Trade Show WideFormat Printers (UV Tetile olent Late)...

Trade Show

SGIA 2015

Wide-Format Printers,(UV, Textile, Solvent, Latex)

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SGIA 2015

Nicholas Hellmuth & Pablo M. Lee


Inks, Media & SubstratesCutters & Laminators; RIP Software

December 2015Trade Show

- SGIA 2015 had a remarkable diversity of: 3- After market inks 4- Media and Substrates 5- Toner 5- UV-Cured Printers 6 EFI VUTEk 6 FLORA (RTZ) 8 Dilli 9 iti 10- There were many other brands of UV-cured printers at SGIA 12- New Brands of UV-cured Printers 13 Vanguard 13- Textile Printers 14 DigiFab 15 efiREGGIANI 16- Calendering Machines 17 DigiHeat 17- T-Shirt Printers 18- 3D 18- To Improve the conditions in your print shop 19- Screen printing 20- MEMS printhead and one pass technology 21- Roll-fed Cutters 22- Cutters 23- RIP Software 25- MIS, Web-to-Print, and other Workflow Software 26- Scanners 27- Accessories 28- Distributors 29- Trade Magazines 30- Educator Row 31- Suggestions for a good lightweight camera to use 32- Booth Design, especially overhead booth logo displays 33- Atlanta as a venue 35- A little bit about Atlanta 37- SGIA as a trade show 38- Well Organized Aspects of SGIA 39- Atlanta Convention Center “Buildings” 41- Expo Hall, was easy to find each aisle 42- Exhibitor Director and Maps were nice 43- I always appreciate booths with Teddy Bears or T-shirts 44

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contents - All items on this list are hot links. -

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SGIA 2015 had a remarkable diversity of: • Inkjet printers, •UV-cured •Roll-to-roll,upto5meterwidth •Dedicatedflatbed(somewithRtRacrossfront) •Combotransportbelt:flatbed+RtRcapability •Desktopflatbed •Mid-sized(largerdesktopwiththeirownbase) •EvenindustrialunitsofUV-cured

• Textile wide-format • Entry-leveltextileprinters(directtofabric) •Mid-range • Seriousfulltimetextileprinters(efiReggianiasoneexample) • T-shirtprinters •PigmentinkT-shirt •Dye-sublimationT-shirt •TonersublimationT-shirt •Sublimationforcoffeemugs,plates,plaques

• Solvent printers • Eco-solvent • Mild-solvent(lite-solvent)

TherearealmostneveranymorefullsolventinUSAorwesternEuropeprintertradeshows.Butfull-solventprintersarestillbeingmanufacturedinAsia.

• Latexprinters(lotsofco-solventssonotreallyfullyacceptableas“water-based” • Water-basedprinters(Epson,HP,Canon)

• After-marketinks, • Laminatorsandcoaters, • Cutters •XYdigitalflatbedcutters •CNCrouters •CO2laserengravers •Sophisticatedroll-fedcutters(FOTOBAisthebestexample) •Entry-levelroll-fedcutters(GCCisagoodexample) • RIPsoftware, • MISandrelatedsoftware, • Plusevencolormanagementtools(spectrophotometer)

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Every year some inkcompaniesgoupworldwide,andother ink companies unfortunatelyhaveahiccup. Soone inkcompanywas totallymissingat SGIA (andalsomissingat SignIstanbulafewweeksbeforeSGIA).

But,whenonebrandisnolongerpresent,thereisalwaysacompetitorthatmovesintothescene.

Ifyouneedtokeeptrackofeverybrandofeveryinkcompanywhoexhibits,thereisaseparateFLAARReport(sinceotherwiseallthephotosofeverybrandwouldcausethisPDFtobetoomanymegapixelsandthusnoteasytosendwithane-mail,noreventodownload).

For example, here is the colorful boothwall display of IIMAK Inks,which now handles theAmerican Ink Jet brand.

after market inks

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Media and Substrates

In a trade showof suchdimensions is notasurprise to find more than 85 companiesengagedindigitalprintingmaterial.Theworldrecord for exhibitors is APPPEXPO with 176brands,but85boothsforSGIA2015isfranklybetterthananyVISCOMinanycityinEurope.

IntheTRENDslevelFLAARReportwecarefullycomparetherangeofmediaandsubstratesat each major expo around the world. Thisinformationiscrucialbothformanufacturers,distributors, and print shop owners andmanagers, so they can keep track of whatkindsofmediaarebecomingmorepopular,andwhichkindsofmediaarehardtofind.

TheFLAARReportsfocusoninkjettechnology,butwedokeeptrackoftonerchemistryandproducts as well. By far the most notableimageat theentireexpowas this one fromiColorFluorescentToners.Iamnotfamiliarwiththis company nor with their products (otherthan this remarkable image).

TONER

iColor toner sample

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UV-Cured Printers

EFI VUTEk

PR agencies seem to have indigestion, which cause them to make ridiculous claims?

