I Visited Morpho in Shenzhen: Hands-On with Its UV Printer, Inside and Out

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Hey, YuTR0N here.

While I was in Shenzhen, I visited the offices of desktop UV printer maker Morpho. Product manager Pony showed me around!

Having tried printing with it, I can say it’s pretty fast. There was also a pyramid on display made from UV ink, right down to its thin fins, along with samples that used varnish (a clear protective/gloss coat) to make lenses. I use 3D printers regularly, so I tend to look closely at details like these. I also asked about the controls, consumables, and maintenance, so I’ll cover those too.

[September 16 update] Early Bird pricing is scheduled to end on September 17, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. PDT (September 18 at 0:00 JST)! The Standard Pack will go from US$1,799 to US$1,999, and the Pro Pack from US$2,999 to US$3,299. If you’re thinking of backing it, take a look at the details of the price change too.

This article is based on the explanations and demonstrations during my visit on August 28, 2026. I checked the official product specifications and sales information on September 5, 2026.

What is Morpho?

Morpho is a brand launched by Zuvi, which has developed products such as hair dryers that use light. That background is also covered on the official Kickstarter page. Pony told me they built on the existing company’s development resources, spending about 3 years taking the idea from concept to a working machine.

By the way, after its hair dryer, Zuvi also made a hair-color machine called ColorBox. It dispenses red, yellow, and blue hair dyes plus a base in the right proportions for your chosen color. A hair dryer, then a custom hair-color machine, and now a UV printer. That’s quite an interesting progression.

The display area had all sorts of phone cases and small items: prints of photos and illustrations, designs using white ink, and pieces with raised surfaces. Let’s start with the phone case I actually tried printing on.

Trying a print on a phone case

The software is Morpho Studio. After importing an image and removing its background, you capture the position of the case on the bed and place the artwork over it. A mask lets you adjust the areas you don’t want to print, and this is also where you choose how many layers of white and color to use. I just put the case down at an angle, and the artwork automatically rotated to fit it. You can, of course, adjust the angle afterward too.

For this print, we used Snapshot to capture the case’s position. With the case visible on screen, we aligned the artwork over it and adjusted the areas to leave unprinted around its shape. Incidentally, I was told background removal uses the cloud.

We ended up setting it to print 2 layers of white ink, followed by 1 layer of color. Since the case itself is colored, the white goes down first as a base. The screen above was captured while we were still making adjustments; the layer settings changed after that too.

Is higher resolution always better?

This case has raised sections around the camera and elsewhere, and Pony said it was a difficult object to print on. Apparently, the small ink droplets used for fine-detail printing become harder to control as the distance between the printhead and the surface increases.

The problem is that keeping the head clear of the raised sections puts it farther away from the lower surface you want to print on. So it isn’t simply a matter of choosing the highest resolution. It sounds like a flat board and a case with height differences like this need different settings.

This thing prints fast!

Once printing started, it was seriously fast! We were still talking about ink and how to use the printer while it laid down the white base and then the color, and suddenly there were only 20 seconds left. It finished soon after that, and we could take the case out. This was only a small design, but seeing it finished right in front of you really brings home the speed. I’m so used to 3D printer speeds that this was almost too quick for me…

The screen showed a print time of 4 minutes 52 seconds, ink usage of 0.0611mL, and an ink cost of US$0.0054. These are estimates calculated by the software for this particular design and settings, though. Think of them like the estimates in a slicer.

It also shows how much of each ink color a job will use before printing, so if you’re making several of the same item, you can check the ink requirements before you start. A feature where you enter a quantity and get an estimate for a whole run would be nice, wouldn’t it?! Pony, please!

With a wait this short, it’s easy to print 1, tweak the position or size a little, and try again. Unlike a 3D printer, though, you’re also using up the object you’re printing on, so you can’t just keep making adjustments and reprinting indefinitely.

They also showed me the live view during printing. You can watch the color being added over the white base on screen too.

Printing the white base and color, and the finished result

Here’s the print in progress. We’re looking through the cover, but you can see the white design appear first, followed by the color on top. It’s following the sequence we set: 2 layers of white, then 1 layer of color.

Looking closely at the case after taking it out, you can see the logo and text sitting on top of its original fine-grained texture. The 2 photos above were taken through the cover, so you can’t directly compare their colors with the photo below, taken after removal. This close-up gives a clearer view of the surface finish.

The finish with more varnish

This is a separate print from the phone case, made with more varnish. I think you can see the gloss even in the photo. For something that will be handled or rubbed a lot, I’d want to use more varnish.

