UV-cured, Textile, inks, media LED Signage

Transcription

1 September 2013 The largest Printer Expo UV-cured, Textile, inks, media LED Signage Nicholas Hellmuth

2 APPPEXPO 2013 had more visitors from foreign countries than last year in Plus (as we mentioned in Part I), there were major international printer manufacturers who exhibited for their first time at APPPEXPO This is our either fifth or sixth year covering this important Shanghai printer, signage, and advertising equipment expo. So we have the experience at Chinese expos (in Beijing, in Guangzhou, in addition to Shanghai). We have worked long hours during the expo (even arriving two days before the show started). Plus now several weeks after the expo. The present FLAAR Report is a general overview: separate subjects will be in additional FLAAR Reports (in preparation for the coming months, as testimony to the wide range of brands and products available in 2013 as a preview of what to expect for 2014). The introduction has two parts Our experience over the years documents that if a single PDF is over 5 MB, it s not easy to send as an attachment to an . So for a huge expo such as APPPEXPO, we issue two separate introductory presentations: Part I and Part II. You have Part II in your hands now. You can obtain both parts, at no cost, if you click on the Subscribe button. There will also be nine additional PDFs, all at no cost. The additional PDFs will be available during September onward. II Apppexpo 2013 III

3 To make a decision, of what kind of ink, Or what kind of printer to buy, It helps to see print samples Weakest color at recent expos Year by year more brand advertising switchs to electronic digital signage. But one way to keep signage in the wide-format inkjet realm is to offer really handsome quality. This is why we at FLAAR showcase the best booth designs, the best print samples, and other good graphic design and printer results. However an equally good way to learn about quality, is to look at what is weak color, or insufficient color gamut. Once we understand what is inadequate we can more easily move to an ink or chemistry or printer or workflow which is better. A pseudo-latex ink at FESPA 2013 London had the least color impact at that expo. This ink does not need sophisticated curing system which is what suggests it is not of the same sophistication as AquaRes of Sepiax or original latex ink of HP. In summary: much to my surprise and disappointment, At two expos in a row, the most unsatisfactory inks (for color impact) were latex and resin. Yet the best color was also latex, but Mimaki latex (since it has colors not available with HP or Sepiax). We picture and discuss all this in a separate FLAAR Report at TRENDs level on latex & resin inks. (write FrontDesk@FLAAR.org to ask to be invoiced for TRENDs level presentations). Good solid color saturation Yes obvious, it s the original photo that impacts the final results. If you want to see good photos with good color, check out and (These photos are available in high-res for printing samples by companies which we are evaluating their equipment). Also color management, knowledge of RIP software, and making an effort to tune the workflow via the RIP software also count. Plus the kind of media makes a difference. But the point is, that not all kinds of ink can consistently produce top color quality. So we seek examples which are good, and we notice occasional print samples which remind the visitor to that booth that this product still needs more improvement! Some of the nice color palettes were in textile samples. Although we will have separate FLAAR Reports on textile inks and printers at APPPEXPO, we do wish to show samples, such as at the HK booth. HK is a partner or associate company of Allwin. Here is an additional print sample with nice colors: from ColorJet. I have seen good color from D-GEN as well. We have used many photos of the D-GEN booth in past FLAAR Reports. This was the weakest color at the Shanghai expo. However, we estimate that once this printer is finished (the model here was only a prototype); and once the printer settings are fine-tuned, and once better color management is applied, the color will be significantly better. The company who makes this printer has fully capable ink people and printer engineers. The company who makes the ink likewise is fully capable. So we hope at the next expo these images are not as weak as we (albeit the original photo itself lost a bit in oversaturation, such as in the grapes). But the point is, 4 5 see here. These colors are concentrated, focused, and pretty close to botanically accurate for these fruits this print (which may be from the MT booth) has nice color saturation.