Onebrochuresaid“Theworld’sonlywide-formatUVflatbedthatcanprintonmaterial6-inchesthick”Really?

WhydoIfindaLOGOJETafewaislesawaythat“fitsproductsupto6”inheight”?

AndhowmanyChineseprinterscanhandleupto6”inheightORMORE?IbettheSun(Russian)printercandomorethansixinches(wouldhavetocheck,thisismerelyapointthatyouwouldneedtohaveatabulationofeveryUV-curedprintertodocumentthis

statement).

ItisunexpectedthataJapaneseprintercompanywouldmakeaclaimthatwasnottrueevenoneaisleaway.

At the efi Press Conference theymentioned 3MPrintableFabric9100withupto6year3Mwarranty(for vertical applications) using ultra-matteoverlaminate. This documents that efi is teamingupwithbothpremierinkandlaminatecompaniestoprovideatotalsolution.

EFI Armor I would definitely want to learn moreabout(ithasbeenmanyyearssinceIwasbroughttoanefidemocenter).

Several years ago an experienced printingcompany in Illinois said that their UV-curedlaminatorwastheir“secretweapon”towinclientsand beat competition (since competing printshops did not have the UV-cured laminator). SoI am interested in learning more about the inline clear-coatof“UltraFXTechnology.”

EFI had a wide range of their VUTEkprinters, plus now also an EFI Matanprinter.

EfiVUTEkGS3LXProEfiVUTEkHS125Pro

EfiVUTEkGS5500LXrPro,

Efi VUTEk H2000 Pro

EfiMATANQUANTUM,currentversionhasRicohGen5;earlierhadGen3.

EfiVUTEkHS1625-SDEfiVUTEkHS1625LED

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Efi VUTEk UV printer

Efi VUTEk UV printer

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FLORA (RTZ)

RTZ, FloraPP2512UV,KM1024iprintheads

RTZ, FloraF1320UV,roll-to-roll,KM1024printheads.

JiangHong,GeneralManager,waspresentatSGIAexpo,alongwithhiscapablestaffandprinteroperators.RTZhasoneofthelargerprinterfactoriesinChinaandabundantexperiencemanufacturingUV-curedprinters.ThisiswhycompaniesaregoingtoRTZforthemtocontract-manufactureprinterstoberebrandedaroundtheworld.

UV printer at Flora booth

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Dilli

Dilli NEOTITAN1604D-W2VDilli NEOSUNHB2504D-W2XDilli NEOTITANRTR3404DX

KoreantechnologyhasmoreyearsmakingUV-curedprintersthanmostothermanufacturersinAsia(Rolandtook13yearstocomeevenclosetodevelopingarealflatbedUV-curedprinter;MutohJapanstilldoesnothaveone(butdozensanddozensofChinesefactoriescrankoutflatbedsbytheton,formanyyears).Dillioffersdedicatedflatbed,dedicatedroll-to-roll,andanicecombo:withtransferbeltsoitcandorollandflatmaterialsallonthesameprinter.

UV printer at Dilli booth

Dilli

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iti

This is the second major trade show for iti. This time theyhadasecondprinteronexhibit.

FLAAR has inspected the itidedicated flatbed printer attheir demo room in Californiaseveral months ago. Franklytheprintqualitywasasgoodasmany$200,000UV-curedflatbedprinters. Here is a hot link to theevaluation.

Most of our evaluations are ateither the factory or the maindemoroom.Soduringthelast15yearswehavebeenflowntothedemo rooms, ink labs, signagemedia factories, RIP softwareheadquarters,colormanagementspectrophotometer factoryand demo room, textile printerfactories, UV-cured printerfactories.iti booth at SGIA 2015

http://large-format-printers.org/comparative-reviews_evaluations_price_wide-format-inkjet-printers_UV-cured_solvent_textile_resin_latex-ink/276_ITI-TX2512-flatbed-UV-printer-evaluation-Nicholas_Hellmuth-FLAAR-Reports_2015.pdf

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Actuallybeingintheprinter,ink,ormediaheadquartersanddemoroomishowwecanbringtoourthousandsofreadersawrittencommentaryoftheresultsofourinspectingaprinter,ink,laminator,media,orsoftwarein-person.DrNicholasfliesabout150,000

kilometersayear,speaksthreelanguages(andunderstandsseveralmoreeventhoughhecan’tspeakthem),andenjoysassistingwide-formatprinterbrandsbyproviding

knowledgeandassistanceonTRENDsininksandprinters.

HehaslivedinBeijing6weeks(withthreeotheroftheFLAARTeam)helpingorganize,translate,andimprovethewebsitesandbrochuresofaChinesewide-formatinkjet

relatedcompany.

DrNicholaswasavisitingresearchprofessorattheNationalMuseumofEthnologyinOsaka,Japanfor6months(andcomparablepositionattheUniversityofMaltaforasaconsultantforabusyseveralweeksonimprovingdigitalphotographyforculturalhistory

preservation).

