FESPA AFRICA 2015

Updated August 17, 2015
Posted June 25, 2015

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This is the most important signage and printer trade show for southern Africa and attracts people from many countries. Whereas most countries have competing expos, for this part of the world FESPA AFRICA has no competition (especially since this expo is co-located with three other equipment focused trade shows).

Thus I especially like this annual event in Johannesburg because you can see a lot more in addition to the main brands of wide-format inkjet.

We were present at FESPA AFRICA July 22nd through 24th and now we have ready a free report that you can acquire by subscribing tou our newsletter.

Seiko II announces it is transferring printer division to OKI Data

Posted June 15, 2015

Transferring your WIDE-format printer division to a nice, well-known, and capable SMALL-format company, and one that is not inkjet, is a challenge.

The other unanswered question (and also a previously unasked question) is what happens with Seiko printhead technology?

We discuss all this in a special FLAAR Report, TRENDs level, about solvent printers at FESPA 2015 in Cologne, since the memo from Seiko II came out a few days after this expo.

You can order a copy by asking FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org to invoice you for this report.

100% of all web sites merely repeat the same identical PR release by SII. Why does no one in the industry ask the pertinent questions? These we ask in our report on solvent printer brands. Plus we list crucial aspects of all this, to judge what is really going on, and what will happen to the nice ColorPainter series (out in the real world, where PR releases tend to vary from unrealistic to wishful thinking).

Seiko II and OKI Data are both respected companies. Thus this situation is rather unexpected.

Is it worth the cost to fly to Germany for FESPA 2015?

Posted May 12, 2015

Many print shop owners, managers, and printer operators plus distributors and manufacturers have told us they decide which trade show to visit based on which expos are recommended by FLAAR Reports. This decision is made because people in the world of printers and signage do not want to waste airplane costs, hotel expenses, restaurant meals, and many days time unless an expo is worth attending.

So the reason is straightforward: why spend the money (and take the time away from your business (and your family)) if an expo is not worthwhile?

After over 15 years of attending printer, signage, fine art giclee, glass, ceramic and 3D expos around the world, we have learned several keys to making decisions of which are worth attending a second time.

• Are all printer types (all ink types) exhibited: UV, solvent, true water-based, latex, textiles.
• Are all printhead types exhibited: MEMS and normal printheads of all brands?
• Are there lots and lots of after-market ink booths and many exhibitors of media and printable substrates?
• What about laminators, coaters, cutters, RIP software, and color management systems?

For these reasons we will fly three of us to attend FESPA in Cologne. We also attend FESPA Africa and at least every several years attend FESPA Mexico.

We also attend SGI (Sign Middle East), GOA, ISA, and SGIA in the USA, and we fly six of us to attend APPPEXPO in Shanghai since this is now the largest printer expo in the world. We have attended Sign Istanbul in past years and will decide this summer whether to attend this autumn.

Lots and lots of UV-cured printers, ISA 2015

Updated April 8, 2015
Posted April 6, 2015

Aisles were filled with giant containers and you can't easily see all printers. But what we did see shows that ISA is definitely THE place in North America to experience UV-cured printers.

We mention all the textile printers here on our www.wide-format-printers.org site, as that site is for water-based printers.

In the realm of UV-cured printers, PrinterEvolution has a brand new model as a prototype. This monumental printer is for the real estate sign market, and comparable One-Off signage jobs: fast, fast, fast (one pass technology, Spectra printheads).

EFI VUTEk has impressive booth. Lots of Chinese brands of UV-cured printers as well, plus from Korea. So ISA is turning out to be very large, very impressive this year.

Tips, Assistance, Information on what technologies are innovative

Posted February 20, 2015

And equally important, which inks and which printers failed over the last three years (in other words, be wary of PR claims about inks and printers which were a great idea, but did not function out in the real world).

FLAAR offers consulting, in-person, at your company anywhere in the world.

