UV-Curable Ink Flatbed printers in 2010
More and more print shops switch from water- based ink to UV-cured especially, since VUTEk, EFI Rastek, WP Digital, GRAPO, Dilli and others have a full range of UV-curable flatbed, hybrid, and combo moving transport belt roll-to-roll UV printers.
Over the last six years FLAAR has become the de-facto resource for factual information on the pros and cons of UV-curable flatbed printers. FLAAR is presently a consultant to UV printer manufacturers around the world. Because we know their products well, we can also assist end-users (printshop owners and managers) to understand which brand and which models are good for specific applications (and which UV printers are not ideal, and why).
But even more helpful in 2010, we can provide tips on what new ink technologies are available today since there may be things that a water-based resin ink can achieve that is lower cost than UV-cured, less heat and less electricity than HP latex ink, and less VOCs and toxic odor of solvent ink. For consulting, just download the consulting PDFs.
If you are a printer manufacturer, ink (and ink chemical) manufacturer, media or substrate manufacturer, coating, laminating, color management, or cutter equipment manufacturer: FLAAR is probably already a consultant for your competitor so you might want to find out what you are missing.
End-users (printshop owners, managers, printer operators) can just download the consulting PDFs ; for manufacturers, write info@FLAAR.org, explain who you are and what you are looking for in consulting. We can sign an NDA but we still need to know what aspect of the inks, coatings, resins, media, substrates, electronics, motors, metals, printheads, or other part of equipment, software or chemisty that you wish consulting on. We do not accept all projects; we mainly work with companies that are interesting and have innovative products and ideas.
• Whichink will replace all forms of solvent ink?
• Which ink will replace latex resin ink?
• Which ink will replace UV-cured ink?
• Which ink will replace water-based ink that we know today?
These new-ink chemistries are the subjects that Nicholas and FLAAR are working on this summer. There are four ink contenders (unfortunately none of them are Staedtler Lumocolor ink; that impressive ink failed utterly in the world of wide-format reality for reasons other than its ink chemistry).
FLAAR was at the main office and demo room of one of the four inks already last year. FLAAR had two day inspection May 18+19 with the other leading contender: a remarkable ink.
Two more inks remain for us to inspect. If it is not realistic to visit these other ink companies, then FESPA this summer, then we will skip them and concentrate on the inks we know best from being able to inspect the others in-person.
Since the FLAAR Reports are read by over one million people a year in 127 countries, and are read by many printhead manufacturers and printer manufacturers, we understand why the ink companies invite us to inspect their inks (under NDA in most cases).
There are 45 manufacturers of printers featuring UV-cured ink. Already three of them are checking out one or more of these four new inks. So 2010-2011 will be an exciting year. FLAAR is firmly committed to UV-cured inks (FLAAR Reports are the de facto yardstick that measures pros and cons of each brand). But we are also looking forward, now, already, to DRUPA 2012. There will be as many printers with non-UV ink at DRUPA 2012 as there were UV printers at DRUPA 2000. |
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We cover UV-cured flatbed printers primarily on our sister site, Large-format-printers.org. We gathered information at DRUPA, Photokina, SGIA, ISA, FESPA, VISCOM, and GraphExpo trade shows over a seven-year period.
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With hundreds of Chinese companies offering media, substrates, inks, and printers, how can you begin to know which products and which companies to trust?
FLAAR has been evaluating Chinese companies now for four years. If you wish to profit from the experience of Dr Nicholas Hellmuth in China, you can arrange a consulting session with Nicholas at the Shanghai event. Just be sure to download the consulting-in-China PDF and then make an appointment.
If you are a distributor in Europe, Asia, North America or Latin America, and also if you are an end-user, it is beneficial to learn from the experience gained by FLAAR. But appointments must be made in advance.
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An example of what's new in 2010
Every ink type is good for some applications but can't print on other substances. The first ink that can print on “everything” was UV-cured (began to be known in 2000, became popular by 2004, and today in 2010 is the fastest growing wide-format printer industry.
But, this ink requires expensive curing lamps. And UV ink works best in expensive printheads (that cost about $3,000, per individual printhead). In comparison, the wholesale value of an Epson head is probably less than $300!