The edges do bother me a little, though. In the close-up below, the outline of the white area looks slightly jagged. That’s how the object’s outline was detected, and the resulting mask shape was printed exactly as it was.

For a rectangular object like this, a feature that automatically cleans up the detected mask into a neat rectangle would make things even better. Having it pick up straight lines and corners properly would save a lot of fiddly manual corrections each time.

I’d also like to be able to import Illustrator files and the like with their cut paths included. Bringing in the outline of the print area along with the artwork seems like it would make things easier.

Still, why did I spend all that time trying logos when I could print in full color? I should have printed some photos or colorful illustrations too. What was I thinking!

A pyramid made from UV ink and other textured samples

A UV printer sprays ink and cures it with UV light. Morpho uses CMYK color inks, white ink, and varnish. There were also pieces on display made by building up layers of these inks.

The 3D printers I normally use build shapes by laying down filament, but UV ink can also be built up into textures and reliefs you can feel. So it isn’t just about putting a design on a phone case; you can make three-dimensional shapes out of the ink itself.

What really caught my eye were the extremely thin fins on the right side. They’re so thin, yet they hold their shape without warping. As someone who regularly uses 3D printers, I find it interesting that it can reproduce the shape so well at this thickness. I was also told the fine horizontal lines on the surface are an intentionally applied texture.

Surface textures

Up close, the painting-style samples have lines and raised details following the artwork. The way they catch the light changes with the viewing angle, so they look quite different from a flat image printed on a surface.

There’s something appealing about 2.5D that you don’t get with a 2D print: not just the artwork, but depth like an oil painting or raised, tile-like details.

A map sample

This is a map of New York. The lettering and buildings stand proud of the surface, and looking from a low angle makes the differences in height easy to see. The artwork is detailed from above, but there’s plenty of detail in the relief from the side too. Apparently, you give the software a rough indication of the raised and recessed areas on a flat image, and it takes care of the rest.

The butterfly sample has thick, glossy, translucent layers. Its appearance changes with the reflections and background, but as you can see in the photo, there is a yellow tint to the layers. I was told this was an older prototype that had yellowed, and that it can actually be printed clear, like the lenticular example later in the article. Even a finely detailed model that might break if printed as a standalone 3D object could be printed in this crystal-encased style to make something you can view from any angle around it (360 degrees). That could be fun for specimen-like pieces such as this butterfly, but also 3D scans of people or models of characters such as VTubers encased inside.

Lenticular effects and microlenses

There were also samples using lenticular effects and microlenses. The image you see changes as you change the viewing angle. A video shows this much better than a single photo, so take a look at the clip below.

The 2 photos below show the same sample from different angles. A different image comes into clear view depending on which way it’s tilted.

You can print lenses with varnish too

Pony told me that, in addition to printing images on ready-made lenticular cards, they are also experimenting with printing the lenses themselves with varnish. Using varnish for a glossy finish makes sense, but making lenses with it is pretty interesting.

There was also a sample with different images printed on opposite sides of fine ridges, switching the image depending on the direction you look from. It seems they’re trying several approaches: printing on ready-made lenses, making the lenses themselves, and using the two sides of a textured surface.

The microlens sample uses both sides of an acrylic sheet

For the microlens sample, I was told they print the image on one side of a prepared acrylic sheet and tiny lens-shaped structures on the other. Up close, you can see rows of tiny dot-like structures on the surface.

At the time of my visit, though, they were still testing the methods and parameters internally. As of September 5, 2026, the official website lists Lenticular Effects and Micro-Lens Effect, and Morpho Studio also has a lenticular printing option. I haven’t confirmed the materials or settings needed for each of the samples I saw, or how consistently the same results can be reproduced.

Inside the Printer and Using the Touchscreen

Here is the printer with its lid open. I was shown the layout of the bed, printhead, and rails. With Morpho, the printhead moves along the X and Y axes instead of moving the object being printed back and forth. According to Pony, this design gives the printer a usable print area while keeping the lid closed.

With the lid closed, the print area is 330×220×168mm. When using the A3 Printbed, the printable area is 420×330mm. The standard print area fits inside the machine, while the extension bed is used for larger materials. Official specifications

The printhead moves along the horizontal rail on the X axis, while the entire gantry supporting that rail moves along the Y axis. The official explanation of the mechanism also notes that this avoids the need to leave extra space outside the machine for the object being printed to move back and forth. In 3D printer terms, the footprint question is a bit like comparing a bed-slinger with an enclosed printer. With a moving-bed design, you also need to keep the space in front of and behind the bed clear, so this makes a meaningful difference when deciding where to put the printer.

