Procolored K13 Lite review
Product photos: Procolored.
A first DTF printer for a home shop printing up to a few dozen shirts a week. 13-inch roll printer for $1,999, with phone and chat support six days a week.
The catch: It is the slowest printer in the comparison (5 letter-size prints an hour, per Procolored) and the software runs on Windows only.
- Print width
- 13 in · A3
- Print head
- LH-500 (Procolored LiteHead)
- Stated speed
- 3.2 sq ft/h
- White ink care
- 2 automatic
- Computers
- Windows
- Head warranty
- 6 months
Verdict in 3 lines
The K13 Lite is the easiest way into 13-inch DTF from a brand that answers the phone in the US: $1,999 for the printer, $2,499 with an oven.
It protects its own white ink (circulation every 30 minutes, self-cleaning every 10 hours) and Procolored replaces the head once for free in the first 6 months.
The price of that comfort is speed: 5 letter-size prints an hour. Fine for a side business, tight for daily orders.
Who the K13 Lite is for, and who should skip it
Buy it if
- You are buying your first DTF printer and want a full adult-front width (13 inches).
- You print a few shirts at a time, up to a few dozen a week.
- You want phone and chat support in US hours and a big owner community.
- You have, or will buy, a Windows computer.
Skip it if
- You already fill orders every day: look at the HTVRONT D2 or the xTool Apparel Printer Plus.
- You work on a Mac only.
- You cannot print at least a test strip most days.
Not the target? The closest printer on price is the InkSonic Spark F13 at $2,099: the cheapest way to get an oven: printer plus oven for $2,199.
How much is the Procolored K13 Lite? Price and kits
Procolored sells it 5 ways. The price we use for the score is the K13 Lite (printer only) at $1,999, read on November 15, 2026.
Where to buy: Procolored's own US store, which had it in stock on November 15, 2026. Check price at Procolored
What else do you need to buy with the K13 Lite?
A DTF printer prints the film. To get a shirt out of it you also need adhesive powder, a way to cure it, a heat press and a stock of film and ink. Here is where the Procolored K13 Lite stands:
- Curing: the cheapest kit with an oven is $2,499 (K13 Lite + Oven), so $500 on top of the printer.
- Heat press: the kit with a press is $2,799 (K13 Lite + Oven + Heat Press).
- Supplies: the box includes a starter stock (see below); after that you buy Procolored ink, as the warranty requires.
- Computer: Windows.
Our DTF printer cost guide adds up a full starter budget for six printers, with every price dated.
Print width and speed: how many shirts an hour?
Procolored states a letter-size print in 12.5 minutes, so 5 an hour, at 1440 x 1440 dpi in 8 passes. A 24-shirt order is therefore most of a working day at the printer, before powder, curing and pressing. The print head is Procolored's own LH-500 "LiteHead" with one white channel (CMYK+W); the K13, its sibling, has the LH-600 with two white channels and makes 6 prints an hour for $500 more. The roll feeder takes 13-inch film and a cutter is built in.
Does the white ink clog? Circulation, cleaning and idle days
This is where the K13 Lite earns its place as a first printer. White ink circulates every 30 minutes so the pigment does not settle, and the head cleans itself every 10 hours as long as the printer stays switched on. An infrared sensor stops the carriage if the film lifts or if it sees debris as small as 2 mm, which is how most head strikes happen. What the machine does not do is stir the tank or control humidity: the manual asks you to shake the white ink bottle every day and to keep the room above 50% humidity.
Which RIP software, and does it work on a Mac?
Procolored Studio Lite is included and runs on Windows only; Procolored asks for 50 GB free on the C drive and 8 GB of RAM. It reads the image format, sets RGB or CMYK and applies preset color curves, so a beginner does not start by tuning profiles. There is no Mac version: plan a Windows laptop if you do not own one.
How much room, and what about ventilation?
The printer is 29.1 inches wide, 12.6 deep and weighs 40 lb, so it lives on an ordinary desk. Leave room on the right for the film roll and in front for the tray. The oven is the part that needs thought: the manual says baking produces an odor and recommends a ventilated location. The same page asks for a room above 71°F.
What is in the box, and how hard is the setup?
- K13 Lite printer
- Ink set, 6 x 250 ml (CMYK, white, nozzle protection liquid)
- 500 g adhesive powder
- 13 in x 328 ft PET film roll
- RIP dongle, data and power cables
- Film stand, tray with cutter
- Cleaning swabs, wipes and ink tools
Procolored ships the printer and the ink and powder in separate boxes, so do not panic when one arrives alone. Filling is helped by a one-touch ink pumping function, and the manual walks through loading film, a first head cleaning and a nozzle check before the first print. If the software setup stalls, Procolored's technicians work by online chat and can connect to your computer through TeamViewer.
Maintenance and known problems
The manual's schedule is honest about the work: shake the white ink and run a nozzle check at the start of each day; clean around the head, the wiper blade and the capping station at the end of it, without alcohol; wipe the pinch rollers once a week. It asks you to use the printer at least every 3 to 4 days, and its bluntest line is the one to remember: more than two weeks without printing can dry the ink and clog the head, so print at least a test strip on quiet days.
For the daily and weekly routine that applies to every printer here, see our DTF printer maintenance guide.
What does the K13 Lite warranty cover? Read closely
Procolored's product FAQ gives 12 months of limited warranty on the main unit and 6 months on the print head, with one free replacement in that period; the warranty policy adds one free motherboard replacement in the same 6 months. Two conditions: the printer must be registered after delivery and run on genuine Procolored inks. Pumps, dampers and other parts that touch ink are not covered. In the first 30 days after shipment Procolored pays for parts and shipping both ways; after that you pay the shipping.
