PART I. UV, Textile, Solvent. Wide-Format Inkjet Printers, Sign Istanbul Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers

Transcription

1 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers I November 2017 Wide-Format Inkjet Printers, UV, Textile, Solvent Sign Istanbul 2017 PART I Nicholas Hellmuth & Jose Melgar

2 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers Contents Introduction 1 UV Printers at Sign Istanbul 2 Dilli 2 DTG Digital 4 Docan 5 EFI 8 FLORA 12 Handtop 14 Mimaki 18 Mutoh 22 NovaJet 24 Partner 25 ProDigital 26 Roland 27 TechnoJet 28 Sunjet 29 Yotta 30 Textile Printers 31 Homer 31 EPSON 32 Gongzheng 33 Mimaki 34 MS Printing Solutions 35 MUTOH 36 Partner 37 PrimeJet 38 Refretonic 39 Water-based Printers 40 Latex Printers 40 Solvent Printers 41 Gongzheng 41 Phaeton 42 OKI 43 Partner 45 PrimeJet 47 Refretonic 48 SignStar 49 Taimes 51 ThunderJet 52 WinJet 53 Additional Comments 54

3 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 1 Introduction If you want to learn about the status of the wide-format signage industry in Turkey, Sign Istanbul is a great opportunity to do so. The 2017 edition of this event was a good place to gain experience and to learn interesting aspects of the printer industry in Turkey. Sign Istanbul is the most important signage trade show in Turkey, the junction between Europe and Asia. I have attended several other sign expos in this populated area of the world but frankly since I would become a second Million-Miler airline alliance status if I visited other expos, I prefer to focus on Sign Istanbul because there is plenty to see at this expo. Some of the most important wide-format printer brands were represented in this event. In some cases, the manufacturers themselves had a booth, and in others, the printers were exhibited by their regional distributors. International brands such as HP, Epson, Xerox, EFI, Mutoh, Dilli, Mimaki, OKI, and others exhibited in this year s edition. But several other emerging brands that have gained their place at major tradeshows in Europe, Asia and the United States, were also present at Sign Istanbul The following is a visual summary of the inkjet printers with diverse types of ink: UV, Solvent, Waterbased and Textile. We will cover flatbed cutters, CNC routers, CO2 laser engravers, 3D equipment, inks, media, laminators, traditional sign making equipment in a Part II. Because Sign Istanbul offers so many brands, so many aspects of signage workflow and applications of all kinds, we will be issuing several numbers of FLAAR Reports. The present full-color FLAAR Report covers the wide-format inkjet printers at Sign Istanbul. We already have a FLAAR Report on T-shirt printer brands and booths. When you fly to the beautiful city of Istanbul to attend this event, you also learn about the major distributors in Turkey. Most of these companies are regional distributors. It is always important to be at an expo where the distributors have their own branded booths; this way you meet, in-person, the people you will be interacting with when you buy a printer, ink, substrate, laminator, cutter, or traditional signage equipment. A helpful aspect of Sign Istanbul is that many of these distributor companies also sell in some of the neighboring countries, both in the European side, such as Bulgaria and Greece, and in the Asian side, such as Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Cyprus and Lebanon. But besides the wide-format signage equipment, Sign Istanbul also has a section on 3D technology. Here you find several 3D printer models printing samples of diverse nature and complexity.

4 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 2 Samples of UV-Curing Printers at Sign Istanbul 2017 If we show photos of each and every printer, and each and every brand, the PDF would weigh too many MB and would be hard for us to send, and often hard to download, So we mention and show samples. Dilli The Korean manufacturer of UV-curing inkjet printers is being distributed by ProDigital in Turkey. Among other printers, this company exhibited a Dilli NeoSun HB2504 UV combo printer. Dilli NeoSun HB2504 at ProDigital booth. This is perhaps the most known wide-format UV-curing printer brand made in Korea. FLAAR Reports has visited the factory several times, and have witness the evolution of these models throughout the last 10 years.

5 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 3 If your business prints 100% rigid media, then you need a dedicated flatbed printer. If your business prints mostly flexible (roll) media, then you need a dedicated roll-to-roll UV-curing printer. But if you prefer a versatile printer that lets you print on both rigid and roll media, then you need a combo printer. A combo printer is based on a transport belt that moves media forward as it is being printed on. The advantage of this type of UV-curing printer is that you can print both rigid and roll media. Dilli is a trustworthy brand that puts considerable amount of engineering knowledge into its printers. This model was labeled as a NeoSun, but we would need to double-check, as the official website shows the NeoSun series as dedicated flatbed printers and not combo printers.