The Differences Between Standard and Pro

Item	Standard	Pro
Printhead	F1080 (XP600)	i3200
Nozzle count	1,080	3,200
Rated resolution	1,440 DPI	2,400 DPI
Maximum embossing height	5mm	60mm
Official Early Bird price	US$1,799	US$2,999

One point to watch is that the official sources give different figures for relief height. The specification table lists a maximum of 60mm for the Pro, while another answer in the FAQ says relief printing in Morpho Studio is limited to 5mm. If tall relief work is a major reason you are considering the printer, it would be wise to confirm which software and workflow can produce it before buying.

This is the printhead viewed from below. The UV curing light sits beside the nozzle plate that ejects the ink, and from this angle it is easy to see how the printing and curing components are arranged.

Cameras and Sensors for Alignment

Beneath the control panel is an array of cameras and infrared projectors. These capture the position, height, and printable outline of objects placed on the bed.

The two cameras photograph the same object from slightly different positions and use the difference between those views to determine its position and height. I was told that the system also uses infrared structured light so it can compare surfaces with very little visible texture. The official explanation of stereo vision covers the ranging and image-recognition system in more detail.

The official CG renderings make the relationship between the cameras and the object especially clear. They illustrate how the sensors I saw on the actual printer capture position and outlines.

There are two alignment modes, “Smart Alignment” and “Snapshot,” which reportedly differ in what they recognize and how quickly they process it. We used Snapshot for this phone case. The artwork was positioned over the case shown on screen, with these sensors capturing the case’s location. Broadly speaking, the choice depends on whether you are printing on one of the ready-made items provided by Morpho or working with something else.

The official specifications list two 8MP cameras for alignment. There is also a camera for capturing fine surface detail, a live-view camera, and a color-calibration function, so I have summarized their distinct roles below.

Optical system or function	Officially described role
Two 8MP cameras + structured light	Capture an object’s position, height, and outline for artwork placement.
5MP macro camera / ReliefScan	Captures fine surface detail for use in 2.5D relief work.
2MP live-view camera	Shows the inside of the print chamber on screen.
Spectrophotometry and color calibration	Measures color information to keep printed output consistent.

These official CG renderings also explain the surface-capture process clearly. They show the camera scanning an object and turning its surface relief into data.

During the visit, I also heard about the spectrophotometric system used to measure color and calibrate output. This is separate from alignment, which is why simply counting the cameras does not make their roles obvious. More details are listed in the official camera and sensing specifications.

The Touchscreen Is Easy to Use

I also found the touchscreen on top of the printer smooth and responsive, making it easy to use. You can change display settings and select saved jobs directly from the printer’s screen.

Here I am adjusting the screen brightness with the slider. Image editing is done in Morpho Studio on a PC, but settings and jobs can also be controlled at the printer itself, which is convenient when I want to handle something without stepping away from the machine.

You Can Reprint Directly from the Printer

Each saved job has a “Reprint” button on its right. Pony told me that the printer automatically stores the ten most recent print projects, allowing you to reprint them without reconnecting a PC. If you are printing several identical coasters in succession, you can remove the finished one, place the next blank, and call up the same job from this screen.

If you use a jig to keep the position consistent and combine it with this reprint function, you do not need to return to the PC every time you make another copy of the same small item. Being able to handle that at the printer should be useful for repeat jobs.

What Does Maintenance Involve?

Print quality matters, of course, but regular maintenance is just as important if you plan to keep using the machine. Even while a UV printer is idle, its liquid ink and nozzles need to be kept in good condition, which makes it different to look after than a 3D printer.

According to Pony, Morpho does not use cleaning or moisturizing liquid for routine upkeep; instead, it maintains the nozzles through functions such as automatic ink ejection. The official technical explanation describes an ink formulation designed to minimize effects on printhead and fluid-path materials, combined with automatic agitation, circulation, and ejection. However, the printer needs to remain powered on for automatic maintenance. It is worth remembering that this is not a machine you simply switch off whenever it will not be used that day.

With the Side Cover Removed

I was shown more than just the front: they also removed the side cover for me. With it off, the service opening and handles become visible.

The waste-ink box and filter are removed from this right side. Taking off the exterior panel also gives a clear view of the covers and handles behind it.

The wiper, waste-ink tank, filter, and other components are designed to be replaceable as modules. Because these are consumable parts, it was good to see not only that they can be replaced, but also exactly where and how they come out of the actual machine.

Wiper and Waste-Ink Box

The printhead returns to its standby position on the right, where a wiper in the maintenance area cleans the nozzle plate. This photo also shows the printhead parked on that side.