Source: Procolored warranty terms, read November 15, 2026.
What do owners say about the K13 Lite?
On Procolored's own store the K13 Lite showed 576 customer reviews with an average of 4.97 out of 5 when we read it; treat a brand's own widget with the usual caution. Two comments there say more than the average: one buyer left the printer idle for a week and needed support to get it running again, another wrote that it "is easy to care for but you have to commit to daily care". On Trustpilot, procolored.com as a company stood at 4.4 out of 5 from 743 reviews on the same day.
Cost per transfer with Procolored supplies
One letter-size transfer (8.5 x 11 in)
- Ink, 3.75 ml
- $0.29
- Powder, 3 g
- $0.17
- Film
- Roll price not published
Procolored's own table for the F13 counts $0.40 of ink, $0.45 of film and $0.06 of powder per letter-size print. Source. Ink and powder prices from Procolored's US store, read November 15, 2026. Arithmetic, not a promise of profit.
Questions to ask Procolored before you order
- Is the price I see today a sale price, and what is the list price?
- Which oven is in the kit: the standard one or the smokeless one?
- How do I register the warranty, and what counts as proof of genuine ink?
- Who pays shipping if the head is replaced in month four?
K13 Lite alternatives: the closest rivals on price
| Criterion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,999 | $2,099 (list $2,599) | $2,299 (list $2,999) |
| Cheapest kit with an oven | $2,499 | $2,199 | $2,699 |
| Print width | 13 in (A3) | 13 in (A3) | 13 in (A3) |
| Print head | LH-500 (Procolored LiteHead) | Epson L1800 | Epson L1800 |
| Ink channels | CMYK+W | CMYK+WW | CMYK+WW |
| Stated speed | Letter/A4 print in 12.5 min, 5 prints per hour | 5 to 8 min per A3 print | Letter/A4 print in 10 min, 6 prints per hour |
| White ink care | Circulation, scheduled self-cleaning | Circulation, stirring, scheduled self-cleaning | Circulation, scheduled self-cleaning |
| Software | Procolored Studio Lite | InkSonic RIP | Pro RIP |
| Computers | Windows | Windows | Windows |
| Weight | 40 lb | 42.7 lb | 44 lb |
| Warranty | 6 mo head · 12 mo machine | 6 mo head · 6 mo machine | 6 mo head · 12 mo machine |
| Where to buy | Check price at Procolored | Check price at InkSonic | Check price at Procolored |
The InkSonic Spark F13 review covers the Spark F13 ($2,099): the cheapest way to get an oven: printer plus oven for $2,199. The Procolored F13 Panda review covers the F13 Panda ($2,299): buyers who want Procolored's long-running L1800 model, with a second white channel for dark garments. Open the three in the comparison tool.
- Procolored K13 Lite vs Procolored F13 Panda: the head-to-head
- Procolored K13 Lite vs HTVRONT D2: the head-to-head
- Best DTF printer for small business: No. 11 of 12
- DTF printer for beginners: No. 4 of 9
- Cheap DTF printer: No. 5 of 8
- DTF printer with shaker and oven: No. 5 of 9
- Best DTF printers 2026: No. 6 of 12
Procolored K13 Lite specifications
| Price | $1,999 (K13 Lite (printer only)), read November 15, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Print width | 13 in (A3) |
| Print head | LH-500 (Procolored LiteHead) |
| Ink channels | CMYK+W |
| Resolution | 1440 x 1440 dpi (8 pass) |
| Stated speed | Letter/A4 print in 12.5 min, 5 prints per hour |
| Media feed | Roll-fed, with cutter |
| White ink care | White ink circulates every 30 minutes; the head cleans itself every 10 hours while the printer stays powered on. |
| Software | Procolored Studio Lite |
| Computers | Windows only (C drive 50 GB or more, 8 GB RAM or more) |
| Dimensions | 29.1 x 12.6 x 9.1 in |
| Weight | 40 lb |
| Warranty | 12-month limited warranty on the main unit and 6 months on the print head with one free replacement (product page FAQ). Procolored's policy adds one free motherboard replacement in the same 6 months. Registration and Procolored inks required. |
| Ink and film | Warranty requires genuine Procolored inks. |
What the score is built on
The 8.2/10 comes from one published formula applied to the figures below, the same for every printer.
| Criterion | Figure used | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Print speed | 3.2 sq ft an hour (Letter/A4 print in 12.5 min, 5 prints per hour) | 20% |
| White ink care | Circulation, scheduled self-cleaning | 20% |
| Print width | 13 in (A3) | 10% |
| Software and computers | Windows | 10% |
| Weight on the desk | 40 lb | 5% |
| Warranty | 6 months head, 12 months machine | 15% |
| Price | $1,999 on Nov 15, 2026 | 20% |
Sources, read November 15, 2026: procolored.com product page · procolored.com K13 page · Procolored user manual (PDF) · procolored.com warranty page
K13 Lite questions buyers ask
Is the Procolored K13 Lite good for beginners?
Yes, it is one of the easier starts: white ink circulation, self-cleaning every 10 hours, guided software and one free head replacement in the first 6 months. It still needs a few minutes of care every day.
What is the difference between the K13 and the K13 Lite?
The print head and the white ink. The K13 uses the LH-600 head with two white channels (CMYK+WW) and makes 6 letter-size prints an hour; the K13 Lite uses the LH-500 with one white channel and makes 5. Size, weight and software are the same.
Does the K13 Lite work with a Mac?
No. Procolored Studio Lite supports Windows only, with at least 50 GB free on the C drive and 8 GB of RAM.
How much is the K13 Lite with an oven?
$2,499 on Procolored's US store on the day we checked, against $1,999 for the printer alone. The kit with a smokeless oven was $2,799.