The original, internationally patented.
A wallPen is a vertical inkjet printer that travels the wall on its own axis system. Ricoh print heads, UV ink that cures instantly, in-house control electronics and our own RIP software — designed, built and supported in Wissen an der Sieg.
How it prints
Set up
The machine is positioned against the wall and levelled. One person, no scaffolding, no surface preparation.
The head travels the surface and lays down CMYK — plus white where the substrate needs opacity. UV LEDs cure the ink as it lands.
Done
Instantly dry, low odour, wipeable. The wall is back in use the same day.
What sits inside
Ricoh print heads
Industrial heads rather than converted office parts — the difference shows in service life and in what a service call costs. Up to 1200 DPI across the full CMYK range.
UV ink, vegan and solvent-free
EU-certified, cured by UV LED at the moment of printing. No solvent evaporation, so printing in an occupied building is possible.
Nothing left to dispose of
No film, no stencils, no masking — the image goes onto the wall directly. Material use is measured per job, and the print cycle draws little power.
wallPen OS and Processor
Our own RIP and machine software, now in generation 3, with an app and automatic print-time reduction. Updates come from us, not from a vanished supplier.
White ink
More than two years of development. It is what makes glass, dark and coloured substrates possible at all.
Height and width
Up to 3.7 m as standard, variably extendable to 4 m. Width is not a limit — the machine repositions along the wall, so a mural runs as far as the wall does.
Steerable axle
The axle steers, so the machine can be set against an uneven wall or into a corner rather than only along a flat run.
Multi-channel head design
Each colour sits on its own channel. If one fails, that head is replaced on its own — not the whole assembly, which is what a single-channel design costs you.
Patents and what they mean for you
The process is internationally patented. For operators that means a defined category and a manufacturer that can defend it; for clients it means the machine printing their wall is the original, not a copy with no support behind it.
Walls we have printed
Three projects, with the area and the number of print positions each one took.
- Photograph to followHotel fünf10 Siegen, Germany · 35 m² · 28 print positions
- Photograph to followEvangelisches Klinikum Bethel, children’s hospital Bielefeld, Germany · 400 m² · 200 print positions
- Photograph to followRichard Wagner Museum Bayreuth, Germany · 42 m² · 45 print positions
What the price difference actually buys
The machines below the wallPen price are real, and so is what separates them. Row by row, against the same criteria.
| Criterion | wallPen (made in Germany) | Competitors (made in China) |
|---|---|---|
| Quality and engineering | Developed and built in Germany. Every machine is tested and calibrated before it ships. | Built for volume — inexpensive components and materials, with the low price as the design goal. |
| Printing precision | Patented laser sensor, so the machine measures the wall it is actually standing on, uneven or not. | Simple ultrasonic sensors, which reach their limit on an uneven wall. |
| Print heads | Official cooperation with Ricoh. Ricoh GH2220, industrial and robust, multi-channel — one failed colour means one head. | Often older or cheaper heads (Epson DX7, i1600, i3200), frequently single-channel — one failed colour means the whole head. |
| Software and operation | Our own RIP software and order handling. Every feature and every update is included. | Standard software, usually limited and awkward to work with. No licence fee, but the compromise shows in the output. |
| Setup and handling | One person, ready to print in under 30 minutes. | Assembly usually needs two people and up to four hours. |
| Print speed | 2–5 m² per hour, set by the quality level you choose. | Typically 1.5–2.8 m² per hour, depending on the head and the setting. |
| Maximum print height | Up to 4 m, variably extendable. | Usually 2.7–4 m depending on the model, and less flexible to extend. |
| Ink cost | Around 5–10 ml per m². The cost of a wall can be worked out in advance. | Higher consumption and lower ink quality — the real cost per wall sits well above the headline figure. |
| Ink and durability | Certified EU UV ink. The colour holds, and it is matched to the heads it runs through. | Origin often unclear, shorter shelf life, faster fading — and not always compatible with the heads fitted. |
| Service and support | Direct from the manufacturer in Germany. Spare parts move quickly and you have a named contact. | Long distances, language barriers, and support that runs through an intermediary. |
| Safety and certification | CE certified, to the European norms that apply to it. | Frequently no CE marking, or one that does not stand up to checking — a real safety risk. |
| Investment security | Holds its value, stays in service, and the parts and support stay available behind it. | What is saved at purchase comes back as repairs, parts and a markedly shorter working life. |
| Purchase price | From approx. €44,000 plus VAT, including 12–24 months of flat-rate ink and full marketing and technical support. | Roughly €8,500–€45,000 depending on the version — built down to a price, with the margin going to resellers rather than into the machine. |
| Shipping and duty | Handled by us and calculable up front, with freight partners we already work with. | Often not transparent, no fixed logistics partner, and a real cost that moves. |
The comparison is easier to make in person. Book a demo and bring the wall you have in mind.
Request a live demo- Made in Germany · Wissen/Sieg
- Internationally patented
- CE certified
- Ricoh print heads
- EU-certified UV ink, vegan & solvent-free