NicholashaslivedinSwitzerland3years,Austria8years(includingbeinganinstructorforpre-ColumbianarchaeologyofMesoamericaattheUniversityofGraz),Germany9years,

andworkedmostofhislifeinMexicoandadjacentCentralAmerica.

ThisiswhyFLAARismulti-culturalandworksinternationally(forexample,asconsultantfortradeshowsinDubai,Istanbul,Shanghai,Johannesburg,andasannualspeakerinMiami

(GraphicsoftheAmericas).

Ifyouhaveademoroomforinks,media,substrates,software,printers,laminators,orcutters,youcancoverthecoststoflyDrHellmuth(andalsothetextileorothermanagers

atFLAARReports)toyourfactory.Wedothisasaresearchprojecttohelpprovideinformationthatgoesfarbeyondanypressrelease.

ContactusatFrontDesk“at”FLAAR.org

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There were many other brands of UV-cured printers at SGIA

Agfahadthenewmodelstheyfirstshowedat ISAearlierthisyear. IwouldneedtoinspecttheseatademoroomtodoarealisticevaluationoftowhatdegreethesecancompetewithDurstandcomparablebrands.Itwouldhelpallcompetitors(andend-users)whenthereareseveralcompetingbrandsateachlevel:entry-level,mid-range,andhigh-end.

Therewerealsoatleasttwoindustrialbrandsofprinters.Industrialprintersareagoodfuture(asmoresignagegoestoLEDandLCDdynamicdigitaltechnology).Wecovertheindustrialbrand(s)inourTRENDslevelFLAARReports.

Mimakidefinitelyhadanattractiveprintsampledisplay.TheAGFAboothalsotendstohavenicedisplaysasdoestheOceboothatmostexpos.

Mimaki applications samples

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New Brands of UV-cured PrintersVanguard DaveCichwasoneof the significant factors in thegrowthofCET,a

companywhichinitiatedbringingHandtopprintersfromChina.IntheMiddle East, SouthAfrica, and Eastern Europeprinters fromHandtop

inShenzhen,Chinahavebeenincreasinglypopularundertheir factorybrandname.But inadditiontotheprintersthemselves,itisadefiniteassettohaveakeyperson(suchasDaveCich)withpriorexperienceasasalesmanagerforOceArizonaflatbedprinters.

ForavarietyofreasonsDaveCichhasleftCETtostarthisowncompany,Vanguard.Hisnewbrandalreadyhastheirownprinter(theydevelopedthisprinterfromresourcesofcolleagues).InterestingthatMutoh in15yearshasnotbeenabletodevelopsuchaprinterand it tookRolandoveradecadetogetoneevenclose.Yetduetohisconnectionswithintheindustry,Vanguardhadtheirdedicatedflatbedprinterinlessthanhalfayear!

WedonothaveanevaluationonthisnewVanguardmodelbecausethatrequiresavisittothedemotestcenter,butFLAARReportskeepstrackoftrendsintheUV-curedprintingindustry.Wealsonoticewhatfactorscauseacompanytoriseinprominence,andwhatfactorswillcauseanothercompanytobegintolosemarketshare.

TobepolitewewillnotlisttheUV-printerbrandswhichhavedroppedinpopularityinrecentyears,andespeciallytobepolitewedonotlistherethebrandswhichwilllosemarketshare

thiswinterandinto2016duetorecentchanges.

Innovativenewbrandshelpprovidecompetition,andcompetitionisbeneficialbothtofactoriesandtoend-usersinprintshops.

Vanguard UV printer

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Textile Printers SinceITMAisthelargesttextileprinterexpo(outsideofChina),andsinceITMAwasaweekafterSGIA,althoughwe(MariaReneeAyau,ourtextileprinterandinkevaluationmanager)didtakenoteofeverytextileaspectofSGIA,ourcoverageoftextileprintersisinourTRENDsseries.

Herearethefrontcoversofthesereportsontextileaspectsofwide-format.

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DigiFab

DigiFab is an experiencedcompany, family owned andoperatedbyindividualswhoknowthe textile printing world insideoutformorethan15years.Ihavevisited theirboothasearlyas thedaysofEncad.What I rememberabout their booth is that the color theyachievedwasalwaysgood.

Now (for many years) they havebecome more international in coverage,sotheyoftenexhibit inEuropeandLatinAmerica.SotherewasalsoaniceDigiFabboothatITMAtheweekafterSGIA.

Printing on fabric is not likeprinting on PVCor other signagesubstrates or graphics papers. Soit definitely helps to have a RIPsoftwarewhichisfromacompanywithatextileexperience.Thuswefeel you should consider lookingat Evolution RIP Software fromDigiFab.

DigiFab booth at SGIA 2015

DigiFab textile printer

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efi REGGIANI

ThisisoneofthefirsttradeshowswhereefiREGGIANIwasunderthisnewname.Itisdefinitelyagoodideatomaintainbothnamestogether.TheweekafterSGIAweexperiencedanevenlargerefiREGGIANIboothatITMA2015Milano(Italia),thelargesttextileexpooutsideofChina.