4 Recognition for Attractive Booth Display of textile samples Here is a good example of outstanding graphic design Keep in mind that all the reflections, plus the fact that I am not using a tripod, result in photos which do not show the full quality of these print samples. Yet in 15 years of attending printer expos, and with 13 years of inspecting UV-cured printers (since Drupa 2000 and Photokina 2000, when the really early Durst was still just a prototype), the samples at Dilli and A booth manager/organizer who knows that good graphic design is essential. The organizer of these graphic designs should be complemented. The booth of SignStar also had a nice display of textile samples. We show these printed fabrics here. 6 7

5 Why are Inadequate Color Samples displayed? Poor color gamut or lack of color intensity (no color pop) were the two issues which I most noticed at both FESPA 2013 London and at APPPEXPO The weakest colors were anything labeled latex (the really wimpy colors were latex-other-than-hp). The best latex in colors were from Mimaki. Among the best color were mild-solvent and eco-solvent (Seiko ColorPainter is a good example, at FESPA London). UV printer color samples varied greatly: there were over 50 booths with UV-cured printers. Most were acceptable color; a few were great color (Dilli and Fujifilm). But it is widely known that more than 75% of the currently available UV-cured inks are not able to achieve acceptable reds or greens; and most can t achieve a clean bright yellow either. Notable Print Samples, including with Spot Varnish Dilli definitely had sophisticated graphic design as print samples. Their raised relief was heightened by the spot varnish, so did not have to waste as much ink. Dr Choi personally showed me the printing sequence: first the ink and then the spot varnish. Since FLAAR is a graphic design institute (in addition to doing evaluations of machines and inks, we also study graphic design), we especially liked the zebras since they were pure black-andwhite). In the follow-up second APPPEXPO report (Part II) we show the frankly quite remarkable print samples from the Fujifilm booth. The design, and printing, were really good, as were the ones from Dilli. Together they were the best at the entire expo. So be sure to click on the SUBCRIBE (Free) button to get access to Part II. SUBCRIBE (Free) So I show here one handsome prints, in the booth of MT, Mtutech, the export name for Maxcan. This is not a brand we have evaluated nor have we visited their factory, so we are not able to recommend them. But these color samples (if indeed my notes are correct), are really nice color gamut and also bright. There were printers at quarter-million dollars, made in Europe, whose color was no better than these simple UV-cured printers made in China. 8 9

6 Cautionary Notes: Most printer claim they can print on glass. And yes, any flatbed printer can print on glass, but most of the ink will not adhere to glass. In one booth at the expo the ink came off the glass when you lightly scratched it with your fingernail. Same for printing on some metal and on ceramics. This is a ruse to claim that their printer can print on everything. Be aware that in most cases the ink will not adhere to surfaces which are not coated or primed. Distributors and print shop owners around the world deserve to learn more of the truth Since PR releases do not reveal tricks and subtle fakery that is occasionally used in selling printers, and since it s difficult for a trade magazine which depends on advertising revenue to include comments on dubious advertising claims, we work to assist print shop owners and distributors to be aware of tricks-of-the-trade. One trick which we noticed especially at FESPA 2013 in London, but also is in play elsewhere, is to show bright yellow or bright red print samples. But the bright red and bright yellow are not printable by the printer itself. These samples are on bright yellow material or bright red material. The material is already yellow or red; the rest of the image is printed on top of the solid background color. The reason is simple: most UV-cured and most latex inks are not able to print gorgeous saturated reds or yellows which are as beautiful as the samples. So someone comes up with the clever idea to fake the color by using colored media. So any company that spends a million dollars claiming they are breaking myths of tbe good points of UV-cured and eco-solvent, but has to resort to faking color results, is rather sad. It is very disappointing to have a respected Fortune 500 company stoop to such tricks

