Direct Color Systems
Direct Color Systems is a US manufacturer of industrial UV LED inkjet printers for direct-to-substrate printing, selling small, intermediate, medium, and large-format systems plus proprietary inks, substrates, and software through a global distributor network spanning 30+ countries and serving sign makers, ADA/Braille signage producers, and the awards and industrial labeling industries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersRocky Hill, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Direct Color Systems does
Direct Color Systems (DCS), legally Direct Color Inc., is a US-based manufacturer and global distributor of small, intermediate, medium, and large-format UV LED inkjet printers for direct-to-substrate applications. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, with a regional office in Porto, Portugal, the company sells equipment, proprietary UV LED inks, custom jigs/fixtures, and substrates under brands including Direct Jet, VIBRAHue, TEXTUR3D, InkMark, and CHROMASPHERE. Core technology centers on UV LED curing that prints directly onto plastics, metals, wood, tiles, glass, acrylic, fabric, and other substrates without intermediate steps, supported by proprietary RIP software (Color Byte Rip V10) and patented ADA/Braille sign printing processes.
The company monetizes through one-time capital equipment sales plus a recurring consumables stream tied to its installed base of UV LED inks; pricing is quote-based across all SKUs with commercial leasing/financing options available. DCS reaches customers through a three-layer go-to-market: direct enterprise field sales (Global VP Steve Mills and regional Director Rui Carvalho for EAA), a global distributor network spanning 30+ countries, and event-driven demand generation at industry trade shows (ISA Sign Expo, FESPA) plus the proprietary virtual UV PRINTOVATION Expo. Application focus areas include ADA-compliant Braille signage producers, commercial sign makers, the awards and recognition industry, industrial labeling, and decorative printing on rigid substrates, with newer pushes into UV-DTF and DTG/T-shirt printing.
Ownership remains with the founding Allen family (Co-Founders/Board Members Blair Allen and Bill Allen), professional management under President/CEO Tom Kaplinski (joined early 2020), and no institutional VC/PE ownership disclosed. The operating posture is operating, ISO 9001:2015 certified as of 2025, with an active product cadence culminating in the 2024–2025 MP Series (UV-21MP and UV-32MP) incorporating the new CHROMASPHERE ink-delivery platform.
Direct Color Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Direct Color Systems
- Legal name
- Direct Color Inc.
- Website
- https://directcolorsystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Direct Color Systems is a US manufacturer of industrial UV LED inkjet printers for direct-to-substrate printing, selling small, intermediate, medium, and large-format systems plus proprietary inks, substrates, and software through a global distributor network spanning 30+ countries and serving sign makers, ADA/Braille signage producers, and the awards and industrial labeling industries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Direct Color Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Printing Equipment
- NAICS
- Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591)
- SIC
- Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Inkjet Printers (HDACAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI), Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)
Keywords
Where Direct Color Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rocky Hill
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Direct Color Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- UV LED Printers: Sale of industrial UV LED flatbed printers in various sizes (small, intermediate, medium, large format) under the Direct Jet UV and VIBRAHue product lines
- UV LED Inks: Proprietary UV LED inks sold as consumables for the company's printer lineup. Company warns against third-party inks citing risks to print quality and printer longevity.
- Custom Jigs & Fixtures: Custom jig and fixture manufacturing for specific printing applications and substrate handling
- Substrates and Supplies: Sale of substrates including InkMark UV coated metal, plastic/sheet metal stock, name badge blanks, acrylic blanks, and related supplies
- Custom Engineered Inkjet Printers (OEM): Custom OEM printer solutions for specialized industrial applications
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for all products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Direct Color Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Direct Color Systems designs, manufactures, and markets commercial and industrial UV LED inkjet flatbed printers (Direct Jet series, VIBRAHue line, OEM custom systems) ranging from small to large format for direct-to-substrate printing on plastics, metals, wood, tiles, glass, fabrics, and other materials. The company also sells proprietary UV LED inks, custom jigs and fixtures, InkMark UV-coated metal substrates, and Color Byte Rip V10 RIP software to support its installed base of printers used by sign makers, ADA/Braille signage producers, awards manufacturers, and industrial label producers.
Product overview
Direct Color Systems (DCS) is a U.S.-based manufacturer of industrial UV LED inkjet printers and related products. The company offers a portfolio of direct-to-substrate printers ranging from small format (UV-21MP) to large format (UV-84DTS Gen2), featuring proprietary technologies including CHROMASPHERE print technology, TEXTUR3D textured printing, and patented ADA/Braille sign printing. The product line is complemented by Color Byte Rip V10 software, UV LED inks, custom jigs and fixtures, and specialized substrates like InkMark. Applications span signage, awards, industrial labeling, ADA/Braille signage, glass/metal/wood/acrylic printing, and DTG/T-shirt printing. Made in the USA, distributed globally through distributors in over 30 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Direct Jet: Line of direct-to-substrate UV LED inkjet printers including UV-21MP, UV-32MP, UV-44DTS, UV-84DTS Gen2 models.