WelookforwardtolearningmoreaboutefiREGGIANIprintersandtheirbenefitsbybeingabletovisittheirworldheadquartersanddemoroom.

Efi REGGIANI textile booth

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Calendering MachinesDigiHeat Youcanseethecompleterangeofdirect-to-fabricsublimationsystemsat

APPPEXPOinShanghai.YoucanseeawiderangeofcalenderingsystemsatITMA(butthatiseveryfouryears).Toseesamples,therewereseveral

brandsatSGIA2015.WeshowheretheDigiHeatintheboothofDigiFab.

DigiFab DigiHeat calender

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T-Shirt PrintersYoucanseethecompleterangeofdirect-to-fabricsublimationsystemsatAPPPEXPOinShanghai.YoucanseeawiderangeofcalenderingsystemsatITMA(butthatiseveryfouryears).Toseesamples,therewereseveralbrandsatSGIA2015.WeshowheretheDigiHeatintheboothofDigiFab.

3DSign Istanbul hadanentireco-located3Dprinterexpo togetherwith thenormal signandgraphicsaspectofSignIstanbul.SIGGRAPH2015inLosAngelesthissummerhadanentirehallareafullof3Dprintersand3Drapidprototypers.FESPAAfrica2015hadagoodsampleof3Dprintersaswell.EvenGraphicsoftheAmericas2015inMiamihadsomegreat3Dprinters(evenawiderangeofdifferentkindsof3Dprintertechnologies).

Ididnotnoticea3DfocusatSGIA.Butthisisagoodexampleofhowconstructivecritiquecanhelp,sincewiththisstatement,Ibettheymayconsideradding3DfocustoSGIA2016.

SincetheHellmuthfamilybackgroundisarchitecture,Ihavebeeninterestedin3Darchitecturalmodelssincecollegeyears.Plusofcoursenowpeoplekeepaskingmeabout3Dsignage.

The only 3D signage that Inoticed was this nice exhibit.Remember, youdoNOTneeda “3D printer” to produce 3Dsignage. We have an entireseriesofFLAARReportsonwhatittakestoproduce3Dsignage.Gilman leaf cutting sample

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To Improve the conditions in your print shopEverysooftenwereceiveane-mailfromaprintshopownerwhoseToshibaTecprintheadsarefailing.Thisisanexpensivesituation,sincethesefailuresareNOTbackedupbyanywarranty(sincetheprintermanufacturerblamesalltheheadfailureontheprintshop).

ButfinallyOcehasfacedtheissue,andisnowprovidingan(IslandCleanAir“Duster”)anti-dustaircleanersystemalongwitheverytop-of-the-lineOceArizonaprinter. Inotherwords,theprimaryreasonthatfinickyToshibaTecprintheadsfailseemstobedust intheairoftheprintshop.IfyouobtainaDusterfromIslandCleanAir,thisseemstoeliminatemanyoftheseprintheadfailures.

SoifyouboughtanyprinterwithToshibaTecprintheads,youshouldseriouslyconsideracquiringaDusterunitfromIslandCleanAir.

AsetofprintheadscostsstaggeringamountofmoneymorethanthecostofanewDusterunit.

WealreadyhaveaDuster2000 inoneofouroffices sinceeven inanormaloffice there islotsofdustfromthelocalenvironment.ADuster3000modelwouldberecommendedforaprintshopenvironment,especiallyifyouhaveanyflatbedcutterorCNCrouterorCO2laserengraver.

These dust cleaning unitswereonexhibitatSGIA.Ifyoumissedtheirbooth,youcancontactthemat:

LarryMiller

LRM Distribution Company

[email protected]:1-800-782-2135

Island Clean Air ICA booth

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Screen printing

ScreenprintingisaliveandwellatSGIAaswellasatFESPA(FederationofEuropeanScreenPrinterAssociations,orsomethingsimilar).

WhatisniceisthatthecarcinogenicorotherwisetoxicodorofscreeninkisnolongeranissueatSGIA.Icanstillremember15yearsagothescrrenprintinginkchemicalsin

theexpohallgaveyouaheadachewithinafewminutes.

Solventinkodorfromfullsolventinkjetprintersalsoaddedtothechemicaltsunamiwhichhitvisitorsadecadeago.Nowtherearenofull-solventprintersexhibitedat

mostNorthAmericanexpos.

PlusCO2laserengraversarenotasroughonpeople’snosesasatexposinothercountries.CO2lasersonplasticsareaboutaschemicallyoffensiveasscreenprintingorfullsolvent,withtheadditionalissueofthesheeramountofparticles:somorethan

just“odor.”