6 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 4 DTG Digital This brand of medium and small UV-curing printers is distributed in Turkey by TTS Digital. DTG Digital is a brand that has gained reputation as a t-shirt printer manufacturer. Their UV-curing printers are a different brand, Compress. We show their T-shirt printers in our FLAAR Reports on T-shirt printers at Sign Istanbul The company behind the T-shirt printers and the Compress UV-curing printers is Impression Technology, which is based in Sidney, Australia, but has manufacturing plants in Singapore and Japan. The Compress UV printers specialize in small applications, such as souvenirs, smartphone cases, keychains, etc.

7 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 5 Docan This Chinese brand was prominently exhibited by PASS, the Turkish distributor. By coincidence, STR Dijital, the other distributor of this brand was exhibiting across PASS booth. So you could see Docan printers on both sides of the main aisle. Above, the Docan FRT3116 UV printer is a dual structure, meaning it can print on both rigid boards and roll media. The Docan H3000 shown below is a dedicated flatbed printer (only for rigid media).

8 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 6 This is the Docan S3200, a 3.2 meter wide Roll-to-Roll UV-curing printer.

9 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 7 We have not been flown to the Docan factory but it would be nice to see their headquarters and demo room since they are seeking to become known worldwide. This baby flatbed is the Docan UV1212 exhibited by STR Dijital, just across the booth of Pass. Ironically, the nice technicians at PASS gave me all the information about this model, since the local staff at STR Dijital did not speak English.

10 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 8 EFI Two EFI printers were exhibited by the company s local distributor, LiDYA: The production beast EFI VUTEk GS3250 LX Pro, and the entry-level EFI H1625 LED UV combo printer. LiDYA is a major distributor which also exhibits other international brands in their booth each year. The EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro was printing different samples to show the nice color gamut. The printer was particularly printing nice skin tones, reds and purples.

11 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 9 A front view of the EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro comes with LED UV-curing lamps. The front table is one of the many accessories you can order to reduce production times. Below, another print sample showing the color gamut.

12 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 10 The EFI H1625 LED printer belongs to the entry-level range of EFI printers. This model has two versions, the first comes with four ink colors (CMYK). The other, comes with four colors plus two channels for white. This model can print up to 64 (162.6 cm) wide. We have evaluated several EFI models, both at the factory and at recent tradeshows. When we visit the factory we are able to write a more comprehensive report, covering a diverse range of topics, from installation, requirements, types of media, best colors, etc. We also write evaluations at tradeshows, which are meant to give our readers a sneak peek of the most relevant features of a printer. FLAAR Reports recently visited the EFI Matan headquarters in Israel to write an evaluation of the EFI VUTEk 3r roll-to-roll UV printer. It will be available soon for free.

13 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 11 The EFI H1625 LED attracted several interested visitors at different hours. This UV-curing printer is based on a transport belt, which means it lets you print on both rigid boards (as the sample you see at left) and flexible media. Some manufacturers call this type of printer as a hybrid, I have also heard some people calling it a moving flatbed. The lack of an industry standard is what led FLAAR Reports to work on a classification of wide-format UV-curing printers by structure. The report you will find in this link is a classification of printers by their media feeding system. In our classification, this is a combo printer: it allows you to print on rigid and roll media.

14 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 12 FLORA There were three FLORA printers exhibited by Fleksmedia, the distributor in Turkey. The printer shown below is the FLORA P2512UV, a dedicated flatbed printer. Flora is one of the serious Chinese printer manufacturers that have been consistent in their quality, which has made them gain a space in the competitive North American and European markets.

15 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 13 The FLORA XTRA 5000 is the company s 5-meter roll-to-roll UV printer. The printer looks sturdy. I would only point out that the UV lamps still need some shielding, as the flash of the lamps can damage the eyes of the operator who works on this printer on a daily basis.

16 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 14 Handtop Handtop is one of the thriving Chinese brands that have gained a place in European markets. FLAAR Reports began following the track of this brand about 7 or 8 years ago in its first appearances in Chinese tradeshows. However we have not yet been to the Handtop factory in China. These two images show the Handtop HT1600 UV, a small UV-curing combo printer. As you can see, this model was printing on roll media.