So ink company after ink company has tried to produce an ink that is as useful as UV-cured but does not have the downsides. Staedtler Lumocolor, Eastech Magic ink, Kiian Manoukian, and now Jetbest, have each attempted to create a universally applicable ink.
FLAAR Reports are available on the first two inks and are in preparation on the last two inks.
Then HP spent millions of dollars to develop their so-called latex ink. FLAAR has spent two years learning about this ink and our FLAAR Reports are now available.
Then a company in Austria revealed that they have been discretely creating an even more innovative new ink, named Sepiax AquaRes, a resin water-based ink. FLAAR spent about 16 months researching this ink and our report came out a few months ago.
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Here are some samples of transfer with Sepiax ink for ceramics. |
Not only does this remarkable ink “print on anything and everything” it turns out that it can be “sublimated” onto coffee mugs (though it is not originally designed to be a dye sub or disperse dye ink: it is pigmented and is made to cure without heat transfer. Nonetheless, the resin chemistry is so adapatable that it can also be transferred to coffee mugs!
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| FLAAR evaluates more than just wide-format printers: our institute evaluates inks, media, flatbed cutters, and color management tools. As a result of our increasing coverage, this web site is read by more than one million people this year. |
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Eco-Solvent Printers, Mild-Solvent Printers
We cover these Mutoh, Mimaki, Roland, and Seiko ColorPainter printers primarily on our sister site, Large-format-printers.org. We bring information on eco-solvent printers from ISA and other signage trade shows. We have three new titles on the Roland SolJet, based on three different site-visit case studies. We also cover Mutoh, HP 9000s, HP 8000s, and all the mild-solvent printers too (pros and cons with warnings about misleading advertising claims). We are updating our coverage of the Mutoh Toucan LT and its hybrid flatbed also.
You can select lots of free publications by filling out the Survey Form.
Or if you prefer to get reports without having to fill out a form, you can buy all the FLAAR Reports form Wide-format-printers.NET.
Worldwide sales of eco-solvent-ink printers in the $20K to $30K range were booming. Every week FLAAR receives requests from readers who want us to recommend which mild solvent ink printer they should consider. We cover these printers primarily on our sister site, Large-format-printers.org.
However since we at FLAAR are professional photographers, come from an architectural background, and are dedicated to fine art giclee, we ourselves still have a deep interest in the new generations of water-based printers. So we find the new aqueous-based resin ink chemisty exciting. However even with the advent of Sepiax resin water-based inks, there are still printshops for whom a Seiko ColorPainter, Mutoh, Mimaki, or Roland solvent printer are a valid option to look at.
What about a used printer?
If you are considering a used printer, better first get our buyer advisories for used printers (in our “Survival Series”). Because so many printers are sold on eBay, we do not erase our reviews of printers fromf past years.
Site visit case studies are the best way to learn about a printer
To avoid a sham review that overfill the Internet, FLAAR visits actual printshops in order to learn the truth about the pros and cons of a printer. So already Nicholas and one of the Technical Writers of the FLAAR staff have been inspecting a printshop with an Epson GS6000 and two HP Designjet Z6100 printers.
If you want a Success Story paid for by a PR agency, we can suggest all the other web sites where you can find that kind of entertaining pseudo-reviews.
There are hundreds of web sites with other sham reviews and pseudo-reviews. Their main purpose is to spam the search engines and then get you to buy from their sponsors.
But if you want to know the actual factual pros and cons of HP latex ink, of Epson eco-solvent ink, and of Sepiax resin ink, we publish what these inks (and printers) do well, what they can't do at all, and where they need to be improved.
If your interests in water-based inkjet printers relate to giclee, décor, fine art photography and/or commercial photography, check out our separate web sites and FLAAR Reports on giclee, décor, and fine art photography.
We cover giclee and fine art photography, and printers, on two websites, FineArtGicleePrinters.org and Digital-photography.org. Our evaluation reports on the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 and Epson 7900 are now available, free to everyone who fills out the Survey Form. You can also obtain our FLAAR Reports evaluations on the HP Designjet Z3200, HP Z3100 and HP Z2100.
FLAAR was at ArtExpo 2010 in New York, and then at ISA sign expo in Orlando. Earlier you could have caught him at Sign & Graphics expo in Dubai, UAE.