SomeonediscretelysaidthattherewasanewSGIApolicyaboutfumes,andthatasaresultsomeinkjetprinterswere“notallowedtoprint.”Ihadnowaytodocumentthiswhatsoeverbecausetheelectricitywastotallyoffthelastdayinseveralsectionsofthehall.Plusevenonthefirsttwodays,oneneverexpectsallprintersinallboothstoactuallybeprinting.SoIdonotknowiftheanti-fumeregulationimpactedlite-solvent(alsoknownasmild-solvent).FranklyCO2laserengraversandsomeCNCrouters(dependingonwhatsubstancetheyareturningintosmokeandparticles)

aremorenoticeabletoyournosethanmild-solventprinters.

Butwhatcounts(ifindeedthereisafumeregulationwhichisnewthisyear)isthatSGIAisworkingtowardskeepingithealthyforattendeestovisittheexpo.

Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowwhichprinterwasprohibitedfromprintingduringtheexpo(ifthetipIwastoldwastrue)?

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MEMS printhead and one pass technologyAfter10yearsofwhatpeoplesuggestedwaspotentiallyMEMStechnologypatentfarminginAustralia,itwasnicetoseeacompanyactuallyworkingontryingtoproduceafunctionalprinter(ratherthanjustharvestingendlesspatentstokeepatechnologyprivate).ButMemjetprintheadtechnologyhadnotadvancedinthelastfouryears(meaningtheMEMSheadsstillcan’ttakeanythingbutdyeink,whichcouldfadeifoutsideorinabrightsunnyroom).Plustheheadsconstantlyneedtohavethecloggednozzlescleaned(whichmeansprintingspeediszero).

XeroxandOcewouldexhibittheirMemjetprintersatoneortwoexpos,thennotexhibitthem,thenexhibitthemagain,thennotexhibitthem.NowOcehasanewmodel(whichdocumentsclearlytheissueswiththemodelofthelastthreeyears).

WhenMemjetnozzlesarenotstuck,theoutputisgorgeousoncoatedstock.Onuncoatedpaper,simpleB&Warchitecturaldrawingsareplentygoodenoughforarchitectsandengineers(butphotosdonotlookadequateunlessoncoatedmaterial).

At Sign Istanbul several months ago the Memjetoperatorhad issueswithourfiles,andthefilesizewhich was generated clogged the system (soweprintedthesesamefilesonanHPPageWide).At SGIA there was no access to print on the HPPageWide,sowetookthefilestothedistributorofVORTEX with Memjet printheads and they kindlyprintedallthefiles.

The Memjet output from the VORTEX on coated stock looks gorgeous. These Memjet systems are powered by Caldera RIP software.

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Roll-fed Cutters

TheFOTOBAcutterisdefinitelymyfavorite.PlustheteamintheCOLEXFOTOBOAbootharehospitableandhelpfulindoingthecuttingofmyprintevaluationsamples(fromtheVORTEXMemjetprinter).

Fotoba booth

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Fotoba cutter

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Cutters

Itisalwaysnicetoseeinnovativeequipmentatatradeshow.Thepersonwhoshowedusthisequipment isAntonioMuratori. Somedaywehope tovisit theircompany in SanMarino tolearnmoreaboutthistechnology.

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RIP SoftwareWhenthereisaCalderabooth,wetendtonoticethis.TheenergeticteamofCalderahasreallyadvancedtheirRIPintothehighend,especiallystartingeightorsoyearsago.

TheteamsofOnyx,ErgoSoft,andWasatcharealsoenergetic,asthereisalotofcompetition.

Caldera booth

Onyx booth

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MIS, Web-to-Print, and other Workflow Software

HerearephotographsofboothswhichofferprinterandsignagerelatedsoftwareotherthanRIPandotherthancolormanagementsoftware.Wedonotevaluateanyofthem,sincetoevaluatewouldneedtobeattheheadquartersdemoroomto

obtainexperiencein-person.

Intheworldofcolormanagement,mostprinterpeopleknowwhichisthehigh-endbrand,andwhenistheentry-levelandmid-rangebrand.Thehigh-endbrandflewustotheirfactoryandworldheadquarterssowehavepersonalexperiencewiththem.

IntheworldofRIPsoftware,mostprintshopmanagersknowwhichisthehighendbrand,whichisgood,andpopular,butnotasindustrial-strengthasthehighendbrand;andwhichisareallygoodentry-levelallthewayintomid-range(Wasatchforexample).TherearealsootherRIPsoftwareswhichcomefromtraditionalsignmaking.ItendtopreferRIPsoftwarethatis100%fromtheworldofwide-format

inkjet.

ButforMISandothersoftware,everytimeabrandgetsreallywellknownandrespected,thenefibuysthemfortheefiVUTEkfamilyofprinters(whichnowincludesMatanandREGGIANI).So(untilIamphysicallyatthedemoroomtobetrained),Ifranklydonotknowthetotalrangeofprosandconsofthebrandsofsoftware

outsideofRIP.IntheworldofRIPsoftware,thetopindustrial-strengthbrandalreadyflewmetotheirworldheadquartersinFrancefortrainingmanyyearsago.