7 Car Wrap If you need bright colors, you can select from diverse printers of Seiko ColorPainter, or the UJV of Mimaki. I also like the SUV inks of Mimaki. Be aware that other kinds of inks may not have the color gamut or color intensity which you really need. So yes, latex ink is dry upon leaving the printer, so you can laminate it more quickly than most solvent inks. But which color gamut is better? And which color is most impressive? If you want your car wrap to gain new clients (and hold on to current clients) it helps if you can show them their corporate logos in true colors, and in rich colors. These ceramic tiles were printed with a high-end respected brand name UV-cured dedicated flatbed in 2008 (in their factory demo room). By mistake someone put them on top of our microwave oven in our kitchen. On top, outside the microwave, NOT inside. The heat just from the outside of the microwave caused the tile to change temperature, so the tile changed size, and 75% of the ink curled off. This is why it helps to know from first-hand experience about the reality of a printer. Sorry, but a PR release or a Success Story will never identify this kind of problem

8 RIP software and color management software are crucial components of the printer workflow. Indeed, to achieve good print samples (to show the capabilities of your products) it is essential to have a really good RIP software (and good color management equipment, such as Barbieri). MIS software is also essential if you are a larger print shop. Our focus at APPPEXPO was primarily on printers, inks, media, substrates, and cutters, but in the future we will keep our eye out for inkjet software company booths and products. In the meantime we show the booth of MainTop, a RIP made in Asia. Until we visit their headquarters and have first-hand experience, we tend to write about the RIPs which we know. I have visited the Shiraz RIP world headquarters in the UK. I have visited the Wasatch world headquarters in Salt Lake City (but did not yet have a chance to visit Onyx in the same city). At FLAAR s evaluation center at two universities we used primarily Wasatch RIP since it was easy for the students and staff to learn how to handle this. I have visited and evaluated the high-end RIP software of Caldera in France. ErgoSoft is a respected and capable RIP software but I have not been to their company facilities. Mimaki booth at APPPEXPO

9 Sign-in-China Most helpful info poster The booth of Dilli had by far the most helpful booth poster. This showed all the current models of NEOTITAN. Although we call conveyor belt printers combo there is no standard name in the industry (so they call it a hybrid). But the point is that this poster is super helpful. Dilli Neo Titan chart. I wish every booth of printer manufacturer had such a poster in their booth (AND IN THEIR BROCHURE)

10 To contact the capable team at this resource, here are their web sites (head office in China) (Sao Paulo office) (Moscow office) (LA office, California, USA) 18 19

11 Award for Best Booth Design Concept One of the nicest booth designs was of Jetbest ink company. We saw this booth being installed the days before the expo opened and the booth shape and design of the corporate logo presentation were excellent. Only if you have an island position would this booth be successful (as here). There are an increasing number of FLAAR Reports on how to improve booth design. Gradually these fullcolor presentations of trade show booth design ideas will be listed on our and our Jetbest Ink booth.

12 What does FLAAR do at an expo? We spend a lot of time introducing distributors from around the world to manufacturers. Distributors from countries all over the globe stop us in the aisles to introduce themselves. They then ask where they can find such-and-such a project. We then suggest a brand and often take them to visit the pertinent booth. We also do studies of inks, media, substrates, cutters, and of course all printers: solvent, UV, textile, and 3D. We at FLAAR are also consultants to trade show organizers in many parts of the world. So we learn about which expos are popular, and which are loosing popularity. We also keep track of which cities are more popular: and which cities are less popular (in China the two main cities for printer expos are Shanghai and Guangzhou). We also attend expos in beautiful Beijing but the really crucial expos are in Shanghai and Guangzhou. We keep our eyes and ears open about trends (which kind of inks or printers or media are being innovative; which are becoming old and boring). It is especially crucial to learn (in advance) of which kinds of printers are about to be launched (and who is the manufacturer). Pablo taking notes on ipad. Three of the FLAAR staff (in booth of AT Inks, where lunch was served every day). A task which we enjoy is providing the thousands of printshop owners, distributors, and manufacturers with an evaluation of an expo event, but commentary which is not filled with silly PR claims. with comments on issues, shortcomings, headaches of products. No product is perfect and it is helpful if end-users learn about the shortcomings in addition to the good features. Since we do not accept advertising we can say what is appropriate about a product (or about a trade show). Of course there is funding for projects, but we are selective about which products we evaluate. For example, I have not yet seen any printer with blazing speed much less with blistering speed. And no printer with DX printheads is likely to impress many people with speed. These printers Nicholas also takes photographs. are great for many purposes, but it is so silly to have advertising slogans about imaginery speed. These are the reasons that about one MILLION people a year have been reading the FLAAR web sites and REPORTs. Because it is essential to have information about inks, media, printers, cutters, coaters, laminators which is not a canned PR release. This is why it is essential for FLAAR to visit the factory, to visit print shops (to see products in action). Plus attending expos is very helpful because in the space of several days you can see in-person and experience a diversity of kinds of printers, coaters, cutters, inks, etc