17 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 15 The Handtop HT2512 shown in these images is a 2.5 dedicated flatbed UV-curing printer. All of these Handtop models are distributed by PiMMS, the former Mimaki distributor.

18 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 16 This is the Handtop HT3200 HR is a 3.2-meter combo printer, also printing on roll media. We share printhead information and other technical details in our TRENDs report.

19 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 17 Above, the Handtop HT3200 HR UV-curing combo printer. Below, the HT3200 HK version. These two are in escence the same printer, but with different printhead brand. ViraDijital is the other Handtop distributor. When a manufacturer proves to build quality wide-format printers at a competitive price, it increases the chance of having more than one distributor in Turkey.

20 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 18 Mimaki Mimaki is a special case because it was about the only printer manufacturer exhibiting by itself. In other words, Mimaki was not exhibiting through a distributor. In previous years Mimaki was being distributed by PiMMS, but that distribution agreement was recently ceased. As mentioned before, PiMMS is now focusing on Handtop printers. But Mimaki had quite a strong presence not only in its booth: several Mimaki models were exhibited by other distributors. Mimaki was the only printer manufacturer that had its own booth. Here you could find UV-curing printers, textile printers, solvent printers and event 3D printers.

21 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 19 Mimaki JFX , a dedicated flatbed UV-curing printer. This printer was producing nice red colors.

22 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 20 This Mimaki SIJ-320UV is a dedicated Roll-to-Roll printer. This smaller roll-to-roll UV printer is the Mimaki UCJV Unlike the bigger SIJ-320UV, this model comes with LED lamps.

23 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 21 Mimaki UJF-7151 Plus, a mid-sized UV-curing flatbed printer for small applications. There were at least three models of the Mimaki UJF-3042 UV printer. This is a desktop-sized model that prints specialties. This model exhibited by ProColor (another distributor) had a special fixture to print on cylindrical objects, such as bottles.

24 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 22 Mutoh After several attempts of creating UV-curing printer projects, Mutoh has made a comeback with several specialty UV printer models. In spite of being a brand better known for its solvent printers, these small specialty UV-curing models were exhibited by at least three distributors. This is the Mutoh ValueJet 426UF, a desktop-sized UV printer for specialties. This model exhibited by Folpa was printing on ballpoint pens.

25 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 23 Mutoh, Mimaki and Gongzheng are the UV-curing printer brands with more distributors in Turkey. These desktop-size models were exhibited by three or four distributors. This Mutoh VJ 1638UH was exhibited by STR Dijital, but it was printing only perhaps 25% of the time during Sign Istanbul Time and time again we have discussed how this type of structure is not adequate for a UV printer: It doesn t handle rigid boards properly.

26 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 24 NovaJet SAATCIOĞLU is the distributor of several wide-format printer brands, one of them being the NovaJet UV printers. This company is particularly interesting because it sells printers in different price ranges: the Challenger and NovaJet would be in the entry-level range, MUTOH is a mid-range brand, and durst is a high-end printer brand. The NovaJet UV printers are a secondary brand of Chinese manufacturer Docan. Some manufacturers in China have different brands for different markets. For example, JHF is the manufacturer of the Vista and the Leopard brands. In most cases, the printers use the same chassis, but their components are different to appeal more competitive markets. JHF is a brand that has exhibited in European shows. On the other hand, the Vista and Leopard printers are targeted to the local market (Chinese market).

27 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 25 Partner Exhibited by Istanbul Reklam Urunleri, this Partner MegaJet 5m was one of the few 5-meter roll-to-roll UV-curing printers at Sign Istanbul We appreciate the hospitality of the owner and his family in the booth of Istanbul Reklam Urunleri. We will have a separate FLAAR Report showing the print samples they kindly did for us. The sales managers at Istanbul Reklam Urunleri mentioned this printer was manufactured in Turkey. We provide information on every brand and every model in our TRENDs report.

28 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 26 ProDigital ProDigital is the name of one of the distributors of this printer. This is one of those cases where the distributor names the printer with its own brand name, altough it is clear who the original manufacturer is. We respect the distributor s choice to have their own brand name. The ProDigital ProPrintUV is a 3.2-meter wide UV-curing combo printer that was producing nice colors and an interesting raised relief effect.