ButatleastwecanmentionthatSGIAhadagoodsampleofsoftwarecompanies,keepinginmindthatefiisasoftwareRIPcompanyandanMIScompanyandaprintermanufacturer:thismeansthateachoftheircomponentslinksandcooperateswellwiththeotherpartsofanefiworkflow(andnowwithanefi

REGGIANIworkflow).

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Scanners

Fifteenyearsago,scannerswereexhibitedatmostsignorprinterexpos.Todayscannersarerarelyexhibited(perhapseverytwoyearsatPhotokina,butnowadaysoftennoteventhere).ThusitwasnicetoseesomehealthylookingscannersatSGIA.

Paradigm scanner booth

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Accessories

BBCisacompanythatIseeeveryyear.IhavebeentotheirfactoryinMissouriandknowtheowner.Inadditiontotheproductswhichtheyexhibitintheirbooth,ifyouneedafactoryintheUSAtomanufactureraccessories,youshouldspeakwithBBC.

BBC screen printing drying booth

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Distributors

Therewere somany trends observablebyanalyzing thedistributor booths at trade showsaroundtheworldthatwehaveaspecialTRENDslevelFLAARReportondistributorsatSGIA.

HerewediscussthebizarresituationofSeikoprinters,whohavebouncedfromonedistributortoanotherandnowgotsoldlock-stock-and-barreltoatonerprintercompany.

Wealsodiscussthedifferencesbetweenanactualdistributorandafactorydistributorandafactorythatfallsonhardtimesandcannolongerhaveitsownboothsojusthasasmalldistributorofferingwhatusedtobeinamajorfactory-brand-focusedbooth.

Inany industrysomebrands rise, somebrands fall (andsomebrandscollapsetotally).Plus,somebrandsputonagoodface(butbehindthescenesthingsareverydifferent).Wewishall brands can be successful, since competing brands help nudge competitors to makebetterproductsandprovidebetterservice.Butoutintherealworldtheactualtrendsareverydifferent.TheriseandfallofseveralbrandswasveryclearlyevidentatSGIA.

Plusaredifferentforeachpartoftheworld(whichiswhywekeeptrackofwhatishappeningat the leading printer expo in theMiddle East (SGI, aka SignMiddle East, Dubai), what ishappeninginTurkey(SignIstanbul,thelongest-runningsignexpointhispartoftheworld)plusFESPAAfricaandespeciallyAPPPEXPO inShanghai (whichhasmorebrandsofmediaandsubstratesthanallotherprinterexposintheworld;samewithUV-curedprinters:morebrandsatAPPPEXPO2015inShanghaithanateveryotherprinterexpoputtogether).ThisiswhyfiveofusfromFLAARReportswillbeflyingtoAPPPEXPO2016intheremarkableandfriendlycityofShanghai.Itiscrucialtoknowwhatishappeningwithinks,media,laminators,cutters,textileprinters,UV-curedprinters,solventprintersandeverythingelseinChina.

Soifyouareadistributor,ormanufacturer(orend-userataprintshop),wearealwaysopentoassistingyoutokeeptrackofwhataretheTRENDsaroundtheworld.

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Trade MagazinesTrademagazinesarehelpfulforkeepingtrackofwhatnewproductshavebeenreleased.

Thebatteryofournewcamera(forusingattradeshows)turnsoutitlastsonlyaboutfourhoursatatradeshow.Soweregretthatwedonothavephotosofallthetrademagazinebooths,buttheextrabatterythatweordered(anover-priced$30)willbewaitinginourUSAofficetouseatITMAtextileexponextweekinMilano.

BelowisalistofthosetrademagazineswhichInoticedatSGIA.AddedtothelistshouldalsobeNMB,whichpublishesfivetrademagazinesandsevenreports.ThemagazineSign&DigitalGraphicsisthebestknown(andoneofthetopthreeprinter&signagemagazinesinNorthAmerica).

Plastics Magazine booth

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Nameofmagazine boothCygnusBusinessMedia 5274DigitalOutputMagazine 5009

NoticiasGranFormatoLatinAmerica 749PlasticsDecoratingMagazine 945

POPSignMagazine 329SignBuilderIllustrated 4845SignIndustry.com 5046SMMediaGroup 5330

SpecialtyGraphicImagingAssn(SGIAhasmagazinealso) 2913STMediaGroupInternational 2653

StitchesMagazine 430UV+EBTechnologyMagazine 945

WearablesMagazine 432

Educator RowEducatorRowwasagoodidea,butnotallboothswereoccupiedtheentiretimebypeopletospeakwithanyonefromtheuniversity.Buthavingbeenaprofessorofwide-formatinkjetprinting(anddigitalphotographyandscanning)atseveraluniversitiesinthepast,Idefinitelyvoteforhavingprofessorsencouragedtoattendprinterexpos.

ThesnagintheUSisthatmostprintingeducationprogramsarescreenprinting,offsetprinting,orflexoprinting,sincethesearethetopicsthattheprofessorsknow.OutsideoftheUKtherearenotmanyuniversitieswhohadin-depthwide-formatcoursesorseminarsonwide-formatinkjetsincetherewerenoprofessorsinthesetopicsintheUSA.

