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Apollo UV R160, Apollo UV R220 and Apollo UVR 260 are new names for the DYSS Lasco UV printers.

I am a bit confused between the difference DYSS Lasco and DYSS Apollo but I will figure it out eventually. The Apollo UV R160, Apollo UV R220 and Apollo UVR 260 are the current combo-style UV flatbed printers. Combo means a printer has a moving transport belt. Evidently the Lasco was the original prototype model.

In distinction, a “hybrid” really means a non-moving platen with pinch rollers on grit rollers that can take some flat material if you add a table. A combo printer has a moving transport belt so is more sophisticated. A combo tends to be inherently less issue than a hybrid (the pinch rollers and grit rollers can't really handle all kinds of heavy, thick, or smooth-surfaced materials, as owners of entry-level hybrid printers have found). But there is no consistency in terms within the industry so the transport belt printers of EFI Rastek by mistake are called hybrid. In reality a true hybrid is a slightly derogatory term. The DYSS printers are combos, not hybrids.

Another different DYSS model is a newer concept: a combo but with the belt large enough that it can also function as a dedicated flatbed. This is the Apollo UV RF250. But I have no documentation from end-users how this model functions in the real world.

This is the DYSS Apollo UV R220 at FESPA Amsterdam trade show 2009.

DYSS UV250 and DYSS Lasco UV320 are new models

DYSS UV250 and Lasco UV320 are new wider models of combo UV-cured flatbed printers from Dae Young System Co. in Korea.

DYSS Lasco UV160, DYSS Lasco UV200 combo UV printer

The DYSS Lasco UV200 combo UV printer was introduced at SGIA ’07. This had previously been displayed at FESPA ’07, but virtually no UV printer specialist noticed it, heard about it, or asked about it (including myself). The DYSS Lasco UV160, DYSS Lasco UV200 combo UV printers were overlooked at FESPA because they were exhibited in the screen printing equipment hall. That was logical for DYSS since they make screen printing equipment. But if you exhibit in the screen printing hall, 90% of the printshop owners who are looking for a digital inkjet printer will not think to look though the screen printing halls (the strong smell of the screen printing ink is enough to keep them out of hall).

The DYSS Lasco UV160 printing some samples.

Here is the DYSS Lasco UV260 at ISA 2008.

The situation is that everyone else, from the solvent ink sign printing market, these thousands of printshop owners hare not familiar with screen printing manufacturer brand names (such as DYSS). Since IP&I, Dilli, and Keundo are already brand names known to digital print shops, and as I have visited the IP&I factory and thus know their CUBE 260 and CUBE 1606 printers inside out, FLAAR naturally has more information available on IP&I Cube printers. GCC also offers competition from Taiwan, especially their new GCC StellarJet K100uv. I have been to the factory of GCC in Taiwan for several days, so know their capability, but have never visited the DYSS company.

If it becomes possible to visit the DYSS company in Korea, then we can consider doing an evaluation of their printers in the future. There is not time or space at a trade show to undertake a review of a complex UV-curable flatbed inkjet printer. FLAAR does all its tests at the factory, main demo room, or during site-visit case studies of printshops that own the respective UV printer.

The spec sheet and brochure were nicely done, and provide abundant specs (better than the half-million dollar L&P Virtu HD8 printer, which has the most incomplete spec sheets of any UV printer in the world; but L&P no longer exists and the new owner has a much nicer spec sheet).

DYSS Lasco UV160 at Shanghai 2008.

The DYSS Lasco UV160 combo UV printers were exhibited at SGIA 2008.

Unfortunately DYSS seems to have separated from several of their distributors during 2009, including their master distributor in the UK. And their distributor in the US told me he had lost contact with the manufacturer for several months. On top of this there was no DYSS booth at APPPEXPO in Shanghai in July 2009 (they were in the Amica booth in 2008). Obtaining, and maintaining discributors has also been an issue for Teckwin. Now, by 2010, DYSS has obtained new dealers, so it will be essential to see how this progresses. Teckwin lost both NuSign Supply and Nazdar SourceOne in the US. Presently DYSS has distributors in several countries but there was no DYSS printer or cutter in their distributor booth at the Dubai 2010 expo (January 2010).

Plus we received an e-mail from an end-user who had issues with the software and electronics of his Apollo UV printer. You can find an issue with any make and model of printer, so we are trying to get additional back-up information on the issues this printshop is having with their DYSS printer. But with the turnover in distributors last year, it is not surprising that tech support was a challenge. I visited a new UK distributor (a rebirth of part of former B&P) and they seem to have potential.

My impression is that the DYSS Apollo printer is a slight improvement over the DYSS Lasco series, but suffers some of the problems of any company's first machine: namely a manufacturer which is new to the complexity of UV curing, especially with the complex electronics and firmware (software) needed. The one owner of one DYSS Apollo printer sent a polite but detailed list of all the problems of his printer: they are the same kinds of problems that most first-generation Chinese printers have (DYSS is a Korean company but may be using Chinese electronics and associated Chinese software)). So we are updating our evaluation (the FLAAR Report on the Apollo printer). However if we find that all other end-users are content, and that the issues with the one machine were atypical, we will update our report, keeping in mind there are 101 models from 45 manufacturers to keep track of. Our goal is to assist the manufacturers with feedback.

Our ten years of experience documents clearly that end-users will give FLAAR a more detailed list of issues than the same end-user will give to the manufacturer or distributor. This is true even for owners of $560,000 Durst Rho printers: I just had dinner with the owner of a Durst Rho 800 and it was clear that his discussion of the issues with me was more detailed than the manufacturer was aware of.

Most printers get better over time, and a third-generation printer tends to be better than a first-generation. So if and as this brand improves, and if the relations with distributors are more consistent on all continents, FLAAR will consider looking at this brand again in the future. The first step will be to visit the manufacturing plant, their demo room, the company headquarters, to document the experience (with screen printing manufacturing) that stands behind a DYSS printer.

DYSS also makes flatbed cutters. We are in the middle of evaluating other brands of digital XY flatbed cutter-routers: this class of cutter is clearly a topic of considerable importance to printshop owners. Oce and now CET (Chin. E. Technologies) are all bundling a flatbed cutter with a flatbed UV-curing printer.

FLAAR is also initiating evaluations of thick rigid printing materials. Our readership keeps increasing so we evolve our coverage to provide helpful information to printshop owners, as well as to manufacturers on how their products are perceived and received out in the real world.

 

 

Most recently updated February 5, 2010, after attending Dubai trade show and not seeing this brand on exhibit.

First posted March 17, 2008. Updated Oct 8, 2008, before SGIA. Updated August 5, 2009, after we received information from an owner of a DYSS uv printer. Updated Oct 16, 2009 after additional discusion with an end-user.