New site-visit case studies of UV-cured ink flatbed printers in 2009
The most reliable way to learn the truth about a UV-cured printer is to visit a sign shop that actually has one. So Nicholas has done site-visit case studies in Italy, Guatemala, Germany, Greece, Turkey, all across the US, Canada, etc. FLAAR checks out screen printing companies, franchise sign shops (Sign-a-Rama, FastSigns), Mom & Pop sign shops, as well as photo labs, giclee ateliers, beginners, mid-size, and huge printshops (our recent visits have been to the largest digital printing company in Slovenia and a second printshop near Ljubljana: both had Durst Rho printers; one had an Oce Arizona 250GT, with printhead issues in the past).
FLAAR now has over 83 reports on UV printers. Since we are a non-profit institute, our Reports ordering system has a few quirks. If you get lost, or have questions, please contact CustomerService@FLAAR.org. If that fails, telephone 1 419 823-9218, and explain what reports you wish to order. But usually you get quick response from the e-mail address. This phone is NOT a way to get any consulting. Hellmuth is not available at that number (since he is probably 17,000 miles away inspecting a UV printer factory, or a demo room or a printshop). If you wish professional consulting, you will be provided Dr Hellmuth's private telephone number. All contacts to FLAAR should be by e-mail only, not by telephone. Telephone is only if you wish to purchase FLAAR Reports and have a glitch on the ordering system, or if you wish to reserve a time and place to meet Dr Hellmuth in person for consulting.
Markets and Applications
Every year this large-format digital inkjet printer web site advances in readership and coverage. This year we are adding new pages to assist screen printing companies, offset printing companies, franchise shops, in-plant and in-house printing departments, printing companies for packaging (prototyping and production), reprographic printshops, quick print shops, photo labs, graphic arts, giclee and décor (interior decoration, textiles, wallpaper, etc).
These new pages are being added because so far every printshop that I have inspected in the last seven months has been either a sign franchise or a screen printing company or had offset presses in the room next to their new UV printer. So clearly the thousand franchise sign shops, the many thousands of offset press commercial printers, and the tens of thousands of screen printing companies around the world are asking for assistance in learning which new wide-format inkjet printer to select.
But we also have readers from all the other markets, applications, and printer technologies. So we will add coverage for each group.
If you have been reading the FLAAR Reports for many years you will notice that in 2008 we increased our coverage of textile printers. This will increase during 2009. You will find many of our textile printer reports on our sister site, www.wide-format-printers.org.
We have pending research sponsorship programs being discussed with other manufacturers and distributors relative to inkjet media, substrates, inks, laminators, RIP software, XY cutters and upright trimmers. So even though there is an obvious economic recession, everyone realizes that printshop owners and managers turn to the Internet to obtain helpful information on products. In a recession a printshop owner can't afford to buy the wrong printer.
So far, every month this year (2009) has been busier with more projects than last year, with a result of increased readership. Trade magazines around the world are asking for articles from FLAAR and trade shows are asking Dr Hellmuth to speak. So clearly people want something more substantive than hollow PR releases that promise everything but fail to admit any downside or deficiency.
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Meet Nicholas Hellmuth at Shanghai '09, Print '09, SGIA or VISCOM
A convenient time to meet Dr Hellmuth is before, during or immediately after a trade show. Two Chinese companies have already asked for consulting with FLAAR before, during, and after the Shanghai signage trade show in July 2009. All consulting is under NDA (non-disclosure agreement).
We are now studying the completely new flatbed technologies. RIT Professor Frank Romano has asked FLAAR to give a 3-hour summary overview of TRENDS in the world of inkjet printers for 2009 into the future. This presentation will be in September 13 th in Chicago, to give us time to gather documentation from around the world on the new flatbeds and new inks that you will see at FESPA Digital '09, SGIA '09 and every year after this. The gist is that by DRUPA 2012 there will be new technologies and new ink chemistries that are as exciting tomorrow as UV was a breakthrough at DRUPA 2000 and DRUPA 2004.
However since today is 2009, and your clients need signage and décor and packaging and textiles today (not in 2012 !), this web site concentrates on the here and now, which is UV-curable, eco-solvent and mild-solvent, and water-based, and latex ink also. But several leading printshops have asked us to be consultants on retainer to guide them into the future, and printer manufacturers are asking for our overview of Trends as well. Indeed FLAAR now has an entire new series on Trends, starting in 2008 and continuing now into 2009 and beyond.
If you wish to discuss any of this with Nicholas, he will be at SGIA and Print '09 (GraphExpo '09) and some of the VISCOM fairs. But a meeting requires an advance appointment (FrontDesk@FLAAR.org) and a consulting relationship.
The advantage of consulting with FLAAR at a trade show is that you can also discuss each and every printer in detail, in person, with both the printer pros and cons and Dr Nicholas Hellmuth all together at one time and place.