Plus,sincetherewerenoprofessors,notmanyUSstudentsaredoingathesisordissertationonwide-formatinkjet,sotherearenotmanyyoungerinstructorsinthisfieldeither(thisiswhyIwasheadofthesectiononwide-formatinkjetwhereIwasvisitingresearchprofessorinpastyearsattwouniversities,oneinGuatemala,oneinOhio).

ButsinceIspendmuchoftheyearatsignprinter,glassprinter,textileprinter,andceramictileprinterexpos,plustimeinR&Dlabsininkfactories,printerfactories,etc.itistoughformetobeoncampuseverydayduringthesemester.SoIfocusonresearchoutintherealworld.

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Suggestions for a good lightweight camera to use

ForprofessionalphotographyinthepastwehaveusedHasselbladandLeicainthe1960’sthrough1990’s.InthedigitaleramoreHasselblad+PhaseOnemedium

formatbacks.Inthe“filmera”weused4x5”Linhofandalsoan8x10”Linhoff(NationalGeographicpublishedphotosbyNicholasalreadydecadesago).

Buttoshowtheboothsofatradeshow,alightweightportablecameramakesmoresensethanan8x10!

ThenewSonycameraweusehasmuchbetterhandlingofbrightlights.AlltheCanonpoint-and-shootcamerasburn-outtheimageifthereisanybrightlightinthescene(wehavetestedseveraloverthelastseveralyearsandpoint-and-shootCanoncamerasarejunk).WetriedaNikonpoint-and-shootandstoppedusingit

aftertwotestsessions(notworthevenwritingabadreviewaboutit).

DownsidewiththeSonyisnotmuchclose-upzoomcapability.Andthebatterylifeisverylow.

Despitethesetwoweakpoints,the20megapixelSonyDSC-RX100M3isbyfarthebestofthelastthreeyearsofeasilyportablecameras.Wehaveover50yearsexperienceusingphotographicequipment:www.digital-photography.org is our

referenceforcameras,lenses,studiolighting,etc.

ForregularphotographyweuseaCanonEOSwith14mm,17mm,65mm5xmacro,100mmmacro,180mmtele-macro,and300mmprimelens.Butourmaincameraisa36megapixelNikonD810camerawith15mmsuper-wideangle,105mmmacro,200mmtele-macro,400mm,andhopetoacquirea600mmlensforbothbirdandflowerphotographyofGuatemala.Youcanseeourphotographsofplantsand

animalsofNeotropicalCentralAmericaonwww.maya-ethnobotany.orgwww.maya-ethnozoology.org

ForatradeshowitisnotnecessarytobringacamerawhichisasheavyastheseDSLRmodels.

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Booth Design, especially overhead booth logo displays

Ialwaysenjoyseeinginnovativeboothdesigns,especiallyoverheadbranddisplays(hangingfromtheceiling).

WeprovideFLAARReportsongoodboothdesign(andawfulboothdesign).Ifyourcompanyhasafull subscription, toanycategory(Textile reports,UV-curedreports, ink reports,mediareports,etc)thenwecanprovideourtradeshowboothdesignsuggestionsatnoextracost.

Stratojet overhead banner

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Here is an overhead booth logo display that cleverly utilizes both sides of the frame.

Here is an example of an innova-tive booth design (the KIP booth).

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Atlanta as a venue

HotelsinAtlantaaregrosslyoverpriced(though not as awful as hotels inDuesseldorf). We stayed in thecheapest chain hotel we could findand it was TWO HUNDRED DOLLARSANIGHT.TheroomwassosmallIhadtowalksidewayspast theendof thebed. Holiday Inn Express (breakfastwasnotexactlyinspiringeither,butnotastotallyinadequateasotherhotels).Hotels in Shanghai, across from theformer APPPEXPO trade show area,had yummy breakfasts, All you caneat,with hundredsofdelicious foodsto select from. Plus APPPEXPO has200% more printers and about 400%more of all other aspects of wide-formatprintersthananyprinterorsignexpoinNorthAmerica.

Cabfarefromtheairportisquitehigh(consideringthattheairportinAtlantaisnotanexcessivedistanceaway(asistheMilanMalpensaairport)).

ButtheprimaryissuewithAtlantaasavenueisthestreetcrime.Downtownissimplycrimeridden.Everysinglepersonthat I knowwho lives in Atlanta saidthatwalking the streetsofdowntown(fromexpocenterbacktoyourhotel)is not safe (NOT EVEN if youare in agroupofthreetofivepeople).

There is no sense for exhibitors orattendeestohavetoputupwithcrimeatthislevel.

Plus, Atlanta is dull and boring (the Ferris wheel is sadly wimpy compared to the one I rode in Singapore).

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But (trying to think of something positive to say), the skyline was a tad photogenic with two buildings in the background.

Plus the food court of the CNN center had lots of economical options for an evening meal.

