An informative Peek at the drupa 2012 exhibitor listPosted May 1, 2012 From individual manufacturers (exhibitor list of drupa 2012) we can provide the first hints on what is available. NEW Printers in drupa 2012 exhibitor list
Once the drupa exhibitor list can be inspected in-person, we will list the other new printers.
These reports will be updated every three or four days, starting tomorrow. So please return for the updates. |
ISA 2012 sign expo includes innovative services from FLAAR ReportsMost recently updated Mar. 22, 2012. First posted March 14, 2012  Last year Dr Hellmuth was on a key sub-committee for ISA. This year FLAAR Reports will be providing additional services for ISA sign expo. In fact during 2012 you will notice how many printer expos around the world are receiving assistance from Nicholas and his team (two large expos from China, in Beijing and in Guangzhou), plus Graphics of the Americas, Sign Africa, and Sign Middle East (SGI Dubai). As a research and educational institute our interest is to assist end-users to learn the most practical way to obtain realistic and factual information about printers, flatbed cutters, inks, media and substrates, and software (RIP, workflow software, and color management), laminators and coaters (notice that we cover the entire workflow).
Now that ISA sign expo opens in Orlando, we are releasing the first edition of our cooperative project with ISA: the FAQs and floor plan guide. We will update this guide tomorrow, so please download the current version today, and this can get you started. The floor plan we first began at Sign Middle East 2011. We then did it for ISA and had a version conceived for FESPA 2011 also. Since ISA asked for a dedicated version we copyrighted their version jointly.  It would be a courtesy if other trade shows wish to add this concept that they cite our original version and it would be appropriate to have it a joint project (rather than merely have other expos simply copy the colored coded map idea, since we had this clearly at three expos already in 2011). ISA opened with a healthy attendance today and we look forward to two more days. |
Beijing Sign Show, last weekend (March 10-13, 2012)Updated March 12, 2012. First posted March 7, 2012  The first day the organizers asked FLAAR to be on the stage to help cut-the-ribbon at the opening ceremony. The second day, March 11, Dr Hellmuth was the moderator at a conference on wide-format inkjet printheads. There were knowledgeable speakers from Konica Minolta, Seiko, Xaar and Fujifilm Dimatix (Spectra).  Third day three of us from FLAAR Reports took about 520 photographs: every booth, probably 90% of every printer of all ink types. Largest booth (actually three adjacent booths) was of JHF (JHF Vista and Leopard), which is a substantial factory in the greater Beijing area. Another booth at the main China Convention Center (adjacent to the Olympic park) was of Kincolor (Saven ink), another Beijing-located company. The initial publication should be ready in a week; the in-depth analysis of the TRENDs we observed will take a month to process. Frankly I never expected to find the surprises, and learn about things not one single other source has talked about before. Amazing what is going on discretely behind the scenes. Actually most of what we learn is provided via in-person presentations of Dr Hellmuth directly to individuals who have requested this service. We do not put this level of knowledge into a PDF: we deliver and discuss this in-person in private meetings. |
New FLAAR Report highlights what was visible at Sign China (Guangzhou) 2012First posted March 9, 2012 FLAAR Reports team of four researchers were at the Guangzhou expo for several days taking notes and interviewing printer, ink, media, and flatbed cutter manufacturers. Sign China expo is a huge signage trade show in Guangzhou. Sign China was directly across the street from the large and growing D-PES (also known ironically as China Sign). Sign China has about 15% of the printer manufacturers (D-PES has 85%). Sign China has about 50% of the ink manufacturers (D-PES has the other 50%). Sign China and D-PES each have huge number of CNC router and CO2 laser engraver manufacturers. Last year Sign China had 80% of the media (and last year D-PES had 20% of the media manufacturers). This year D-PES had 75% of the media manufacturers and Sign China was down to perhaps 25%. Together they have about 100% of the pertinent manufacturers and hence are serious competition to the once larger Shanghai APPPEXPO expo in July.
