The most complete Chinese signage expo: Inkjet + LED + entire signage workflow

Updated March 5, 2013. Posted Feb 18, 2013

Signage products in China are worth coming directly to China to experience. Here the market prices are quite low that fit any budget and often matching the quality of European or American brands (after all, the same factories now make the media, substrates, and even printers of brands in USA, Europe, and even Japan).

Year after year we can see the increase in exhibitors at the fair, as everyone wants to be present in such a great market. That is why if you are interested in expanding the market in your country or increase your workflow APPPEXPO trade show is one of the worldwide trade shows you should attend. We look forward to a healthy exhibitors list at APPPEXPO 2013 in Shanghai thus July 10-13.

FLAAR also provides assistance and consulting services for distributors and print shop owners from around the world who prefer to have a personal guided visit to pertinent booths at APPPEXPO with Dr Nicholas Hellmuth.

Now that Epson has cut-off the world supply of DX5 printheads, the repercussions in the Chinese printer industry needs to be understood (another reason to attend APPPEXPO in Shanghai this July; what if Epson also cuts off supply of DX7 heads!). Or, what if the Chinese can defuse the software blockage that Epson has started to build inside their printheads (to keep even Mimaki from using them?!).

Plus we at FLAAR Reports are interested in evaluating Chinese inks, substrates, printers and cutters and we enjoy interacting with the capable and hard-working wide-format company people of China.

This expo in Shanghai is larger than every expo in USA all year long all put together.

This July expo in Shanghai is larger than every European expo all put together.

What distinguishes the Shanghai expo is that:

• The manufacturers exhibit (not just local Chinese city distributors). This is important, since to attract people from USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America (including Brazil), Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia) they want to meet the actual manufacturers.
• There is a full gamut of manufacturers, at least most of the brand names.
• Four day period (for a really large expo, three days are not enough).

If you wish consulting services with Dr Nicholas at this July expo, be sure to reserve time now, well in advance, by writing FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org.

Graphispag

Updated May 3, 2013. Originally posted March 5, 2013.

Two years ago Graphispag in Barcelona was multiple times larger than I expected. Actually Graphispag was significantly larger in 2011 than any wide-format printer expo in the identical city, in the identical expo center in 2012.

This year I did not anticipate it will be anywhere near as large as 2011, but it would be nice to be surprised. Unfortunately VISCOM Madrid has collapsed (and is unsure whether it will be held in 2013). If Graphispag is successful this is all the more documentation that some organizers bungle their dis-organization; and other expo organizers are simply better (Graphispag).

But sadly Graphispag 2013 was so much smaller than 2011 that I did not even fly over to beautiful Barcelona to visit. VISCOM Madrid now has decided to open its doors in 2013, but it is too small to see or learn enough to make the cost to attend worthwhile. We may attend VISCOM Duesseldorf.

Graphics of the Americas 2013, Feb. 21-23

Most recently updated Feb 23, 2013. Posted Jan 15, 2013

We hope to see you at GoA 2013 in sunny temperate Orlando, to escape winter blizzards elsewhere in the world.

FLAAR evaluated UV-cured printers, textile printers, flatbed cutters, after-market inks, and diverse other products of the wide-format workflow.

UV-printers, Inks, Textile Printers & Substrates D-PES 2013 is opening in China next week

Posted Feb. 19, 2013

There are a dozen Chinese signage expos. I have enjoyed attending several. But two of these expos are distinctive (D-PES in February; and the even larger APPPEXPO in July).

FLAAR Reports attends D-PES because we can study UV-cured printers, textile printers, all printers with DX printheads, inks, media & substrates, laminators, coaters, and flatbed cutters.

Sign Istanbul 2012

Updated 5 December, 13 Nov 2012; earlier posted 20 Sept. 2012

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Dr Nicholas Hellmuth and Fernanda Morales from FLAAR Reports are now attending Sign Istanbul 2012. We are working together with the expo organizers.

FLAAR Report has experience helping trade show organizers around the world. We wish trade shows and trade magazines all to prosper and increase attendance and circulation. It helps to have an independent outside assessment from a research institute such as FLAAR Reports to provide a thorough review of the organization, the venue, the exhibitor catalog: all these aspects we will gladly assist expo organizers with.

Istanbul is a great travel destination and Sign Istanbul is the #1 printer expo in this whole part of the world.

If you enjoy archaeology, architectural history, and seeing one of the world's great cities, add Sign Istanbul to your wide-format inkjet printer expo visits this year (and for 2013). Our pre-show 2012 report is already available (this is the report for attendees and exhibitors; our report for expo organizers can be ordered by Subscription or via a consulting request).

Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging Middle East 2013

Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging, the first major international sign industry event in the world each year, 20-22 January 2013.

Two of us from FLAAR were at at SGI, Sign Middle East in past years, and wow, this printer, media, ink, and cutter expo sure is impressive. Ryan Crist was an intern with FLAAR when FLAAR headed the digital imaging technology institute at Bowling Green State University many years ago. He has continued to move up in the world of large format inkjet printing and has his own consulting and service business and partners. He is lecturing on several important topics here at SGI.

Dubai expo center is very accessible; here you can see the corresponding bus stop.

Dr Nicholas Hellmuth also lectured at this sign industry event, every year for many years now. SGI 2013 is 20-22 January 2013.

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SGI in Dubai is the first printer trade show of international status of the year’s calendar. Even though last year, 2012, was a "DRUPA year" the expo occupied four halls. It is not shrinking, it is holding steady and growing (only one booth dropped out that we noticed, and everyone else was here). It's a bundle of energy in the halls. I met people from all over the world every day of the three days.

View of dowtown Dubai from the Expo Center.

For SGI Dubai, Sign Middle East 2013, both Dr Hellmuth and Ryan Crist will be organizing additional lectures and will be consultants for the expo.

Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth attends SGI Dubai every year as a special guest; he has experience in wide-format printing and often lectures a different trade shows around the world. This is last year’s lecture at SGI Dubai.

Ryan Chris collaborates from time to time with FLAAR, here he is lecturing at SGI Dubai 2012.

FLAAR also writes for ME Printer magazine in Dubai, the leading trade magazine for the Middle East.

Many UV roll-to-roll and flatbed printers: AGFA Jeti 3348, Gandy Digital Pred8tor, DIlli Neo Titan,to mention a few. SGI does not only exhibit wide-format printers, media, inks and equipment for wide-format printing are also exhibited at this trade show.

Dubai is a safe place to visit

I feel much safer walking through Dubai than in Atlanta. Dubai is one of the safest countries in the world to visit. Plus with shopping its great to bring your family.

Many textile printers exhibited at the SGI Dubai 2012 trade show: D.G.I. FabriJet for transfer paper, Mimaki JV33-160, and Mutoh Viper TX.

SGI also offers electronic signage

Although FLAAR is focused on wide-format inkjet printing workflow and applications, we are fully aware of electronic signage. FLAAR Reports is considering entering this area with our reviews, but we first wish to build further relationships with manufacturers and distributors of these technologies. But LCD and LED electronic dynamic digital signage are definitely trends we are keeping our eyes on.

SGI offers access to these trends in electronic signage, so another reason to get to Dubai later this January and experience both Sign Middle East, and experience the hospitality of the Middle East cultures.

Solvent printers are very popular in trade shows around the world; Seiko and Xenons are some of the printers in this category exhibited at last year’s SGI.

Most recently updated January 3, 2013

Another printshop switches to after-market Roland ink from Sam Ink

Posted Oct 17, 2012

Yesterday visited a large successful printing company who was using already a cheap after-market ink (stated to be made in Taiwan; the ink bottle had no other information whatsoever). Now they are using after-market ink from Sam Ink and after seeing the results will switch from the Taiwan no-brand ink over to Sam Ink (from Singapore).

Ceramic printing reports in preparation based on TECNARGILLA expo

Posted October 15, 2012

September was so busy (Photokina digital camera equipment expo in Germany), then TECNARGILLA ceramic printer and ceramic ink expo in Rimini, and then Reklama Moscow, that we are only now finishing our initial FLAAR Reports on all of what we discovered.

Another printer trade expo collapses

Posted September 23, 2012

It is sad to learn today that a major international expo has lost so many exhibitors that "collapsed" is the most polite word we can use.

We at FLAAR enjoy attending printer, photo, and 3D trade shows around the year. We are now consultants to four expositions (helping them with suggestions based on our 15 years experience).

But we are not consultants for every expo. Some expos are convinced they will survive no matter how they act.

We are now preparing analyses of each printer, photo equipment, and 3D exposition that we have attended, to document clearly what are the specific mistakes being made (each expo is different from others). We are also doing analysis of trade show booths of manufacturers and distributors, to help exhibitors create a better presence.

These crucial FLAAR Reports are available for exhibitors as well as trade show organizers who subscribe.

Plus, if you are a manufacturer, or distributor, or printshop owner or manager, we have ample experience to assist you to decide which expo to attend and which expo is optimal to exhibit at. Write FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org to request consulting. You can then speak in-person, or via Skype, with Nicholas Hellmuth.