FESPA 2012 Barcelona

First posted Feb. 23, 2011

Many people asked me how I liked FESPA 2012, and how I compared it with last year.

Although FESPA was listed as "one hall" the hall was so long that frankly I would consider it two halls. The expo certainly appears larger than any printer show in the US (and larger than any two VISCOM expos together).

Yes, Durst and several other manufacturers were not present, but life-went-on just fine because so many manufacturers were indeed present. Yes, perhaps there were more square meters last year, but frankly there were so many exhibitors at FESPA 2012 that I could have stayed longer and still not had time to visit and speak with all the booths I wanted to visit.

Four of us from FLAAR are in Barcelona (along with thousands of people in the several hundred exhibits, and more thousands of visitors from around the world).

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Scores of people who attended the two giant Chinese print expos earlier this week had, like me, also flown from Guangzhou to Barcelona.

We are preparing about six reports: on inks, substrates, UV-cured printers, textile printers, flatbed cutters, etc. These can be ordered by subscription or individually from www.FLAAR-Reports.org (the specific individual titles will be listed there as they are finished during March).

New FLAAR Report highlights what was visible at Sign China (Guangzhou) 2012

First posted March 9, 2012

FLAAR Reports team of four researchers were at the Guangzhou expo for several days taking notes and interviewing printer, ink, media, and flatbed cutter manufacturers. Sign China expo is a huge signage trade show in Guangzhou.

Sign China was directly across the street from the large and growing D-PES (also known ironically as China Sign). Sign China has about 15% of the printer manufacturers (D-PES has 85%). Sign China has about 50% of the ink manufacturers (D-PES has the other 50%). Sign China and D-PES each have huge number of CNC router and CO2 laser engraver manufacturers.

Last year Sign China had 80% of the media (and last year D-PES had 20% of the media manufacturers). This year D-PES had 75% of the media manufacturers and Sign China was down to perhaps 25%.

Together they have about 100% of the pertinent manufacturers and hence are serious competition to the once larger Shanghai APPPEXPO expo in July.

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Since FLAAR is also attending the Beijing sign show if you are a distributor, printshop owner, or manufacturer, you can hire FLAAR Reports as a consultant to assist you get to know the world of Chinese manufacturers and distributors: inks, media, printers, cutters, laminators.

You will receive experienced guidance, since Dr Hellmuth is moderator at the Beijing lecture program and VIP guest at the opening ceremony; Dr Nicholas was also VIP guest at D-PES and helped cut the ribbon at the opening morning ceremony.

Graphics of the Americas 2012, in beautiful Miami

Updated Feb. 29, 2 012. First posted Feb. 23, 2011

It is nice to see Graphics of the Americas return to Miami. So I am looking forward to presenting two lectures during this pre-Spring expo.

It is also nice to have an expo in sunny Miami, as the two expos in China and the huge trade show in Barcelona were both hit by cold waves, and both were unexpectedly frigid.

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Since we at FLAAR are tri-lingual, I look forward to meeting printshop owners and distributors from Latin America and other parts of the world at Graphics of the Americas the first days of March.

There are hundreds of booths at GoA 2012, offering thousands of products and abundant assistance for you to learn new techology. So we hope to see you at Graphics of the Americas, March 1st through 3rd, 2012.

The traditional Beijing signage expo

China Sign Expo (4NSHOW 2012) is organized by CEIEC for April. Since FLAAR is sending a team to Brazil on those dates, unless we can change that date it will be tough to be in two places at the same time.

New style FLAAR Reports (PE to replace PVC for billboards)

We are doing a double-page spread layout style, and a fluid page flow viewing option.

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But we are NOT using a commercial service; we adapted the entire production in-house and display this on our web site with our own web master’s capability.

We hope you like the new style. If you do, please let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you prefer the old page-by-page style instead, also let us know.

All TRENDs level and all reports which compare specs and characteristics will remain in the traditional style (since that is easier to produce than the double-page layout).

MEMS printheads; MEMjet printers: reality check

Updated March 26, 2012. previously updated Feb, 21, 2012, first posted September 6, 2011

Not one single MEMS printhead machine was noticeable at either of the two largest printer expos in China last month (February 2012). If any were present, they were well hidden.

Three years ago MEMS printheads were labeled as the most incredible technology to reach wide-format printing. But the technology failed, indeed failed so badly that it cost Raster Printers and JETRIX two entire years of potential lost revenue since they had to start all over again with entirely new (non-MEMS heads).

MEMS heads were a significant factor in the final meltdown of L&P printer company. Its little remaining technology was bought at fire sale price by WP Digital (which in turn a year or so later downsized by leaving Spuhl and moved to parent company Polytype).

The utter failure of MEMS printheads were a major factor in the total shutdown of the textile printer division of Yuhan Kimberly (Kimberly Clark of Korea). MEMS printheads inability to hold up to actual use out in the real world also was a factor in the demise of the HP Scitex roll to roll printer shown with great bluff at SGIA several years ago. HP subsequently bought NUR because they used non-MEMS heads which actually functioned.

During 2011 MEMS heads reappeared, via MEMJET an offshoot of Silverbrook of Australia. So the question is whether any, or all, or other new issues will hit the reality check. It is as if everyone was deaf to what happened to the first MEMS projects of four different MILLION dollar companies.

Most industry specialists have skipped MEMJET totally since it was too many PR releases and not enough actual fact (like Foveon digital sensors several years back; like CrystalJet in the past decade and then the non-functional Kodak 5260). But since no one seems to have learned from past failures, FLAAR is issuing a commentary as a MEMS reality check. At this level of technology, is logically not a free report, but is reasonably priced and worthwhile reading (it is also entertaining, since how else can you describe a phantom technology).

So what about MEMS printheads? What about MemJet?

During 2012 we will also consider issuing new reports on MEMS printheads in general and on MemJet in particular. Companies which subscribe to our TRENDs level reports will receive updates. Subscription info is on our www.FLAAR-Reports.org

Of course the new hurdle for MemJet today is the endless PR releases about the lawsuit from their financial source. But the main issue is whether the patents are for a patent farm, or whether an actual product (which actually functions) is possible. Until I can see an R&D lab, see a real printer in a real printshop (OUTSIDE the R&D lab and outside a trade show booth), I am skeptical. The question is not whether the printer prints, the question is what happens when a nozzle is blocked or worn out.

The question is whether a machine would print a month, or a few weeks, non-stop in the temperature, dust, and humidity out in the real world.

During 2012 we will also consider issuing new reports on MEMS printheads in general and on MemJet in particular. Companies which subscribe to our TRENDs level reports will receive updates. Subscription info is on our www.FLAAR-Reports.org

Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging 2012.

Dubai SGI, Sign and Graphics Imaging, the first major international sign industry event in the world each year, 31 January through 2 February 2012

Dr Nicholas Hellmuth will lecture at this sign industry event. SGI in Dubai is the first printer trade show of international status of the year’s calendar.
FLAAR has also been asked to be on the committee (jury) to select the best advertising banners, posters, signs, in Dubai. Dr Hellmuth has been asked to be the head of this jury, so he will arrive in Dubai two days early. Here is the photo of the award winners last year (2011).
FLAAR also writes for ME Printer magazine in Dubai, the leading trade magazine for the Middle East.

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Inspection of a VUTEk UV-cured printer

First posted August 23, 2011

Last summer FLAAR did an inspection of a VUTEk UV-cured printer at a large successful printshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. The comments of the manager and printer operator, and our conclusions, will be added to our evaluation of the efi VUTEk GS3200 combo transport belt system. This printer can handle both roll-to-roll as well as thick and rigid materials.