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As FLAAR grows in coverage of digital imaging and readership, we are adding FLAAR Reports on after-market third-party generic inks
Because FLAAR is read world-wide, and especially since the FLAAR Reports have become a de-facto resource for reviews, evaluations, and help in understanding the pros and cons of digital imaging, we are making a logical first step entering the world of after-market third party ink.
We avoided aftermarket third-party ink for the first seven years because we received over 27 water-based inkjet printers for evaluation. Most of our readers wished to learn how these HP, Canon, and Epson printers functioned with their original OEM ink.
But as FLAAR moved into covering UV-curable flatbed printers, eco-solvent, mild-solvent, bio-solvent, and grand-format full-solvent based inks, more and more of our readers asked about our opinions about third-party after-market inkjet inks.
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Bordeaux ink company, 2007 |
So we have taken on this challenge. Indeed I have already visited three ink development and testing labs: NUR in Israel , a week at Bordeaux in Israel (on a separate trip), and a week at the headquarters of Sun LLC and Sunflower ink in Russia (no relationship to Sun Chemical).
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| Triangle INX at Shanghai 2007 |
I have not yet visited Triangle, but they are an ink company that I see at most major trade shows around the world. Plus most of the printshops that I inspect in Guatemala use Triangle ink. I also know the owners and tech support of the company that imports Triangle ink into this part of Central America.
Large OEM ink companies are also becoming third-party after-market suppliers
Sun Chemical is moving more and more into offering ink as after-market under the Streamline brand name.
Fujifilm, owner of Sericol, shows Sericol ink in printers that are not made by Fujifilm.In other words, they too are seeking sales into the after-market ink world.
Other companies we are curious about
Van Son is a booth I see frequently at trade shows. They are a huge company, but I have not seen their inks when I visit digital printshops and sign shops.
Lyson is another company I see at most major trade shows in the US and Europe . They were bought by Nazdar, which makes Lyson now all the more interesting.
Pantone ColorVantage; but they were recently bought by X-Rite, so we will have to wait and see if they continue in the third party ink market.
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| MegaInk Company at FESPA 2007 |
Clearstar Coatings JetStar solvent ink is a product I don’t see much, since I know Clearstar Coatings primarily for their coatings. It has been rumored that Clearstar was bought by a German ink company.
MegaInk is a company I see occasionally at trade shows but there are more booths at each show than there is time to visit them all.
Other after-market ink companies
There are hundreds of small ink companies from China, Taiwan, Korea. You see them at the trade show in Shanghai, Istanbul, Italy. Many will be at DRUPA.
We will feature an ink company when they catch our attention. I had never heard of Sunflower ink before I happened to notice their booth at a Dubai print and packaging trade show in early 2007. What they showed me in the booth was sufficiently interesting that I made a trip to far-away Novosibirsk , Russia and spent a week learning more about their company. Three FLAAR Reports have resulted from this visit.
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Sunflower ink factory, 2007 |
So if other ink companies make an impression on us as we visit a trade show, we will consider adding them to our coverage. Over 250,000 people a year, in over 62 countries, read this large-format web site. Another half-million people read our FLAAR Reports about water-based printers on www.wide-format-printers.org, www.FineArtGicleePrinters.org, and www.digital-photography.org (actually its more like over 700,000 readers if you add all three together).
First posted September 17, 2007.
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| Dilli Neo Jupiter |
| Gandinnovations NanoJet UV-curable |
| Gandinnovations Jeti 3348 JetStream |
| GCC StellarJet K100UV |
| HP Scitex XP5100 and HP Scitex XP5300 |
| HP Scitex XP2100 and HP Scitex XP2700 |
| HP Scitex FB6100 |
| L&P Spuhl RS |
| Sun FastJet |
| RIP Software |
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| Caldera RIP software |
Interesting inks & Alternative Inks |
HP latex ink |
UV-Curable ink, OEM (in preparation) |
UV-Curable, third-party ink |
| Encres Dubuit (others in preparation) |
Fine Art Photography Giclee & Proofing (on other FLAAR sites)
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Epson 4880 |
Epson 7880 |
Epson 9880 |
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Most of our updates for 2008 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 the 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.
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