And/or, you can meet with Dr Nicholas in-person at GOA in Miami, D-PES in Guangzhou, APPPEXPO in Shanghai, ISA 2015, FESPA 2015 in Cologne (plus communicate by telephone and/or Skype).

If you sign up for consulting (at an expo, or by phone or at your headquarters) we will send at no cost the recent FLAAR Report by Dr Nicholas on what innovations can really be expected for 2015.

Giant printer, ink, textile & signage expo in mid-March (2015)

Updated Feb. 24, 2015. Previously updated Feb. 19, Feb. 3, Jan. 28, 2015. First posted Jan. 22, 2015

March was a significant month in the world of international signage & printer expos. Here are three of the previews for APPPEXPO 2015 in English, Spanish and most recently Russian versions, which has over 400% more wide-format inkjet printer brands than even Drupa (which will not be until 2016 anyway).

Expos which were popular for offset printers ten years ago are downsizing and often splattering their (lack of) focus. APPPEXPO more successful because it is nicely focused (on printers, inks, media, cutters, laminators, other workflow products plus LED and dynamic digital signage).

APPPEXPO used to be in July every year; for 2015 it was in mid-March (11-14). And, in a new location within the impressive city of Shanghai.

China is a remarkable experience for people of all ages and backgrounds. So it is worth coming to APPPEXPO for many reasons. Six of the FLAAR team were there.

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The first international signage & printer expo for 2015, SGI

Updated Jan. 22, 2015. Previously updated Jan. 9, 2015, Jan 2, 2015 and Dec 22, 2014; First posted Dec 12, 2014

Many people like to know what is going to happen in the wide-format printer and signage industry in the new year, 2015. So the best investment is to attend the first international trade show for wide-format inkjet printers and signage. Each year, the first expo of international stature is in Dubai, UAE.

SGI is the official name but it is also widely known as Sign Middle East. This trade show is organized by IEC. You can learn more by looking at www.signmiddleeast.com.

For 2015 there was a Signage Middle East Awards ceremony for best signage results of the area. Dr Nicholas Hellmuth was one of the international judges. Then there was a new lecture program which started Jan. 11, the first day the expo opens. FLAAR was on the Discussion Panel.

The expo was 11-13 January (organized by IEC); the lectures were re-scheduled for 11 and 12 January (organized by Enthalogy, www.enthralogy.me).

Reviews of thick and rigid printable
materials will be focus for 2015

Posted Jan. 2, 2015

Inks, media, and inkjet-printable substrates will be reviewed during January. We will be issuing lots of new FLAAR Reports to review and evaluate what interesting materials you can use to print on your UV-cured flatbed.

Honeycomb sandwich board and aluminum composite materials (ACM or ACP, Aluminum Composite Materials) will be covered.

Then reports on diverse kinds of foam core, foam board, even foam covered with innovative materials.

So please return every two weeks to see the new web pages on printable media plus the full-color PDF editions of reviews of new and different kinds of material for your digital printing.

First printer & signage expo in USA: GoA 2015 in Miami

First posted Dec. 22, 2014

We have noticed that many print shop owners, managers, and distributors and manufacturers keep an eye on which expos FLAAR attends. So to help planning we are announcing already now in December, what expos we will attend in 2015.

Graphics of the Americas is an expo we have attended 8 years out of the last 10 years. Plus Dr Nicholas Hellmuth gives lectures on the world of wide-format inkjet each year now for several years.

Two of us from FLAAR will fly up to GOA 2015 in the popular South Beach area of Miami Beach, Florida.

If you are from Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, or across the USA and Canada we hope to see you here, 26-28 February.

You can ask for a consulting session with Dr Nicholas by writing for availability and fee schedule at FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org.

Of course you can also attend the lectures (in Spanish, and other topics in English) and there is no consulting fee. But many people also like to receive a full Subscription to TRENDs level FLAAR Reports, which is included if you sign up for a consulting session.

You can also fly Dr Nicholas to your company headquarters so that your entire team can ask their questions.