29 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 27 Roland Roland printers were exhibited through a couple of distributors: ProMakim and ILHAN Digital. Both companies exhibited desktop sized UV-curing printers for specialties. Roland VersaUV LEF-300 a desktop-sized UV-curing printer exhibited by ProMakim, one of the Turkish distributors.

30 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 28 TechnoJet The TechnoJet 3204 R UV is a 3.2-meter wide roll-to-roll printer exhibited by PiMMS. The colors produced by this printer were vibrant, and also natural. In our TRENDs report we discuss about the manufacturing company that puts together this interesting printer. The helpful team at PiMMS did test printing for us; we will show the results in a separate report. The TechnoJet 3204R UV printer was exhibited by PiMMS. But there were other two manufacturers exhibiting printers that looked alike, although not the same structure. PiMMS had a clear focus on Handtop printers, but TechnoJet was placed in the center. When you entered the main exhibition hall, this TechnoJet was the first machine you saw.

31 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 29 Sunjet The Sunjet models are a series of small to medium UV-curing flatbed printers made in China. The manufacturer sells these printers with other name in China. We will discuss all this in our TRENDs report. The Sunjet printers are exhibited by a company called GFK Dijital, a company that also sells the PolyJet textile printers.

32 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 30 Yotta Yotta is a secondary brand of these printers that are manufactured by the same consortium in China. These models were exhibited here at Sign Istanbul by a company called Olbia. As you can see, these printers are very similar to one of the printers exhibited by ProDigital. Although these models are sold by different companies, all of them are sourced by the main distributor, PiMMS.

33 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 31 Textile Printers at Sign Istanbul 2017 Sign Istanbul 2017 was also a good opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the dynamic textile printing industry in Turkey and neighboring countries. Especially because Turkey has a rich tradition in the manufacturing of several types of fabric. A recent study found at least 600 variations of fabric being produced in the country. More than a product, textiles in Turkey are a means of cultural expression. And because its geographical location, Turkey has always been an important hub of textile trade, linking the East to the West. Homer Homer is the textile brand of Hanglory Group, a Chinese consortium that also manufactures the Handtop UV printers. The model exhibited at PiMMS was printing on transfer paper. Homer HM1800P textile printer, in the booth of PiMMS.

34 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 32 EPSON EPSON is one of the main Japanese brands, though most of its printers are now manufactured in China. Since EPSON is an active brand, you can understand that they have several distributors in each country. Although this EPSON SureColor F6200 is similar to other EPSON printers for high-quality photography, it has been rewired to handle dye sublimation inks (used to print on transfer paper).

35 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 33 Gongzheng The Gongzheng GZS3202 was one of the few textile printers that had a calendering system to finish the printed media. In other words, most other textile printers did not show a realistic workflow. Derek Chang, Gongzheng Senior Assistant of the International Marketing Director, is present literally at most major printer expos around the world. We say hello to each other literally around the planet every year. The GZS3202 is distributed by ProDigital, a company that had two booths at Sign Istanbul But Gongzheng as a brand is distributed by several companies in Turkey.

36 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 34 Mimaki As mentioned earlier, Mimaki was the only printer brand that exhibited by itself and not through a distributor. However, Mimaki was also one of the printer brands with more distributors. You could count at least 4 to 5 distributors in Sign Istanbul. Cushions were some of the textile applications exhibited by Mimaki in their booth. Below, the Mimaki TS300P-1800 textile printer printing on transfer paper.

37 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 35 MS Printing Solutions MS Printing Solutions exhibited its MS JP4 textile printer, one of the biggest textile printers in the show. It is always notable that printer brands featuring transfer paper almost never show the rest of what you need: calendering system equipment. In spite of having a big exhibition space, the MS Printing Solutions booth showed only one textile printer.

38 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 36 MUTOH I was surprised by the quantity of MUTOH distributors at Sign Istanbul You could find MUTOH textile printers in the booths of ProDigital, Folpa, STR Dijital, and it is easy to imagine these are not the only distributors in the country. All of the textile MUTOH printers exhibited at Sign Istanbul were printing on transfer paper. I don t remember seeing one printing directly onto textiles.

39 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 37 Partner The Partner XL 5190R was one of the few (if not the only) textile printer that was printing directly on actual fabric. In other words, most other textile printers exhibited at Sign Istanbul 2017 were printing on transfer paper. This Chinese printer brand is distributed by a company called Istanbul Reklam Urünleri, which had one of the biggest exhibition spaces in the show, considering it used to booths.

