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.

Meet Nicholas Hellmuth at VISCOM Milano, November 2009

A convenient time to meet Dr Hellmuth is before, during or immediately after a trade show. He will be at VISCOM Italy in Milano all three days, But a meeting requires an advance appointment (FrontDesk@FLAAR.org) and a consulting relationship. VISOM Milano is essential to visit if you are interested in printing on textiles, metal, glass, as well as normal display and signage applications.

We are now studying the completely new flatbed technologies. RIT Professor Frank Romano asked FLAAR to give a 3-hour summary overview of TRENDS in the world of inkjet printers for 2009 into the future. The gist is that by FESPA 2010 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. But DRUPA 2008 was disappointing and DRUPA 2012 will be overshadowed by FESPA 2012.

However since today is 2009, and your clients need signage and décor and packaging and textiles today (not in 2012!), this FLAAR web site concentrates on the here and now, which is UV-curable, eco-solvent and mild-solvent, 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.

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.

Chinese UV Printers

During 2009 we continue to study Chinese-made UV-cured flatbed inkjet printers in annual Shanghai July trade show. Combo-Jet and Sky Air-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.

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, WP Digital Virtu RS35, 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

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 now 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 87,000 downloads so far, a quantity that impacted the market noticeably.

When you enter the world of eco-solvent, mild- lite-solvent inks, you quickly enter the parallel world 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 2010.

Just be aware of some brands of after-market ink: the only brands we are currently actively keeping track of in 2009 are InkWin and AT. Any FLAAR Reports on other brands are obsolete. FLAAR will visit the facilities of AT in early 2010.

Trends

Our readership is up significantly every month during 2009 over the same month in 2008 (average over 21%). Downloading of FLAAR Reports on key titles is up 167% this year over last year.

It is simple: trade shows are expensive to visit. 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.

Our goal is to assist each sector to survive, and do well (ink, RIP software, printer manufacturer, substrate manufacturer, etc). We are pleased that universities and students use the FLAAR Reports too. We especially enjoy helping printshop owners, managers and printer operators. Over 360,000 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.