Site visit case studies are the best way to learn about a printer
To avoid a sham review and to avoid the pseudo-reviews that overfill the Internet, FLAAR visits actual printshops in order to learn the truth about the pros and cons of a printer. So in recently Nicholas and one of the Technical Writers of the FLAAR staff was inspecting a printshop with an Epson GS6000 and two HP Designjet Z6100 printers.
Recently FLAAR was in Singapore to inspect water-based after-market inks for the HP Designjet Z6100, HP 5000, HP 5500. Our reports will be out by later this May.
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Nicholas Hellmuth inspecting a HP Z6100 at SAM Ink factory visit in Singapore. |
If you want a Success Story paid for by a PR agency, we can suggest all the other web sites where you can find that kind of entertaining pseudo-reviews. But if you want to know the actual factual pros and cons of latex ink, of Epson eco-solvent ink, and of Sepiax ink, we publish what these inks (and printers) do well, what they can't do at all, and where they need to be improved.
Printers for CAD, GIS, 3-D renderings, etc.
FLAAR has a background in architecture, indeed many of the Hellmuth family are architects (HOK is one firm with several Hellmuths; Hellmuth + Bicknesse is another Hellmuth architecture company (brother of Nicholas). Nicholas studied architecture at Harvard and did research in architectural history for many decades in the Maya area of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. So it is not surprising that FLAAR also evaluates printers for CAD, GIS, and 3D renderings. Indeed one of our sponsors is IB-ProCADD in Slovenia. They concentrate on Canon iPF printers and Wasatch RIP software.
Even Mutoh is now trying to produce a CAD printer: their Mutoh DrafStation RJ-900 and RJ-901. Canon is trying with their new imagePROGRAF iPF 600. HP had earlier come out with their Designjet 4500 to quickly replace the Designjet 4000.
Wide-Format Inkjet printing on Textiles & Fabrics
Both for interior design as well as for clothing, FLAAR evaluates inkjet inks for printing on textiles, as well as RIP software for textile printing, and selection of printers. You can hire Dr Hellmuth as a consultant on most aspects of textile printing, including for soft signage. However we do not handle T-shirt printing.
We offer tips, help, and information for people of all levels, and all interests
Many people indicate they are new to digital wide format printing and would like assistance in figuring out which are perhaps somewhat exaggerated advertising claims. We offer practical help based on actual inspection of wide format printers in action in graphics studios, design shops, and repro shops. We can help ascertain which printer is optimal for doing signs, posters, banners, courtroom graphics, displays, or, which other printers are for fine art prints, museum exhibits, giclee prints, limited editions etc.
Bring Nicholas Hellmuth to your printshop as a consultant
Professor Hellmuth is available on a professional consulting basis at your print shop anywhere in the world. We are tri-lingual: Deutsch, español, and naturally English.
If you wish to hire Dr Hellmuth as a consultant, indicate your needs by writing to ReaderService@FLAAR.org.
We consult on UV-curable ink flatbed printers, solvent and eco-solvent ink printers, giclee, inks, media and materials, textile printing, printing for décor and interior decoration, color management, scanning, and digital photography.
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We have added a new site to FLAAR network: 3d-scanners-3d-software- reviews.org, where you find reviews and evaluations on reliable 3d laser equipment, laser scanners, both handheld and portable scanner, digitizer, for creating 3d models, 3d modeling, with reviews of 3d modeling software, metrology, including for reverse engineering, prototyping: the whole world of virtual 3d. |
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Most recently updated August 20, 2010. Previously updated Sep. 10, 2002; updated May 15, 2003; updated Feb 16, 2003, updated May 21, 2003, updated August 29 2003, Dec. 17 2003, January 4, 2004, July 6, 2004, October 26, 2004, January 28, 2005, Feb. 17, 2005, March 3, 2005, September 6, 2005, January 4, 2006, March 17, 2006, April 10, 2006, July 5, 2006. Interior pages updated throughout 2007. Updated Feb. 4, 2008, January 27, 2009, June 1, 2009. April 23, 2010, May 24, 2010.
A to Z Index>>
- billboard-sized super
large format digital printers
-
-
CAD,
large format printers for architectural drawings, engineering drawings,
GIS, aerial maps, photos
-
- ColorWings, textile
printer
-
- cutters,
as in vinyl
cutters (large format printers that also cut along the outline
of the design to make signs).