The official CG rendering provides a look inside the part that wipes the nozzles. It clearly shows the arrangement of the cloth and rollers.

This is the waste-ink box. It collects ink discharged during automatic ejection and cleaning, and I was told it contains an absorbent material. It is a separate component from the wiper that cleans the nozzle plate.

I was told that the wiper should last for roughly 300 cleaning cycles, or about three months under moderate use. This will vary with usage frequency, so follow the product guidance when deciding when to replace it.

Activated-Carbon Filter and External Exhaust

This activated-carbon filter cleans the air circulated inside the printer. I was also shown a way to 3D print a connector for external exhaust. Although the design aims to reduce odor, consult the product guidance regarding ventilation and the handling of waste ink and consumables when installing the printer.

Preventing White-Ink Settling

White ink is agitated in the cartridge and circulated through the fluid path. In addition, the official technical explanation describes further measures against settling: Y-axis acceleration and deceleration keep the ink moving in the dampers near the printhead, while very small amounts are ejected during standby to refresh the ink there.

The official Kickstarter campaign also describes a system that heats the printhead and dampers to manage viscosity, a cloth-based wiper, and software processing that detects nozzle problems and compensates in the output. The system appears to monitor more than ink circulation alone, also accounting for conditions around the printhead, contamination, and the actual printed output.

Refillable Ink, DIY Jigs and Customizing the Printer

There are six ink types: CMYK, white and varnish. The cartridges sit in a row along the side of the printer.

The machine I saw had the regular cartridges installed, but I was also shown a refillable option that lets users top up the ink themselves.

I was told that compatible third-party inks are part of the plan too. You still need to check compatibility and follow the cleaning procedure when switching inks, but consumables are something you keep buying long after the printer itself. Having refillable and compatible options is welcome.

This jig holds golf balls in a row so they can be placed in the same positions each time. I like the idea of making jigs like this with a 3D printer, then using UV printing for the designs on the objects. If you’re making several at once, lining them up in a jig should be easier than positioning every object from scratch.

Morpho’s official Creator Resources page lists DIY jigs, electrical interfaces, an SDK and refillable ink. It looks like the idea goes beyond simple holders to let people build their own mechanisms around the printer. Before starting a project, check which design files and SDK resources are available and what they actually support.

The electrostatic mat

There was also an electrostatic mat for flat materials. It uses an electrical charge at the surface to hold the material in place.

It held the paper, but the plastic bag was less convincing. To work properly, a large, flat area needs to be in contact with the mat. It isn’t suitable for metal. Official electrostatic mat guide

You can print on the enclosure too

You can customize the side covers with printed graphics and textures. They’re just the right size to fit, so one of them could make a good first test print. I was also shown the enclosure design resources: the official cover-panel design page provides dimensions for the left and right panels, along with STP templates.

Apparently, you can add your own graphics or textures such as wood grain and fabric. I quite like that you can print on the printer itself and change how it looks, as well as making jigs for it.

Color Calibration and Full-Color 3D

I was told that color calibration uses built-in spectrophotometric measurement, and that soft proofing is available to preview the printed result on screen. These features help adjust output as the ink and printhead conditions change. I didn’t get as far as measuring color differences and comparing them during this visit.

Although the current focus is on 2D and 2.5D printing, they also showed me some detailed 3D samples. These small full-color objects are experimental and use different materials and processes from normal 2D and 2.5D prints. Pony said there was still room to improve the detail on this sample, but… part of me was thinking, isn’t this already pretty good for something this small?

Full-color 3D using special inks is listed under the Pro model in the official specifications. The samples are interesting, but if this is your main reason for choosing the printer, I’d check whether the materials are available and exactly how the process works first. From what I saw, the main focus is still 2D and 2.5D: printing on existing objects and adding raised textures to their surfaces.

How Does It Compare with Other Desktop UV Printers?

I also looked at the published information for two other machines: a desktop UV printer aimed mainly at cases and flat materials, and a multifunction machine that also supports full-color 3D printing.

Cleaning fluids and compatible inks

The desktop UV printer I compared uses a cartridge containing cleaning and moisturizing fluids for routine maintenance. Morpho relies on its own ink and automatic maintenance while powered on, so it normally doesn’t need that cartridge. Having fewer liquid consumables to manage besides the ink sounds helpful, including when you don’t print every day. Morpho’s maintenance design

That said, the multifunction machine with full-color 3D support also avoids cleaning fluid for normal cleaning and allows third-party ink. So those points alone aren’t unique advantages for Morpho. For me, refillable ink combined with support for things like DIY jigs could be a reason to choose it. If you plan to use compatible ink, check Morpho’s compatibility requirements and switching procedure too.

