include a realistic changeover to the next job.
Run a comparison that will answer a business question
Choose a repeat seller and define what you need to learn: can this setting reliably clear the afternoon backlog, for example? Then keep the comparison controlled.
- Use the same artwork, blank, layout, white layers, texture and quality setting.
- Confirm a healthy baseline before comparing directions. An existing nozzle problem makes the comparison difficult to interpret.
- Record preparation, print and finishing time separately.
- Note rejects, reprints and any operator intervention.
- Repeat across normal production batches before changing the customer-facing turnaround promise.
Do not quietly reduce white coverage or texture height in the faster sample. You would be comparing two different products. If a lower setting is commercially acceptable, test that as a separate change and retain an approved sample.
It also helps to save photos under consistent lighting. Phone-camera exposure can disguise a pale color shift or exaggerate gloss differences. The physical sample should remain the final reference for what you are willing to sell.
Ink and maintenance still belong in the calculation
The September announcement also discusses allowing printing after an expired-ink warning. That is a separate policy change, not a reason to plan around old consumables. Its stated flexibility applies to UV ink, not the cleaning cartridge; it also warns that expired ink can damage the printhead and affect coverage under the applicable warranty terms.
Check the current ink FAQ and your regional terms before deciding what to do with an expired cartridge. Do not interpret an enabled Print button as confirmation that every maintenance operation or warranty claim remains supported.
For costing, distinguish ink estimated for the artwork from other consumption. eufyMake’s maintenance explanation explicitly says pre-print priming ink is outside its per-project ink estimate. It also explains why powered maintenance and the proper shutdown routine matter. Exact routines can change with software, so use current instructions for the installed version rather than copying an old maintenance timetable into a permanent cost model.
Track supplies over a useful stretch of real work, including cleaning and unsuccessful output. A faster accepted print is progress; a faster print followed by repeated rework is a warning to revisit the preset.
Who should reassess capacity now?
The strongest candidate is an existing E1 owner producing repeat flatbed jobs whose printing stage occupies much of the working day. The update is worth validating before buying equipment solely to reduce that stage.
A shop needing larger rigid panels, a different ink system, dedicated cylindrical production or a stronger local service arrangement still has other reasons to evaluate commercial equipment. Software speed gains cannot answer those requirements.
Our practical recommendation is to update during a low-risk window, calibrate correctly and approve one real product family at a time. Keep the unidirectional preset that already meets your quality standard. Then let measured saleable output guide the schedule and the next equipment decision.
Considering an E1 for your shop? Explore the eufyMake store (affiliate link) for current product details and availability.
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