Dr Hellmuth is considering initiating evaluations of substrates and printable materials. We intend to expand coverage of lamination equipment also. Last month FLAAR was in Istanbul (UV, dye sublimation textile and solvent printers). During the summer and autumn Nicholas will be inspecting the three new Durst Rho printers because there is a desire to get new evaluations before SGIA and VISCOM begin.
Dr. Hellmuth's relationship with Wide Format Printers
Nicholas is considered the Johnny Appleseed of wide format printers. His goal is to help newcomers, pro-sumers, as well as corporate in-house work groups, departments, and seasoned pros from government and educational institutions, prepress, graphic design, sign shops, quick print shops, offset printers, screen printing companies and other commercial enterprises learn which model of wide format inkjet printer would best meet their specific needs.
Dr Hellmuth has also the "Ann Landers" or "Dear Abby" to end-users. He helps print shop owners, managers, and printer operators overcome the lack of adequate information about pros and cons of large format digital imaging. When you marry the wrong printer, when you have a one-night stand with inappropriate ink or media, when your relationship with a cheapo Internet source of low-bid equipment has gone sour, then "Ask Dr. Nicholas" and his staff. They will do their best to make reports available to assist and resolve your problems.
FLAAR is International
Nicholas has lectured on wide-format printers in Dubai, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, India, Korea, and naturally around the US. FLAAR now has new web sites en español and auf Deutsch.
Dr Hellmuth also writes for SIP magazine in Germany, VisComUp in Spain, ME Printer in Dubai and is on the Board of Advisors of Digital Graphics magazine in the US. Our articles in ME Printer magazine are read in Egypt, Saudia Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and most of the other countries in that entire region. Our articles reach the rest of Africa via Practical Publishing in South Africa.
By the end of 2009 FLAAR authors will have articles in selected trade magazines that allow us to cover the entire world: specifically in local languages. Our articles (and also selected FLAAR Reports) are now fully in Arabic language and auf Deutsch (in German too).
Our recent year 2009 lecture program included Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia Herzogovia (with seven other countries waiting venue selection). Dr Hellmuth has recently been invited to be featured VIP guest in Abu Dhabi. Nicholas will lecture in Johannesburg again in early September 2009 at Sign Africa trade show, for Practical Publishing magazine.
Chinese UV Printers
During 2009 we will continue to study Chinese-made UV-cured flatbed inkjet printers in annual Shanghai July trade show. ComboJet and SkyAir Ship are two brands that are advancing, so we will check them out. FLAAR also has reports on the entire Chinese UV printer industry available. There are also FLAAR Reports on the most important Chinese printer trade show, Shanghai 2008. Chinese engineers are fully capable, just that their local markets prefer the cheapest possible printer, so naturally they use low-bid components. While visiting their companies in 2008 I saw entire new printer platforms that were so new they had not even been exhibited at the main Chinese trade show the week before. In many cases the CEO, President, or head of the new Chinese UV producing company was an experienced engineer. Nicholas enjoys visiting Chinese factories, testing printers, inks, and substrates in demo rooms, and naturally enjoys sightseeing, culinary experiences, and getting to know Chinese culture, especially temple and palace architecture and archaeology of prestigious early Chinese civilizations.
UV Printers from Korea and Taiwan
Our research trips to Asia have concentrated on the quality of printers made in Korea, both UV and also textile printers such as Yuhan-Kimberly. Dilli continues to be a reliable manufacturer. IP&I had a good presence at FESPA Digital Europe 2009.
A week in Taiwan was also informative, to learn about GCC. There is now a new site-visit case study on the improved StellarJET 183UVK, based on inspecting this printer at work in a German screen printing company in 2009. Entry Level UV printers
People who previously had eco-solvent printers, or perhaps an Encad or HP 5500, are today curious about buying an entry-level UV flatbed printer. They want to compare prices and learn the differences between a hybrid UV flatbed, a combo UV flatbed, and other sizes, shapes, and ink chemistries. So for 2008-2009 FLAAR is working with sign franchises, printshop trade associations, and regional groups of screen printers and offset or flexo printers so printshop owners and managers can plan their entry into UV-cured flatbeds carefully.
At entry level it has been possible to study the IP&I Cube 1606F, DEC Legend H72UV, Raster Printers T600UV flatbed with white ink, Dilli Neo Titan. Mid-Range and High-End UV Flatbeds also
FLAAR scrutinizes entry-level, mid-range, and high-end UV printers: At the high end we look carefully at Durst Rho 700, Durst Rho 320R, the new Shark, and many more. For 2008-2009 we will be adding new printer brands to our coverage.
At mid-range you can look at the Dilli Neo Venus, GCC StellarJet 250UV or StellarJet K100UV, IP&I Cube 260.