13 Introduction 16 halls were occupied. Now you can see why the APPPEXPO is larger than all expos in North America, Mexico, all Latin America (including Brazil) put together. However we still recommend also attending SGIA, ISA, GOA, FESPA Mexico, FESPA Digital in Europe, Sign Africa (for 2014 renamed FESPA Africa), Serigrafia, Sign, Future Textil (Brazil), Sign Istanbul, SGI (Sign Middle East), plus the various textile printer, glass printer, and ceramic printer expos in EU and China. We hope to add other printer expos in these and other countries to our list as soon as the organizers of other expos communicate with us. Of the five west halls, all five were filled with wide-format printers, inks, media, cutters, RIP software: the entire workflow. Plus perhaps 15% of Hall N1 also had wide-format inkjet. Hall N2 This hall was primarily dedicated to CNC machinery and supplies. Here you can find trimmers, routers, plasma, lasers, etc. Hall N1 We show Halls E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6 in our concurrent FLAAR Report on LED and LCD signage. Hall N3 To cover all the products of Halls N3 and N4 would have required flying over an additional technical writer. So it was more practical for us to concentrate on Halls W1,2,3,4,5, N1, N2, and then walk though the other halls (such as N3). Each of us visited every single hall. But it has taken us an entire month just to process of notes on the printers, inks, media, cutters. North 1 had 3D printers and miscellaneous companies of advertising equipment. But 24 surprisingly, there were several good-sized booths of wide-format printer companies as well, 25 all at the north end of the hall.

14 Hall N4 Hall N5 Mootooh evidently also had a booth in N5. I remember their printer booth in W4, and rapid prototyper in N1. But someone on our team took a note that this booth was also in N Hall N5

15 The wide format inkjet printers, inks, media, and digital cutters were primarily in the five West halls. CO2 laser cutters and CNC routers were mostly in North halls, but some cutters were in the west; and about five booths of wide-format inkjet printers were in N1. Hall W1 Lots of printer companies in this hall: efi VUTEk, HP, Durst, Fujifilm (so also Matan). Lots of booths of ink companies: Inkwin and others. W1 was definitely a prestige hall. For example, AT Inks always has their booth prominently in W1 on the main avenue which connects with adjacent W2 (AT Inks had a nice lunch as a courtesy of industry colleagues). Canon (so also Oce), Roland, Mutoh, and Mimaki were also in this international hall. Several brands of Chinese printers were also present, one of the best known being JHF. Inkwin had two booths: inks, and Twinjet printers. AT Inks booth 28 29

16 Hall W2 W2 had a mixture of printers and media/ substrates. Dbe, Dilli, Longier, Yishan were several of various printer brands here. LONGIER booth Dilli booth

17 Hall W3 Mostly media and substrates. Not many printer manufacturers (WER, Uranus and a few others). Most printers were in the other west halls. Hongsam ink company was also in W3. We include this company in our coverage since we have visited the factory, and Hongsam flew us to inspect two print shops who were using their various inks. As a result we know enough about this ink company to mention their products