- DigiFab StampaJet
- Durst
Lambda, large
format digital photo printer (see also Cymbolic Sciences LightJet)
-
Durst Rho,
a $160,000+ solvent ink printer for thick and rigid materials
-
- Dye-Sublimation
Textile Printers
-
Encad
wide format, 24
inch, Chroma
24
- Encad
36 inch NovaJetPro Encad 50 inch NovaJetPro
50
- Encad
NovaJetPro 500,
505, Nova Xsell
- Encad
NovaJet 600
PROe, 630, 700
- Encad
NovaJet 736
- Encad
NovaJet 750
- Encad
NovaJet 850,
eight colors
- Encad NovaJet 1000i
- Encad
NovaJet Xerox 8142, 8160
- Kodak 1200i
- Encad CAD
plotters for architects and engineers
- Encad
NovaJet 736 includes a basic RIP, review
- Encad NovaJet
880 offers features not available on any other printer
- specific
plotters for CAD, Encad CadJet2, Encad CadJet 3
-
- Epson
wide format color inkjet printers
-
-
- Gerber
Orion, solvent-based ink printer
-
Giclee large format Fine Arts printers,
-
GIS,
large format plotters for CAD, aerial maps, and comparable needs.
- Graphtec, SignJetPro,
color inkjet plotter-cutters
-
- Hewlett-Packard
wide format printers
- HP Z3200
- HP Z2100, Z3100
- HP Z6100
- HP 130nr HP 30n
- HP 3000, 3500, 3800
- HP 500, 500ps Designjet
- HP 4000
- HP 4000ps
- HP 4500
- HP 5500
- HP 430, 450
- HP 90
- HP 800, 800ps
- HP 750c
- HP 500, 500ps
- HP 5000ps, 5000
- HP 2800, 3800
- HP 1050, 1055
- check
out the quality possible from the HP DesignJet 2800CP
- HP
DesignJet copier cc800ps, HP DesignJet 815mfp, wide format scan
to print
- HP
DesignJet 5500
-
Home,
www.wide-format-printers.org
- Ink, Latex (HP printing technologies)
-
inks,
pigmented and dye based; inks for wide format inkjet printers (Van
Son now makes inks for wide format)
-
- LED
photo printers and sophisticated wide format digital printers using
comparable technology for continuous tone photos
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Maya
jade, printed on ColorSpan HiRes 8 color
printer
-
-
-
media
for wide format (photo paper in rolls for wide format ink jet
printers)
- complete
list of every kind of media that can possibly fit through
an inkjet printer
- Rexam
Image Products (formerly Rexam Graphics), media for all kinds
of inkjet printers.
-
Mimaki wide format piezo-electric inkjet printers (also DicoJet inks with
Mimaki printers)
- Mimaki JF0604,
JF1218, new small flatbed printer for thick and rigid materials
- Mimaki
vinyl cutters (upcoming)
-
Mutoh wide format piezo-electric inkjet printers, OEMed as Mutoh Falcon,
Tektronix 600,
- Oce inkjet
printers
-
-
- piezo-electric
printheads (Epson, Mutoh, Mimaki, Roland) vs thermal printheads
(ColorSpan, HP, Encad)
- plotters,
color plotters for CAD (Computer Aided Design, large format color plotters)
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Printing,
where you can have your signs, posters, banners, or billboards printed
- RIP
(see PostScript RIP)
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-
- Seiko Color Textiler 64DS, oil-based dye sublimation first reviews
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-
Solvent
ink printers (and printers using oil-based inks) for outdoor use without lamination
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Spectrum,
an unusual upright large format printer from Alpha Merics
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-
Stork,
an international company specializing in commercial printers for textile
production with inkjets
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-
Textiles,
indigenous Maya
textile from Guatemala, wide format inkjet print
- Textiles printers
textile
printers, inkjet printing on fabrics and/or dye sublimation heat transfer
to textiles
- UV
curable inks
-
-
Van
Son Holland Ink Corporation of America, inks for digital printing
with wide format inkjet printers
- vinyl
printers, vinyl cutters (such as Roland
CamJet wide format vinyl printer cutter)
-
vinyl
cutters (solely cutter plotters),
- ANAgraph ANA Express Elite cutter plotters
- Graphtec vinyl cutters
- Mimaki
vinyl cutters
-
-
-
Vutek,
grand format SuperWide inkjet printers with solvent-based inks
- VutekPressVu printer for thick and/or rigid objects
- Vutek
UltraVu 2360SC
- Vutek
grand format printers, Vutek UltraVu 3300,
UltraVu 5300,
Ultra Vu 3360 EC
-
- wide
format color ink jet printers
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
X-Rite color measuring instruments for color management
In order that all readers can clearly identify which companies provide support for our programs these companies are listed in the back of each FLAAR Reports. Reviews are based on our visits to trade shows in Germany, Dubai, South Africa, Mexico, Italy and across the USA, speaking with people in graphics studios in Turkey, Korea, Slovenia, Singapore, Malta, Guatemala, Germany, Italy, USA, Canada, etc, perusing the trade magazines, mining the Internet and listening to the thousands of e-mails from people who actually use large format printers. These emails that pour into our office are filled with all kinds of helpful information on products.