Since FLAAR is also attending the Beijing sign show if you are a distributor, printshop owner, or manufacturer, you can hire FLAAR Reports as a consultant to assist you get to know the world of Chinese manufacturers and distributors: inks, media, printers, cutters, laminators. You will receive experienced guidance, since Dr Hellmuth is moderator at the Beijing lecture program and VIP guest at the opening ceremony; Dr Nicholas was also VIP guest at D-PES and helped cut the ribbon at the opening morning ceremony. |
Graphics of the Americas 2012, in beautiful MiamiUpdated Feb. 29, 2 012. First posted Feb. 23, 2011 It is nice to see Graphics of the Americas return to Miami. So I am looking forward to presenting two lectures during this pre-Spring expo. It is also nice to have an expo in sunny Miami, as the two expos in China and the huge trade show in Barcelona were both hit by cold waves, and both were unexpectedly frigid.
Since we at FLAAR are tri-lingual, I look forward to meeting printshop owners and distributors from Latin America and other parts of the world at Graphics of the Americas the first days of March. There are hundreds of booths at GoA 2012, offering thousands of products and abundant assistance for you to learn new techology. So we hope to see you at Graphics of the Americas, March 1st through 3rd, 2012. |
FESPA 2012 BarcelonaFirst posted Feb. 23, 2011 Many people asked me how I liked FESPA 2012, and how I compared it with last year. Although FESPA was listed as "one hall" the hall was so long that frankly I would consider it two halls. The expo certainly appears larger than any printer show in the US (and larger than any two VISCOM expos together).  Yes, Durst and several other manufacturers were not present, but life-went-on just fine because so many manufacturers were indeed present. Yes, perhaps there were more square meters last year, but frankly there were so many exhibitors at FESPA 2012 that I could have stayed longer and still not had time to visit and speak with all the booths I wanted to visit. Four of us from FLAAR are in Barcelona (along with thousands of people in the several hundred exhibits, and more thousands of visitors from around the world).
Scores of people who attended the two giant Chinese print expos earlier this week had, like me, also flown from Guangzhou to Barcelona. We are preparing about six reports: on inks, substrates, UV-cured printers, textile printers, flatbed cutters, etc. These can be ordered by subscription or individually from www.FLAAR-Reports.org (the specific individual titles will be listed there as they are finished during March).
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Preparing for the huge Chinese trade shows in early 2012Most recently updated Feb. 22, 2012. Previously updated Feb. 21, Feb. 7 and Feb 13, 2012, first posted Nov. 30, 2011 First Chinese printer expo of the year is MUCH larger than last year
D-PES China Sign Expo 2012 has been a huge success. Four of us from FLAAR Reports were there already the day before it opened officially. The FLAAR Reports introduction to this first Chinese expo is already available (the day before; not bad performance)
Our first impression was that the D-PES this year is noticeably larger: many more printer manufacturers, more media and substrate manufacturers. And as with past years, an entire hall full of cutters (primarily CO2 laser cutters or engravers, but also CNC routers).  On opening day, Dr Hellmuth was a VIP guest of honor at the opening ceremony for D-PES, and then once the expo is opened we will have a better view of everything. Now the competing Guangzhou expo opens across the street: so for several overlapping days you have one of the largest printer expos in the world (only Shanghai and DRUPA are larger). To give you an idea of size; D-PES is about 200% larger than this year's FESPA Digital Barcelona. So, if you did not get to D-PES this February, you might want to obtain all the information from nine FLAAR Reports that will result from this expo. This free report will be updated each week during February, plus we will issue at least six separate reports during late February and March on what we saw, heard, and experienced at this large printer, ink, media, and flatbed cutter expo.
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The traditional Beijing signage expoChina Sign Expo (4NSHOW 2012) is organized by CEIEC for April. Since FLAAR is sending a team to Brazil on those dates, unless we can change that date it will be tough to be in two places at the same time. |
New style FLAAR Reports (PE to replace PVC for billboards)We are doing a double-page spread layout style, and a fluid page flow viewing option.
