FLAAR Reports team at Chinese ceramics expo

Posted May 28, 2012

Dr Nicholas and graphic designer Alejandra were in Guangzhou to inspect the in-line ceramics printers of almost a dozen manufacturers at the Ceramics China 2012 expo.

Inside view of Hall 1, Ceramics China 2012 at Guangzhou.

In Guangzhou so many printer company personnel and managers were hospitable to the FLAAR team (Hellmuth and photographer/graphic designer Alejandra). It is appreciated when the staff take and make the time to answer our questions: efi Cretaprint, Teckwin, King Tau (Crystal), Gongzheng were the most notable.

Several booths had zero speakers of English or European language (I can also speak Deutsch and Espanol). So for several brands we simply skip them (and concentrate on the many printer companies that facilitate our helping our million+ readers to learn about options for printing on ceramics). So in booths where the personnel speak English, such as Longier (and all the brands first mentioned) it makes a huge difference when there is easy communication (though I am trying hard to learn Mandarin).

Teckwin booth at Ceramics China expo, Guangzhou 2012

The other aspect which helps is when access is facilitated so we can visit end-users who actually have the printer at work out in the real world. So this week it was possible to document that the Teckwin in-line ceramics printer is doing a great job in a ceramics factory at Foshan (world center of ceramic production other than Spain and Italy).

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Also have been taking notes on many manufacturers of ceramic frit ink (since most of these printers are NOT using UV-cured ink (which does not last long enough in the sun). Return every two days for more updates.

ISA 2012 sign expo includes innovative services from FLAAR Reports

Most recently updated Mar. 22, 2012. First posted March 14, 2012

Last year Dr Hellmuth was on a key sub-committee for ISA. This year FLAAR Reports will be providing additional services for ISA sign expo. In fact during 2012 you will notice how many printer expos around the world are receiving assistance from Nicholas and his team (two large expos from China, in Beijing and in Guangzhou), plus Graphics of the Americas, Sign Africa, and Sign Middle East (SGI Dubai).

As a research and educational institute our interest is to assist end-users to learn the most practical way to obtain realistic and factual information about printers, flatbed cutters, inks, media and substrates, and software (RIP, workflow software, and color management), laminators and coaters (notice that we cover the entire workflow).

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Now that ISA sign expo opens in Orlando, we are releasing the first edition of our cooperative project with ISA: the FAQs and floor plan guide. We will update this guide tomorrow, so please download the current version today, and this can get you started.

The floor plan we first began at Sign Middle East 2011. We then did it for ISA and had a version conceived for FESPA 2011 also. Since ISA asked for a dedicated version we copyrighted their version jointly.

It would be a courtesy if other trade shows wish to add this concept that they cite our original version and it would be appropriate to have it a joint project (rather than merely have other expos simply copy the colored coded map idea, since we had this clearly at three expos already in 2011).

ISA opened with a healthy attendance today and we look forward to two more days.

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