Solvent Printers continue in 2009 as do UV-curable flatbeds
Epson introduced a 64" water-based printer in 2008 and and is now in 2009 is still trying to interest sign shop owners in this 64" Epson eco-solvent printer. But most people are content with their Roland, Mutoh, or other solvent printer that they already have. FLAAR has notes on what we suggest to provide the Epson GS6000 eco-solvent printer some traction, but presently we are so occupied evaluating other printers that we have no FLAAR Report whatsoever on the Epson GS6000.
In January 2007 we increased FLAAR Reports on solvent, eco-solvent, and mild/lite solvent, starting with a site-visit case study of the Roland AJ-1000. We also may have new reports coming out in 2009 on the Seiko ColorPainter V-64s, H-74S and H-104S. In the meantime Mimaki and Roland hold the lead in solvent printer sales at present. Sales of other big-name solvent printers are slipping which is why we are concentrating on the leaders: Seiko, Mimaki, Mutoh and Roland. Our FLAAR Report on Intelligent Interweaving of Mutoh had over 47,000 downloads so far, a quantity that impacted the market actually.
The first news release of 2009 about solvent ink was that HP and Seiko have dissolved their relationship. The HP 9000s and HP 10000s solvent printers were plagued with minor problems of skew and awkwardness of reaching behind the printheads for cleaning. The new Seiko ColorPainter H-74s and Seiko ColorPainter H-104s mild-solvent printers are not yet evaluated by FLAAR but this is on our list of potential projects for 2009. Now, since mid-April, Seiko is offering a lower-priced mild-solvent printer, their Seiko ColorPainter V-64s.
HP sunk millions into their valiant move into latex ink, but most analysts privately tell us they don't consider that really water-based. What they say in their reports is different, but what they admit in private is skeptical. Promised access to beta-test sites so that FLAAR could inspect the HP Designjet L65500 printer was not honored, which was fine since we accidently found an after-market latex ink that does not require buying a new $100,000 printer. I would have preferred to study the full-scale original HP latex ink, but the after-market latex ink was more accessible.
And elsewhere on the subject of after-market third-party inks, FLAAR never touched this subject between 2001-2007 (because we had so many other research projects that occupied our entire staff), but for 2008-2009 these inks are becoming considered more reliable, so I initiated a study of InkWin and found that end-users actually preferred this ink over Lyson (an ink made in the UK). We are considering adding reviews of three more after-market third party inks in 2009.
Trends
Our readership is up significantly every month during 2009 over the same month in 2008 (about 42.8%). Downloading of FLAAR Reports on key titles is up 167% this year over last year.
It is simple: trade shows are expensive to visit (DRUPA is priced out of reason, especially hotels; and frankly FESPA and SGIA or ISA was more informative). FLAAR recommends trade shows as essential to learning about printers, but many sign shop owners say they are too busy or the trip is too expensive. So more people read the FLAAR Reports.
New for 2008-2009 are our TRENDS reports. These are for analysts, investment banks, printer manufacturers but are also available to end-users too. For example, which major Japanese printer manufacturer pulled out of Dubai 2009 trade show? Mutoh was at Dubai; Roland was at Dubai; even DGI from Korea was there (and about 17 chinese manufacturers!). But one huge Japanese priner manufacturer did not show up. Who, and why? Which other multi-national printer manufacturer was conspicuously absent at Dubai also? And why?
Our goal is to assist each sector to survive, and do well (ink, RIP software, printer manufacturer, substrate manufacturer, etc). We especially enjoy helping printshop owners, managers and printer operators. We are pleased that universities and students use the FLAAR Reports too. Over 340,000 people read this FLAAR web site last year. More than one million other people read the other FLAAR web sites on digital photography, fine art giclee, and water-based printers.
Most of our updates for 2008- 2009 onward are in FLAAR Reports in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. It is more efficient for us to make new information available in PDF format. So if a web page itself is not updated, check out www.wide-format-printers.NET to see if the printer, RIP, or other subject is covered in an update in a PDF download.
Most recently updated June 11, 2009.
Previous updates: June 2, 2009, May 26, 2009 , May 22, 2009, April 21, 2009, April 2, 2009, Feb. 20, 2009, February 15, 2009, January 29, 2009, January 23, 2009, January 12, 2009, January 2, 2009, November 9, 2008, August 2, 2008, March 10, 2008, Jan 27, 2008, May 3, 2007, March 19, 2007, February 12, 2007, January 2007, August 3, 2006, June 27, 2006, June 16, May 16, 2006, January 5, 2006, November 25, 2005, Oct. 28, 2005, Oct. 12, 2005, August 26, 2005. June 24, 2005, May 2005. Jan 27, 2005, February 17, 2004, after PMA trade show. Jan, 7, 2004, Dec. 15, 2003, July 3, 2003, redesigned Feb. 2003, Feb. 18, 2003, Dec. 20, 2002, Apr. 22, 2002.
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