Ialwaystrytothinkofsomethingpositive:forAtlantasinceitisahub,itiseasytofind

flightshere.

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A little bit about AtlantaSevenyearshavepassedsincethelasttimeSGIAwasheldinAtlanta,acityfullofhistoryandprosperity,whichhasmanagedtogrowfromtheashes,tobecomeoneofthemostprominentcitiesofGeorgia.

ThehistoryofAtlantadatesbackto1836,whenGeorgiadecidedtobuildarailroadtotheU.S.Midwestanda locationwaschosen tobe the line’s “Terminus”. In1839homesandastorewerebuiltthereandthesettlementgrewanditbecameknownas“Terminus,”literallymeaning“endoftheline”.

In1842the localsaskedthatthesettlementofTerminusbecalledLumpkin,afterGovernorWilsonLumpkin;butgovernorLumpkininsteadaskedthemtonameitafterhisyoungdaughter,andTerminusbecameMarthasville. In1845, thechiefengineerof theGeorgiaRailroad,(J.Edgar Thomson) suggested thatMarthasville be renamed “Atlantica-Pacifica”, whichwasquicklyshortenedto“Atlanta.”

ThetownofAtlantawasincorporatedin1847andin1868;AtlantabecametheGeorgiastatecapital,takingoverfromMilledgeville.

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SGIA as a trade showSGIA has improved significantly in the last several years. Attendance is demonstrably andnoticeablymorethananyothertradeshowinUSAorCanada.

DuringtheyearsthatSGIAroseinpopularity,GraphExpohasfallendramaticallyinsize(numberofexhibits).

SGIA does not clearly statewhether therewere fewer attendees in the unpopular city ofAtlantacomparedwith lastyears in thedefinitelymorepopular LasVegasorOrlando.Butmostexhibitorsestimatedthatlastyeartheremayhavebeenmoreattendees.

AttendancewasexcellentonDayOne;okayonDayTwo;andnoticeablyfewerattendeesmosthoursofDayThree.Butwhatcountsisthattheattendeeswereseriouspotentialbuyers.Andifabranddidwellthefirsttwodays,theslowlastdaywasnottheendoftheworld.

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Well Organized Aspects of SGIA

SeveralFESPAexposhavetotallylackedbusshuttleservice(someFESPAhadnicebusshuttleservicemanypastyearsago).SoSGIAdidbetterthanmostworldexposforbusshuttleservice.

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SGIAevenhadexcellentbusshuttleservicethelastset-upday(daybeforeexpoopens).Itisunprecedentedforotherexpostohaveshuttlesthedaybeforetheexpoevenopens.

Ipreferexercise,soIwalkedbackandforth,butthebusservicedefinitelydocumentsthatSGIAteamdidagoodjobwiththisaspect.

There were actually carpets the full widthof theaisles. Imention this sincePhotokinaalready several years ago stopped usingcarpetsinatleastoneoftheirhalls.By2014Photokinahadevenfewercarpets(afewofthebig-brandhallsstillhadcarpets).

Otherexposhaveonlyacarpetdown themiddleoftheaisle,soameteroneachsideare raw concrete floor (but at least this isbetterthannocarpetatall).

Lack of carpets (showing only the roughconcretefloor)ischeap,shoddy,andtoughon your feetwhenyouhave tohikemanykilometerseverydayoverthesefloors.

SGIA view

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Atlanta Convention Center “Buildings”

Youhadtohikeaboutonekilometer(seemedclosetoamile)togetfromtheoutsideintowheretheexpowasactuallyheldTHREE

FLOORSDOWNINTHEBASEMENT.

Plusitwasconfusingwhytheexpowasinonebuildingandthecheck-in(badgeretrieval)wasinatotallyotherhall(whichwasgreatforexercise,thedistanceofanotherfootballfield,beforehikingtwofootballfieldstotheactualtradeshow

location).

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Ilovehealthyexercisebutthedistancesvergedontheunrealistic.

Expo Hall, was easy to find each aisleA Hall which is round, or odd-shaped (L-shaped especially) is very hard to keep track ofwhataisleiswhere.ThebenefitoftheAtlantaexpocenterwasthateverythingwasin“one”continuoushall(evenifactuallyitwasseveraladjoininghalls).SoitwaseasytokeeptrackofRow1to54(Aisle100to5400).

Manypeoplecomplainedoverthe54halllengthwhichwascausedbynarrownessofthehall,butIhadnoissuesof54halls(althoughIsurehadtohikemanykilometerswhenIhadmeetingsinAisle1700andIwasinHall5100).ButitsureiseasiertohaveeverythinginonecontinuoussystemratherthanhavinganL-shapedall(thesearetheabsoluteworst).

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Exhibitor Director and Maps were nice

SGIA had a nice set of maps and exhibitor lists.

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I always appreciate booths with Teddy Bears or T-shirts

WebringbacktotheofficeTeddyBearsandT-Shirtsforthestaff,thuswedefinitelyappreciateboothswithTeddyBearsorT-shirts.

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