How much weight and raised detail can it handle?

Morpho’s rated printing load is up to 10 kg, compared with 1.5 kg for the other desktop UV printer’s standard bed and 6 kg for the multifunction machine. That’s a difference worth checking if you want to load heavy parts or jigs. The stated maximum relief height is 60 mm for Pro and 5 mm for Standard. As mentioned earlier, though, there is a discrepancy in the official documentation, so check the software’s supported range as well as the headline specification. Morpho’s official specifications

Pro assigns two channels each to white and varnish, with an emphasis on layering color and raised detail. With a multifunction machine that supports full-color 3D, you’re also choosing the equipment and materials for making 3D objects. The 3D samples I saw at Morpho were still experimental, so I wouldn’t treat them as a standard, ready-to-use printing feature.

What about everyday maintenance?

Specifications are useful, but I also want to know how I’ll position objects and remove consumables in practice. Alongside the thin-fin samples, I got to see the printheads and sensors under the lid, plus the wiper and waste ink box accessed from the side. That gave me a much better sense of where I’d actually need to reach when using and maintaining the machine.

This comparison uses manufacturer information available on September 4, 2026. I did not test the machines side by side under identical conditions for speed, print quality or running costs.

My Take After the Visit

Printing the phone case was pretty quick, and I found the touchscreen easy to use. Of the samples, the pyramid’s very thin fins were particularly memorable: they held their shape without warping. There were even lenses printed in varnish. I got to see quite a few possibilities beyond simply putting a design on a small object.

Of course, this is based on what I could try during the visit. For everyday use, I’d still want to look into the following:

• Long-term use: The condition of the nozzles after a period without printing, how much ink cleaning uses, and how often parts need replacing.
• Uneven objects: How to adjust settings for the distance between the printhead and the surface, and how much work alignment takes.
• Software: Time-lapse was still in development when I visited. I’d also like to see mask-outline correction and imports that include cut-path data.
• Special effects: The materials and time needed for lenticular prints and full-color 3D objects, and how consistently the same finish can be reproduced.

Personally, I’d like to try 3D-printing a jig and repeatedly printing designs onto the same type of small object. I can already make the parts themselves with my usual 3D printer. Being able to add full-color graphics and textures would open up more things I’d want to make.

Actually visiting the company was a big part of this, too. The R&D area had lots of Morpho machines with their enclosures off, and I could see for myself that they were working on the product. I’m glad I got to see that development area as well as the finished machines on display.

With crowdfunding, sometimes the first questions are whether the company really exists and whether it’s actually developing anything. Getting hands-on with the machines in the office and seeing the R&D area did a lot to ease those particular concerns for me. Since I’d made the trip, being able to see that was a real benefit of the visit.

Kickstarter and Product Information

Early Bird pricing ends September 17 at 8:00 a.m. PDT

If you’re considering backing the project, keep an eye on the pricing change. Morpho has announced that Early Bird pricing is ending and prices will rise. The official FAQ gives the changeover as September 17, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). That’s midnight at the start of September 18 in Japan (JST), so readers in Japan should think of September 17 as the last day before the change.

Pack	Early Bird price	New price
Standard Pack	US$1,799	US$1,999
Pro Pack	US$2,999	US$3,299

That’s US$200 more for Standard and US$300 more for Pro, which is a fairly big difference. If you were already planning to back it, don’t miss the changeover!

If you’ve already backed the project, your original price stays the same as long as you keep your current reward. If you switch to a different reward after the increase, the price in effect at that time will apply. The special pricing promised to deposit holders is also unaffected by this increase. Check the displayed price, shipping and taxes on Kickstarter when placing or changing a pledge.

Check Morpho’s current pledge prices (affiliate link)

As of September 5, 2026, the Kickstarter campaign was running. According to the official FAQ, factory shipments were scheduled to begin between December 2026 and January 2027, with Japan among the supported destinations. Check the latest package contents, shipping charges, taxes and shipping schedule, as plans can change. Official FAQ

Kickstarter is crowdfunding, so backing a project is different from buying an item that’s already in stock. I was able to try a working machine, but I haven’t verified production delivery dates or how the finished product holds up over long-term use. Keep that in mind when deciding whether to back it.

Morpho website / Kickstarter campaign

Visit Morpho’s Kickstarter campaign (affiliate link)

The referral links above are affiliate links through Kickbooster. I may receive a commission if a successful pledge is made through one of these links.

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Thanks to Pony and Jaden at Morpho for showing me around.