But we are NOT using a commercial service; we adapted the entire production in-house and display this on our web site with our own web master’s capability. We hope you like the new style. If you do, please let us know at Info@FLAAR.org. If you prefer the old page-by-page style instead, also let us know. All TRENDs level and all reports which compare specs and characteristics will remain in the traditional style (since that is easier to produce than the double-page layout). |
MEMS printheads; MEMjet printers: reality checkUpdated March 26, 2012. previously updated Feb, 21, 2012, first posted September 6, 2011 Not one single MEMS printhead machine was noticeable at either of the two largest printer expos in China last month (February 2012). If any were present, they were well hidden. Three years ago MEMS printheads were labeled as the most incredible technology to reach wide-format printing. But the technology failed, indeed failed so badly that it cost Raster Printers and JETRIX two entire years of potential lost revenue since they had to start all over again with entirely new (non-MEMS heads). MEMS heads were a significant factor in the final meltdown of L&P printer company. Its little remaining technology was bought at fire sale price by WP Digital (which in turn a year or so later downsized by leaving Spuhl and moved to parent company Polytype). The utter failure of MEMS printheads were a major factor in the total shutdown of the textile printer division of Yuhan Kimberly (Kimberly Clark of Korea). MEMS printheads inability to hold up to actual use out in the real world also was a factor in the demise of the HP Scitex roll to roll printer shown with great bluff at SGIA several years ago. HP subsequently bought NUR because they used non-MEMS heads which actually functioned. During 2011 MEMS heads reappeared, via MEMJET an offshoot of Silverbrook of Australia. So the question is whether any, or all, or other new issues will hit the reality check. It is as if everyone was deaf to what happened to the first MEMS projects of four different MILLION dollar companies. Most industry specialists have skipped MEMJET totally since it was too many PR releases and not enough actual fact (like Foveon digital sensors several years back; like CrystalJet in the past decade and then the non-functional Kodak 5260). But since no one seems to have learned from past failures, FLAAR is issuing a commentary as a MEMS reality check. At this level of technology, is logically not a free report, but is reasonably priced and worthwhile reading (it is also entertaining, since how else can you describe a phantom technology). So what about MEMS printheads? What about MemJet? During 2012 we will also consider issuing new reports on MEMS printheads in general and on MemJet in particular. Companies which subscribe to our TRENDs level reports will receive updates. Subscription info is on our www.FLAAR-Reports.org Of course the new hurdle for MemJet today is the endless PR releases about the lawsuit from their financial source. But the main issue is whether the patents are for a patent farm, or whether an actual product (which actually functions) is possible. Until I can see an R&D lab, see a real printer in a real printshop (OUTSIDE the R&D lab and outside a trade show booth), I am skeptical. The question is not whether the printer prints, the question is what happens when a nozzle is blocked or worn out. The question is whether a machine would print a month, or a few weeks, non-stop in the temperature, dust, and humidity out in the real world. During 2012 we will also consider issuing new reports on MEMS printheads in general and on MemJet in particular. Companies which subscribe to our TRENDs level reports will receive updates. Subscription info is on our www.FLAAR-Reports.org |
Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging Middle East 2012
Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging, the first major international sign industry event in the world each year, 31 January through 2 February 2012 Two of us from FLAAR were at at SGI, Sign Middle East, and wow, this printer, media, ink, and cutter expo sure is impressive. Ryan Crist was an intern with FLAAR when FLAAR headed the digital imaging technology institute at Bowling Green State University many years ago. He has continued to move up in the world of large format inkjet printing and has his own consulting and service business and partners. He is lecturing on several important topics here at SGI. Dr Nicholas Hellmuth also lectured at this sign industry event, on 31 January and 1 February.
SGI in Dubai is the first printer trade show of international status of the year’s calendar. Even though this is a "DRUPA year" the expo occupies four halls. It is not shrinking, it is holding steady and growing (only one booth dropped out that we noticed, and everyone else is here). It's a bundle of energy in the halls. I met people from all over the world every day of the three days. For SGI Dubai, Sign Middle East 2013, both Dr Hellmuth and Ryan Crist will be organizing additional lectures and will be consultants for the expo. FLAAR also writes for ME Printer magazine in Dubai, the leading trade magazine for the Middle East.
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Free Trade Shows Reports
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What to expect at Drupa Dusseldorf 2012
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ISA 2012, floor plan
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Graphics of the Americas, GoA 2012
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Wide Format Inkjet Printers, FESPA 2012
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D-PES 2012 Guangzhou