- TEXTUR3D
- InkMark
- CHROMASPHERE
- VIBRAHue
- Color Byte Rip V10
- PRINTOVATORS
Products and services
- UV-21MP Small Format UV Printer
Quantifiable outcome
- Largest and fastest ADA/Braille printers on the market
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Direct Color Systems
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Direct Color Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Direct Color Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Direct Color Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Durst Group AG: Durst is a broad industrial digital printing incumbent offering UV inkjet systems for signage, ceramics, labels, and corrugated packaging. While not focused on DCS's small/mid-format niche, Durst competes for industrial UV LED printing customers and has substantially greater scale and R&D resources.
- HP Inc. HP's Large Format and Industrial division offers UV LED printers (HP Latex, HP PageWide XL, HP Scitex) serving sign makers, industrial decorators, and packaging converters — a broad incumbent competitor with substantially greater scale, distribution, and R&D resources than DCS.
- Fujifilm Holdings Corporation: Fujifilm offers industrial UV inkjet printers (Acuity, Onset series) and inkjet inks, competing with DCS in the industrial UV printing market. As a much larger diversified company, Fujifilm has greater capital resources and broader customer reach across commercial and industrial printing.
- Agfa-Gevaert NV:
Direct peers
- Inkcups Now Corporation: Inkcups Now manufactures UV LED direct-to-object and cylindrical printers (Brat, Helix, Titan series) for promotional product, drinkware, and industrial decoration — a direct niche peer to DCS in industrial UV LED printing applications.
- Roland DGA Corporation: Roland DGA is a leading manufacturer of UV LED inkjet printers (VersaUV series) and integrated print/cut solutions for signage, awards, packaging, and industrial printing — directly competing with DCS in small/mid-format UV LED printers serving the same sign maker and personalization customer base.
- DGI (Digital Graphics Inc.): DGI manufactures UV LED flatbed and roll-to-roll printers (FT-3204R, FT-II series) for the same sign maker, awards, and industrial decoration markets as DCS, with comparable small/mid-format positioning and similar ink consumable revenue models.
- Mutoh Holdings Co., Ltd. Mutoh produces UV LED hybrid and flatbed inkjet printers (ValueJet XpertJet series) targeting the same small and mid-format sign and industrial printing customers as DCS, with comparable ink consumable business models.
- Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd. Mimaki manufactures UV LED flatbed and roll-to-roll inkjet printers (UJF/UJV series) and supplies inks, directly competing with DCS in direct-to-substrate and small-format UV printing for signage, awards, and industrial decoration.
Emerging players
- Uvistar (Flora / Wizard): Flora and similar Chinese UV LED printer manufacturers offer competitively priced flatbed UV printers targeting the same small and mid-format sign and personalization applications as DCS, representing a price-pressure threat from emerging low-cost competitors.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Direct Color Systems social profiles
Digital presenceDirect Color Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Direct Color Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Direct Color Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Direct Color Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Direct Color Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Direct Color Systems
What does Direct Color Systems do?
Direct Color Systems designs, manufactures, and markets commercial and industrial UV LED inkjet flatbed printers (Direct Jet series, VIBRAHue line, OEM custom systems) ranging from small to large format for direct-to-substrate printing on plastics, metals, wood, tiles, glass, fabrics, and other materials. The company also sells proprietary UV LED inks, custom jigs and fixtures, InkMark UV-coated metal substrates, and Color Byte Rip V10 RIP software to support its installed base of printers used by sign makers, ADA/Braille signage producers, awards manufacturers, and industrial label producers.
Is Direct Color Systems a public or private company?
Direct Color Systems is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Direct Color Systems founded?
Direct Color Systems was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Direct Color Systems based?
Direct Color Systems is headquartered in Rocky Hill, United States, in the North America region.
How does Direct Color Systems make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. UV LED Printers are the primary driver. The others are UV LED Inks, custom Jigs & Fixtures, substrates and Supplies and custom Engineered Inkjet Printers (OEM).
Who are Direct Color Systems's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Durst Group AG, HP Inc., Fujifilm Holdings Corporation and Agfa-Gevaert NV. Direct peers are Inkcups Now Corporation, Roland DGA Corporation, DGI (Digital Graphics Inc.), Mutoh Holdings Co., Ltd. and Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.. Uvistar (Flora / Wizard) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Direct Color Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Direct Color Systems.
What industry is Direct Color Systems in?
Direct Color Systems's product category is Industrial Printing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAEAA, Inkjet Printers, with a secondary code of IMAEAHAI, Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive). Its NAICS code is 325910 and its SIC code is 3555.