18 Hall W4 Mootooh was in W4. This is an example of how important it is to visit the headquarters and factory of a company. I had no idea of the level of company this was from only seeing their booth at trade shows. After spending two days at their factory and getting to know their CEO, Sola Gua, I had a much better understanding of this company: especially who their partners are, and that they also make 3D printers. Allwin, Challenger, Colortop, Crystal, Icontec Pentum, Infiniti, KinColor, Lecai, Locor, Liyu, Longrun, Sky Air-Ship, Wit-Color, Xenons, ZhongYe and other brands were also in Hall W4. We have visited the factory of Sky Air-Ship twice, so know their CEO, head managers and key sales reps

19 Hall W5 Three years ago W5 was 90% CNC routers and CO2 laser engravers. But each year APPPEXPO grew larger. So now all five West halls are needed for printers, inks, and media/substrates. So although flatbed cutters can be found in any West hall, now most cutters are in their own North hall. Hall W5 has many Chinese printer manufacturers, such as Docan, Flora (RTZ), Human Digital, JHF, MT, REVOTECH, Rodin, Smart, SMATCH, Sprinter, and others. Plus in W5 you could find useful components for textile printers at Qingdao Hanze Electrical Co., Ltd. Here is the end of W5, which faces Entrance 2 (out of view to the right)

20 This is where the taxis drop you; most shuttles leave from the South Entrance. So I consider this the main entrance. Hall W1 is for major international companies who prefer to be at the main entrance. On the day before the expo opens, when you need to arrive to set up your booth, Entrance 1 is where you need to come (even if your booth is in a far-away hall). Here is the main entrance. This is one day before the 38 expo opens, so you do not see the crowds and taxis. 39

21 If you came via the Metro you would tend to enter the Shanghai complex at this end. Plus if you wanted to focus on the north halls, you would use this entrance adjacent to both N1 and W5. So some printer companies prefer to be in Hall W5. The North Entrance is not fully open until the first day of the actual expo. In past years the opening ceremony was at the South Entrance. This year (2013) we wanted to photograph the opening ceremony but never found where it was held. I estimate it was at the entrance near the parking lot ( Entrance 3 ). We found the opening day ceremony area three days later! 40 41

22 Concluding Comments Six years ago APPPEXPO was a giant expo but primarily oriented to the market in China and Asia, plus oriented to the astute distributors and manufacturers from the rest of the world who realized that it was crucial for them to invest time in learning about Chinese products first-hand. Then every year everything (attendance and booths) became more international. Now in 2013 the APPPEXPO is by far one of the top multi-national printer and signage expos. You get booths from Japan, Korea, USA, and Europe. The most significant change for 2013 was the arrival of Durst and SwissQprint. So now APPPEXPO is getting to be as international as Drupa. Indeed for inks, media, and wideformat inkjet printer brands and models, APPPEXPO is multiple times larger than Drupa (Drupa has more digital presses; Drupa has tons more offset printers). But for signage, for giclee, for photo printing, and for everything wide-format inkjet (and traditional signage with LED lighting), APPPEXPO 2014 is definitely the place to be. If you are a print shop owner or manager in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia, Oceania, and all of Asia outside China, the key expo for 2014 is APPPEXPO in July. Be sure to also attend your local and nearby regional and international expos in your part of the world, and we also attend other printer expos in China, but no matter how many trade shows you visit in 2014, be sure not to miss the July venue in beautiful Shanghai. An additional comment is the majesty of the city of Shanghai Shanghai is also a place to bring your family, friends, relatives, business colleagues, or your traveling companion. You can find hotels of every price range, from $35 per night to $335 per night, on up. Most business people in Shanghai speak English. If not, this is a good time to learn a bit of Mandarin. I struggle learning a few new words every year. Most people who visit Shanghai go to the Bund area during the day, and take a river cruise at night. FLAAR has a separate FLAAR Report on Shanghai as a travel destination, but we can definitely make a point that a taxi from the airport is less cost than in Chicago, and substantially less than the cost from most airports at other trade show venues around the world). We show here a few photographs; some are misty moisty, but don t worry, it does not rain every day. I am in Shanghai several times a year, and other months are more foggy. And frankly the fog makes the tall buildings stand out even more. We hope to see you at APPPEXPO 2014 or at other important expos in China during To learn about APPPEXPO, one of their web sites is eng.apppexpo.com or

