Worth looking at, unique options for superwide format
Roll-to-Roll uv-curing inkjet printers

Posted June 10, 2020

The more different options your printer has, the more innovative kinds of printing you can accomplish to make your clients happy.

If you have a printer that can print different effects then you can also win over new clients for your business.

Dr Nicholas (Hellmuth) flew to one of the many factories of EFI VUTEk (in February, a month before flights were cancelled).

The FLAAR-REPORTS summary on OPTIONS is now available. You can also view a brief video with the head of this EFI factory.

We look forward to visiting additional factories and demo centers as travel restrictions are eased.

To download the report on all the OPTIONS for roll-to-roll UV-curing printing.

Click to view the video

Software is an advanced specialty with EFI printers

Posted Feb 28, 2019

We all know Fiery RIP software: for toner printers, short-run-digital press printers around the world. Plus Fiery RIP for EFI VUTEk printers. But while visiting the EFI factory and demo room I met two software engineers: Dani Barel and Ori Avivi. Dadi Barel did a demonstration of the visual inspection system that is available (that can detect when a printhead has a defect). Plus other capabilities built into the EFI VUTEk printer software (so more than just in the RIP software).

Ori Avivi saw me in the building and came over to say hello. He explained how their current software can take the RIP processed data and then handle all the options that are available in the printer.

Only a few printer manufacturers have this level of software development expertise in-house. For you to learn about how this software can benefit your needs, contact EFI VUTEk around the world, or at drupa 2020 in Duesseldorf or Printing United 2020 in Atlanta. There are EFI VUTEk demo rooms in several parts of the world, as well as factories in several parts of the world.

FLAAR-REPORTS testing and evaluating EFI and VUTEk superwide printers

Posted Feb 27, 2019

Although we obviously attend the major printer and signage expos around the world, you can get a better understanding of a brand by visiting its factory and demo room. About two years ago Jose Melgar of FLAAR-REPORTS was in the EFI inkjet printer factory and now in February 2020, Dr Nicholas (Hellmuth) is at this facility. Here you can meet not only the physical printing machines, but you can meet the software engineers and learn what’s inside the brain of the printer’s operating system (plus these printers also have Fiery RIP systems).

The following range of superwide printers are manufactured here (plus the earlier Matan models on special order):

VUTEk 3r+ and VUTEk 5r+, seven colors with optional white

EFI Pro 32r+, allows you to enter the world of decades of experience and technology at noticeably less cost.

EFI VUTEk D3r and D5r, CMYK and optional white and also simultaneously optional clear (“clear” on an EFI VUTEk printer is a noticeably better material than merely “varnish” of other brands of printers).

All three models feature the most popular 7 picoliter printheads on the market.

EFI VUTEk also has factories in several other parts of the world, including USA and Spain.

Mimaki UCJV300-160 produces nice images

Posted Nov. 14, 2019

Yesterday we received lots of images test-printed courtesy of Mimaki EU. These were printed on the 1.6m wide Mimaki UCJV300-160.

As soon as today’s monsoon rain ceases we can open the package and check the color quality and print quality. But as a starter we wish to show the package arriving. The Q’eqchi’ and Pokomchi Mayan team are present to receive the package in front of the FLAAR REPORTS office (in Guatemala City).

Here is the printer in the Mimaki EU demo room in The Netherlands.

APPPEXPO Thailand co-located with SIGN ASIA EXPO

Posted Nov. 6, 2019

We recommend APPPEXPO Thailand co-located with SIGN ASIA EXPO, November 14-17, 2019, in friendly Bangkok, Thailand.

Hotels are within comfortable walking distance. local food is great; Bangkok is friendly safe city. We of FLAAR-REPORTS attended about two or so years ago and enjoyed the experience.

Konica Minolta printheads for UV-curing printers

Posted October 22, 2019

At SGIA 2019 Konica Minolta had a nice booth with two UV-curing printers. They each had transport belts so could handle both roll-to-roll and also rigid boards. They did test prints of our educational material for schools in rural areas of Latin America that fly down to Guatemala to donate to the teachers and students.

This year Konica Minolta, MGI, is in booth 9536, PRINTING United 2019. PRINTING United is the new name for SGIA 2019. This year (this week) in Dallas Texas. I will be there second and third days and look forward to see the KM printheads and printers and hopefully their short-run digital presses also.

Autumn 2019: its wide-format inkjet printer trade show time

Posted August 30, 2019

Sign Africa Expo 2019 is 11-13 September in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sign Africa Expo 2019 is co-located with FESPA Africa, Africa Print, and Africa LED.

We at FLAAR-REPORTS recommend this expo and Maria Renee Ayau will be there every day. In some countries there are too many different expo brands, so no one brand is the #1. Mexico has expos in so many cities that some expos just don’t attract the leading brands. Mexico is a country I know for over half a century (first visited there at age 16, in 1961, to learn Spanish; then spent about 30 years doing research on archaeology and especially Mayan architectural history in the southern half of the country). Sign Africa Expo is the leading brand of expos for their part of the world, and of course FESPA is a popular brand in EU especially. The cooperation is nice. The result is an event with pleasant and knowledgeable exhibitors, organizers, and attendees. I especially like the T-shirt area. It is also helpful that the expo and the leading international signage magazine are led by the same team: Practical Publishing.

Sign Istanbul is the week after, Sept 19-22. What I also like about Sign Istanbul is the hospitality and friendly nature of both the organizers, exhibitors, and attendees. Plus they cover a wide spectrum of applications related to visual communications, LED, and digital print, capably organized by the local team of TARSUS TURKEY; I have seen their team visiting at other expos around the world as well.

So September is a busy month for the team of FLAAR-REPORTS. Maria Renee Ayau and Pablo M. Lee will be attending Sign Istanbul.

Dr Nicholas will be at Printing United, an experiment that people are curious to know how it works out. Dallas is an atypical location for a printer expo, since most attendees and exhibitors say clearly and openly that they prefer Las Vegas. And families of course enjoy Orlando as a trade show destination.

Then for 2020, we will cover this in a separate report, but Dr Nicholas and FLAAR-REPORTS team managers will be at SGI, Sign Middle East, in friendly and comfortable Dubai, UAE. Capably organized by the experienced team of IEC, International Expo Consults LLC www.signmiddleeast.com.

Next for 2020, APPPEXPO 2020, in beautiful and impressive Shanghai, www.APPPEXPO.com. The exhibitor list for APPPEXPO 2020 will be impressive. It’s a huge expo, with more brands of printers, of printable material, and of inks, than any other expo in the world (tons more brands of everything than drupa).

FESPA 2020 in magnificent Madrid then awaits us, and then ISA 2020 in Orlando. I was a visiting research professor at Rollins College for several years, so know Winter Park nearby.

The FLAAR-REPORTS team look forward to seeing you this autumn and in 2020.

FLAAR-REPORTS at ISA 2019

Posted February 25, 2019

FLAAR-REPORTS has been attending ISA for over sixteen years, since ISA is one of the major expos in wide-format digital printing. The main focus of this expo is wide-format printers, specifically UV-curing, textile, solvent, waterbased, latex, etc. Hence, lots of Inkjet inks, media and substrates and finishing equipment manufacturers and distributors will also be present at the show.

For 2019, four members of the FLAAR-REPORTS staff will be covering the expo.

April 24-26, 2018
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

To get more info: signexpo.org/FLAAR

After ISA 2019, we will be producing a series of reports on UV-curing and textile printers, inkjet inks, media and substrates, and finishing equipment. FLAAR-REPORTS will have a booth #3547, be sure to look for us there. We hope to see you at the show!