40 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 38 PrimeJet Karatepe is the distributor of the PrimeJet printers, in Turkey and by what you could see in their booth, textile printers seems to be a great focus for the company. Above, the PrimeJet H2 TS180. At right, the PrimeJet H4 TS320 textile printer. Both printers were printing on transfer paper. Both models use the same printhead brand

41 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 39 Refretonic The Refretonic textile printer was exhibited by STEP, a company that also had solvent printers from the same brand. Similar to other cases, the Refretonic TX 3200 was not printing all of the time, but did show samples of the finished product (although only a few printers had a fixation unit to complete the workflow at the show).

42 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 40 Water-based Printers at Sign Istanbul 2017 Textile inks are all water-based. Printers for photographers are water-based (though I now print my own photos with UV-curing, textile, or solvent ink printers). HP and Epson are among the few brands that still offer a few water-based printers, including for GIS and CAD. Since my family background is architecture, I have kept track of printers for GIS and CAD. But sign expos tend to have more printers for signage. Latex Printers at Sign Istanbul 2017 HP has put so much effort into their latex printer concept that they continue to do well with this innovative ink. So far no other brand has been able to achieve noticeable market share. HP Latex 3200 printer at MatKagit booth.

43 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 41 Solvent Printers at Sign Istanbul 2017 Gongzheng Gongzheng is a brand you could see in several booths. This Gongzheng solvent printer was exhibited in the HKN booth, a company that also sells Roland printers. Gongzheng GZM 3204 solvent printer.

44 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 42 Phaeton The Phaeton solvent printers are a secondary brand under the Fei Yeung Union, a Chinese conglomerate that manufactures several wideformat printer brands, like the Infiniti and Challenger. Usually these printers are rebranded and sold by other companies in China. Here, the Phaeton printers exhibited at Iksir Medya, a distributor company that also sells ink and media. Phaeton 1.6m solvent printer at Iksir Medya.

45 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 43 OKI The OKI ColorPainter solvent printers were producing really nice print samples. The company had a prominent place next to the main entrance.

46 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 44 Both the design and the color saturation achieved by these printers were impressive. The OKI printers had perhaps the most vibrant print samples of all the show.

47 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 45 Partner This brand is distributed by Istanbul Reklam Ürünleri, a company whose main focus is solvent printers, but also has several textile printers, and UV-curing printers. As you can see in this page and the next one, the distributor of the Partner printers has a strong focus on solvent printers.

48 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 46 The previous page showed the 1.6 meter wide solvent printers. In this page, you can see Partner s 3.2 meter solvent models. These models are branded with the heads they use. So in the distributor s website, you will find them as Partner Konica and Partner Epson.

49 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 47 PrimeJet Karatepe, the distributor company of the PrimeJet printers had solvent and textile models. Karatepe has a solid background in industrial equipment. Besides the wide-format inkjet printer, they also sell CNC routers, ink and other secundary equipment for their printers. Besides the PrimeJet printers, Karatepe is also distributor of inkjet ink, CNC flatbed routers, industrial equipment, etc. The brand featured in the booth, MOS, is a reseller for Chinese solvent and textile printers, but it is not clear what is the relationship between Karatepe and MOS, or what products rebranded as MOS are distirbuted by the Turkish company.

50 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 48 Refretonic These Refretonic printers were exhibited by STEP. Since this is a printer brand we didn t see at any other booth, we assume STEP is the primary distributor in Turkey. As is usual in entry-level inkjet printers and prototypes, these Refretonic solvent printers were not labeled by model.

51 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 49 SignStar Elmas Reklam Ürünleri is the distributor of the SignStar printers. However, if you go to Elmas website, the SignStar printers are sold as Elmas printers. SignStar 3.2-meter solvent printer (above) and 1.6-meter printer (left). Although in theory Elmas rebrands these printers, the models exhibited at Sign Istanbul showed the original brand quite prominently.

52 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 50 Hidratek is another distributor of the SignStar solvent printers. The black model is a SignStar SJ-1902E, an eco-solvent printer that is rebranded by Hidratek as the PlusTech. Unfortunately, the SignStar solvent and eco-solvent printers exhibited by Hidratek were not printing most of the time. So neither we nor the tradeshow attendees (potential buyers) could judge the quality of these models.