23 At each trade show we meet hundreds of managers, executives, sales reps and booth personnel. Sorry there is not space to name each one, but we show a sample here with some of the business cards (to show the company logos). Altogether we have about business cards from meetings at expos just in the last several years. We also meet additional hundreds of print shop owners and distributors from around the We also run into manufacturers of inks, printers, media, software, cutters and other wide-format workflow products out in the aisles (people who are visiting the expo). There is not space to list them, and often our meetings are under NDA. But the point is that visiting APPPEXPO in China, FESPA in Europe, and ISA, SGIA, and GOA in USA are essential if you are part of the wide-format inkjet industry. 44 world, in the aisles as we are walking-the-aisles inspecting booth displays. 45

24 What trade shows does FLAAR visit? For expos outside USA, we primarily attend expos where airfare is provided, such as Sign Africa, Sign Istanbul, SGI Sign Middle East. This year (2013) the airfare for five of us was provided by the organizers of APPPEXPO, since FLAAR has six years experience covering wide-format inkjet printer expos in China. So our team is already known by the manufacturers of inks, media, printers, and CNC routers. Plus distributors and print shop owners around the world have found our style of specifically avoiding PR releases to be a manner of having information which is more realistic out in the real world. At APPPEXPO people from around the world told us that they had come to this expo as a result of the previews which FLAAR issued during the recent three months. The expos we will definitely visit this year are: Sign Africa 2013 SGIA 2013 Sign Istanbul 2013 The expos we will definitely visit next year are: ISA 2014 FESPA Digital in Munich 2014 SGIA 2014 Sign Istanbul 2014 SGI, Sign Middle East, 2014, Dubai D-PES (China Sign) 2014 Sign China + LED China 2014 APPPEXPO 2014 Graphics of the Americas (GOA, in Miami) FESPA Africa 2014, PRINT Africa 2014 (Johannesburg) ITMA Asia + CITME 2014 Glasstec 2014 If you wish FLAAR to attend your trade show Write FrontDesk@FLAAR.org if you wish to host a visit by Dr Hellmuth and at least one assistant to write a FLAAR Reports evaluation about your trade show

25 Booth of Sign Istanbul, an expo we have attended for many years. Turkey is a friendly and hospitable country and we highly recommend this expo. Two of us from FLAAR will fly to this expo this winter. 48 We attend, and recommend GOA, ISA, and SGIA in the USA. 49

26 50 51

27 52 53 Street view of Shanghai. Traditional buildings of Shanghai

28 This report has been licensed to Shanghai Modern International Exhibition Co., to distribute, since they are the organizers of APPPEXPO (Advertising, Print, Pack & Paper Expo), Shanghai. But this report has not been licensed to any printer manufacturer, distributor, dealer, sales rep, RIP company, media or ink company to distribute. So if you obtained this from any company, other than APPPEXPO, you have a pirated copy. Also, since this report is frequently updated, if you got your version from somewhere else, it may be an obsolete edition. FLAAR reports are being updated all year long, and our comment on that product may have been revised positively or negatively as we learned more about the product form end users. To obtain a legitimate copy, which you know is the complete report with nothing erased or changed, and hence a report with all the original description of pros and cons, please obtain your original and full report straight from: Please Note Your only assurance that you have a complete and authentic evaluation which describes all aspects of the product under consideration, benefits as well as deficiencies, is to obtain these reports directly from FLAAR, via 54 printers.net. Follow us Copyright FLAAR_Reports Nicholas Hellmuth