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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).
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.
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.
Posted July 09, 2012. Updated July 13, 2012
Four from FLAAR Reports took notes on everything related to wide-format printers, inks, media and substrates, and flatbed cutters.
This is the largest wide-format inkjet printer expo in the world (has so many more printer brands than drupa 2012 there is no comparison).
This is also the largest traditional signage expo in the world (LED and LCD electronic signage). Due to the huge size (14 halls), we will focus on wide-format inkjet workflow.
Especially we are studying all the textile printers, UV-cured printers, DX5, DX6, DX7 printheaded machines, aluminum composite materials, honeycomb sandwich board materials, and lots more.
The free downloadable report is a brief introduction; the full reports will come as we digest the data and photographs taken by all four of us.
Posted May 28, 2012
Nicholas and an assistant have produced a full report on ITMA Asia textile expo in Shanghai in June.
Updated March 12, 2012. First posted March 7, 2012
The first day the organizers asked FLAAR to be on the stage to help cut-the-ribbon at the opening ceremony.
The second day, March 11, Dr Hellmuth was the moderator at a conference on wide-format inkjet printheads. There were knowledgeable speakers from Konica Minolta, Seiko, Xaar and Fujifilm Dimatix (Spectra).
Third day three of us from FLAAR Reports took about 520 photographs: every booth, probably 90% of every printer of all ink types.
Largest booth (actually three adjacent booths) was of JHF (JHF Vista and Leopard), which is a substantial factory in the greater Beijing area. Another booth at the main China Convention Center (adjacent to the Olympic park) was of Kincolor (Saven ink), another Beijing-located company.
The initial publication should be ready in a week; the in-depth analysis of the TRENDs we observed will take a month to process. Frankly I never expected to find the surprises, and learn about things not one single other source has talked about before.
Amazing what is going on discretely behind the scenes. Actually most of what we learn is provided via in-person presentations of Dr Hellmuth directly to individuals who have requested this service. We do not put this level of knowledge into a PDF: we deliver and discuss this in-person in private meetings.
Updated May 28, 2012. Posted May 1, 2012
From individual manufacturers (exhibitor list of drupa 2012) we can provide the first hints on what is available.
NEW Printers in drupa 2012 exhibitor listOnce the drupa exhibitor list can be inspected in-person, we will list the other new printers.
We will be updating our drupa reports every several days.
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.
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).
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).
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.
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).
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.
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).
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).
After-market Ink
Wide Format Printers
This link takes you to textile printers on our sister-site,