53 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 51 Taimes This is the Taimes T5 solvent printer. This brand is manufactured by a Chinese company called Loly Digital Printing Machine, a printer manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou. The Taimes solvent printers are being distributed in Turkey by Yimaksan, a company that handles other products, such as CNC flatbed routers, media and ink.

54 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 52 ThunderJet The ThunderJet printers are manufactured by Gongzheng and sold by ProDigital, the distributor of other major brands such as Mutoh and Dilli. As you can see, in fact the chassis is very similar to the Mutoh printers. Above, the ThunderJet C16012 solvent printer, which looks very similar to the Mutoh printers. At left, another ThunderJet solvent printer which is in beta stage.

55 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 53 WinJet These WinJet solvent printers are manufactured by Universal, a company that belongs to a larger corporation called Fei-Yeung Union. These models are sold as the WinJet Galaxy, but also under the Phaeton brand. If you visit a tradeshow in China, odds are you will find these same printers under a different brand. In Turkey, the WinJet printers are being distributed by Iksir Medya.

56 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 54 Additional Comments Sign Istanbul has enough halls and lots of healthy distributors booths with plenty of brands to keep two of us busy every day. We appreciate the hospitality of the distributors at Sign Istanbul. Because we have to type up our notes and catalog our photos at night, we very rarely attend the night dinner functions of the distributors. But I must admit that the PiMMS party that we did attend was worthwhile for several reasons: first, we met key people in the industry (sat next to a capable individual with decades of experience with Ricoh). And also notable, the Turkish tradition of local music and dancing after the meal is great to experience. We thank Selahattin Aygüler for the invitation. Our team at FLAAR Reports are flown around the world to visit and write about expos. Sign Istanbul last year was the absolute favorite expo of Senaida Ba, who attended Tecnargilla in Italy, Glasstec in Duesseldorf, and Sign Istanbul. She said that the hospitality of the booth personnel at Sign Istanbul she will always remember. This week Senaida Ba and two others of FLAAR are at FIL, Guadalajara, Mexico, one of the three largest book fairs in the world. This year Jose Melgar was the co-author of Sign Istanbul 2017 reports. The reason two of the FLAAR Reports staff are essential is because there are so many brands and diverse kinds of signage equipment that it really helps to have two of us. Selahattin Aygüler, Board Director of PiMMS. We also appreciate the hospitality of the experienced organizers IFO and the owners (Tarsus). There were lots of people from Tarsus at this event: Andrew Furness, Business Development at Tarsus Group UK Michael Hodge, Sales Director at Tarsus Group Tina Mandla, Marketing Manager at Tarsus Group Bazil Cassim, Event Manager at Tarsus Group office in Dubai. This year Sign Istanbul was during the precise same days and exact same halls in the same expo center as PrintTek. PrintTek is organized by completely different company but it was great to have these two expos alongside each other. I hope that other expos around the world will co-locate with each other in order to attract more visitors and to attract more exhibitors. PrintTek had lots of short-run digital presses, many toner printers, and office printers (copiers, etc.). We look forward to seeing the toner printer brands at Sign Istanbul 2018.

57 Sign Istanbul 2017, Diversity of Wide-Format Inkjet Printers 55 FREE FLAAR Reports on Wide-Format Priners These are some of the reports and publications on wide-format inkjet printers, inks, and related equipment. FLAAR Reports has issued these reports and are available for you to download for free. Click or tap on each cover to go to download it. FLAAR Reports is one of the few organizations in the world that attends so many diverse trade shows in so many countries. In past years I actually attended even more (traveling close to a quarter of a million kilometers in some years). But we ceased attending all VISCOM events since FESPA in Germany had so much more to offer. But still, it is helpful to attend the leading expo in your home country so you can meet your colleagues and get to know all your local distributors. We recommend that print shop owners should visit a bare minimum of two printer expos each year: their local expo in their home country and one expo in China (the largest is APPPEXPO in Shanghai in March every year). Distributors will tend to visit more expos, adding the large multi-national expos. For example, we see PiMMS owner Selahattin Aygüler at expos in many countries every year. Manufacturers will visit even more expos; I will mention again that Gongzheng has Derek Chang, Senior Assistant of the CMO at lots and lots and lots of expos.