Nicholas Hellmuth comments on DGI Rex and DGI VistaJet solvent-based inkjet printers for outdoor signage
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Digital Graphic Inc (DGI, a sister company with Dilli), is one of the better known Korean manufacturers and distributors of wide format solvent ink inkjet printers. In past years, their main distributor for D.G.I. in the US has been S.I.M. (Steward of International Marketing).
However Dilli is a sister company of DGI; DGI handles solvent printers; Dilli handles UV printers. S.I.M. is no longer the distributor for Dilli. We update the information on Dilli in the FLAAR Reports on UV printers in PDF format.
Although this specific model might no longer be available, we have heard good comments from thriving sign shops who started with a small DGI solvent printer and now have expanded its production capabilities with other machines.
Since 2011 onwards you can see DGI has been gradually leaving the solvent models aside at trade shows and focused more and more on its new model, the FabriJet textile printer. The samples produced with this model are really gorgeous.
If you are unsure whether to select an Oce Arizona, DGI Rex, Seiko, ColorSpan, or Infiniti, it is worth buying Prof. Hellmuth's FLAAR Reports on solvent ink printers. DGI is a mature company; don't confuse DGI with the mass of newcomers from mainland China. DGI stands for Digital Graphics Incorporation. This is a Korean company, not Chinese. DGI has been around for a long time; this is not an upstart making printers in a garage.
The general consensus is that sign shops (in Latin America) that check around tend to select a DGI Rex over other brands from the Far East. But in the USA the preference is for security of next-day replacement parts, tech support, and other traditional expectations of a wholly American support system (Seiko, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, etc).
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DGI Solvent Ink Printer |
The next stage is to assess what is behind the printer: the managers, the assembly line, the tech support facilities. Thus we have visited ColorSpan headquarters several times, have visited HP headquarters both in Barcelona and in San Diego, have visited Vutek, Anagraph (in its day) and other manufacturers. So as soon as it is possible to visit D.G.I. headquarters both in California and in Korea we can report back.
In the meantime our reviews are based on inspecting DGI Rex and DGI VT printers at Graphics of the Americas, ISA, and SGIA trade shows for three years. We have also studied DGI and Dilli printers at trade shows in Germany. All the results are available in our FLAAR Reports Series on solvent ink printers.
Then we did additional research by inspecting DGI Rex printers near our university. Much to our surprise it turned out there were about 46 DGI Rex printers within 20 km of our university. We concluded two site-visit case studies of what it is like to have a DGI Rex printer in your sign shop.
If you order the Solvent ink FLAAR Report Series from FLAAR now, you get three years of Nicholas Hellmuth's experience in checking out solvent ink printers all in one convenient batch of PDF downloads. These reports are all in full-color and provide independent assessment of the pros and cons of DGI, Infiniti, Oce Arizona, Mutoh Toucan, Mimaki JV3, Lyson Tiara and other inkjet printer brands.
Dr Hellmuth offers reports on eco-solvent, lite-solvent, and even oil-based printers for vehicle wrap, outdoor banners and signage.
FLAAR Reports on mild & lite-solvent printers
Already available
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Most recently updated January 10, 2012.
Previously updated February 16, 2006, Dec 19, 2005, August 9, 2005, May 18, 2005.
First posted March 10, 2004.
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