SignAfrica printer expo reports in preparation.

Updated Oct. 2, 2 013. previously edition August 20, 2013. First posted July 25, 2013

FLAAR has assisted at SignAfrica for many many years. We also write articles for PracticalPublishing, the leading trade magazine of this part of the world.

We enjoy the hospitality of the distributors, print shop owners, and expo organizers here in Johannesburg. The day before the expo opened we did another site-visit case study in a major printing company: over a dozen grand-format printers. We inspected their new 5-meter roll-to-roll UV-cured printer.

August 21-23, I was in the expo center to be taking notes on inks, media, cutters, coaters, printers, and the entire workflow of wide-format inkjet printing. Plus we are gradually moving into covering LED signage as well, though clearly our main priority is inkjet printers and applications.

FLAAR arrived in South Africa already two days before the expo opened, and stayed the entire three days of the expo.

We recommend SignAfrica, so hope to see you here in 2013. Next year this will be branded as FESPA Africa, so more reasons to attend (as an attendee) or exhibit (if you are a manufacturer or distributor).

APPPEXPO 2013, more international than every before

Updated July 25, 2013. Originally posted July 10, 2013

More major international brands of UV-cured printers are at APPPEXPO which was successfully held in Shanghai: Durst, Inca and Swissqprint, joined EFI Vutek, HP and brands already present.

Mimaki, Mutoh, Epson, Roland are present for eco-solvent. Plus a relatively new brand from Korea has a strong presence with four new models. This brand has never shown at this size in any expo in USA, Europe, or UK.

Five of us from FLAAR Reports flew to Shanghai already two days before the expo opened. We will be issuing lists of every textile ink, every textile printer, every UV cured printer (found 24 brands of Chinese printers alone, with a dozen brands from other countries). Plus a list of all after-market inks, all media and substrates. Back with more information when our reports are issued during August.

FLAAR Reports for Shanghai sign & Printer expo in July

Updated July 25, 2013. Originally posted May 9, 2013

We have posted a new series of FLAAR Reports on "what to expect at Shanghai APPPEXPO 2013 in July."

Below are front covers of these reports. During August these reports will be updated and replaced with additional information from the 2013 event in Shanghai.

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FLAAR attended the last days of China glass expo

Updated July 25, 2013. Originally posted May 3, 2013

FLAAR Reports covers glass printing technology and inks around the world. We visited the China glass expo in Beijing, flying there from PacPrint and Visual Impact in Australia.

If you wish to Subscribe to the wide-format inkjet printing on glass TRENDs report which Hellmuth will research and publish, please contact FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org.

FLAAR at printer expos in Australia

Updated July 25, 2013. Originally posted April 18, 2013

In 2013 Visual Impact will be in Melbourne and co-located with pacprint. FLAAR attended in order to update our list of distributors, since ink, media, cutter, coater, laminator, and printer manufacturers ask us to recommend distributors in major areas around the world.

After these two expos in Australia Dr Nicholas flew to Guangzhou to attend Ceramics China expo. FLAAR then did research at ShanghaiTEX.

FLAAR attended ShanghaiTEX

Updated July 25, 2013. Originally posted May 3, 2013

Dr Nicholas Hellmuth and Maria Renee Ayau (Technical Writer for textile printers) attended ShanghaiTEX all days.

If you wish to Subscribe to the textile TRENDs report which Hellmuth and Ayau will research and publish, please contact FrontDesk "at" FLAAR.org.

ISA 2013 Sign Expo in Las Vegas

Updated April 5, 2013. Posted March 5, 2013.

A healthy exhibitor list for ISA 2013 makes this printer and signage expo a success.

People from all around the world are here: naturally North America but also Mexico, Central America and South America.

Plus Australia, Turkey and dozens of other countries. This is a frankly remarkly international expo.

Still one more day, so be sure to visit.

Our FLAAR Report will be issued tomorrow but will be significantly updated next week. Will cover inks, media, laminators, cutters, printers of all kinds (textile, UV-cured, eco-solvent, RIP software, etc).

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.