When you respond to the Inquiry Survey Form survey, your e-mails are welcome because when you tell us what kind of a printer you need this information enables the large format printing manufacturers to judge whether they need to prepare new, better, faster, or more economical models to suit your needs. We correlate incoming information from your e-mails to prepare informative market surveys of end-user needs, especially first-time users and people bringing large format printing in-house into their companies. FLAAR continually updates its reports to industry based on the questions and observations you make in the letters and survey-inquiry forms you send in to our editors. So your comments make it possible for us to better serve your needs and to help manufactures recognize the issues with their printers and inks so they can develop new and better printer features and ink chemistry. Anyone who is about to make the decision of which large format printer to buy will soon also have to decide what RIP. After you get your printer and RIP and use it you will be ready to branch out and experiment with different kinds of media. So about this time we will check back in by sending additional information on canvas, watercolor paper, photo glossy etc. Since we can't handle all these questions on our own we select specific individuals at the various companies, which we judge to be the best in each field (we interview them at trade shows and when funding and time is available we inspect their companies in person by actual visits). We forward your questions so these capable inkjet, RIP, media, and ink people in turn can recognize what end users really need. These experienced people will contact you to answer your questions and provide additional information about the products.
www.wide-format-printers.org was founded by FLAAR in early 1999 as an independent web site. The purpose of all FLAAR web sites, and of all our research projects with corporations, is to provide end users with pertinent information. Actually many of our reviews are provided by you, our readers, when you send in your comments, observations, when you indicate your problems and frustrations with the printer you already have, or your uncertainty about hype and bogus advertising claims.
Corporate sponsorship is used to cover the costs of the several high-end computer systems used in the various FLAAR offices, is used for advanced training of the FLAAR staff, and is used for substantial face-lifts of the graphical interface and navigation of these web sites. Printer manufacturers value the existence of independent sites such as this one that help promote the use of large-format printers. Canon, Epson, HP, Parrot Digigraphic, Mimaki and other companies have provided equipment for the tests in early years, but do not participate in the actual tests of water-based inkjet printers, nor in the analysis and recommendations resulting from them. However the evaluation of any complex printer, solvent, UV and textile printer especially, is a professional service and is budgeted at a reasonable professional rate.
FLAAR itself was founded in 1969, so we have existed long before wide format inkjet printers. FLAAR is not owned and not operated by any outside company. We are independent even though physically situated on the campus of Bowling Green State University (circa 2001-2008) with our main office in Guatemala. Our US office has been in St Louis, Missouri during the 1990's and returned to this city since mid-2008, but Dr Hellmuth is usually lecturing or inspecting printers around the world. We hope to open “FLAAR Europe” during 20 10 because our readership is international. Our web reports are read in over 137 countries around the world. Total readership of this wide-format web site of FLAAR is currently averaging over a million readers per year worldwide.
We hope you have enjoyed your visit to our site and left knowing a bit more about wide format digital imaging and related products. All brand names and most model names are trademarks of their respective companies.
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Textile Printers
DigiFab StampaJet
ATPcolor textile printers
D-gen textile printers
Mimaki textile printers
Mutoh textile printers
Roland textile printers
Seiko ColorTextiler 64DS
Mimaki, Stork
ColorSpan
Book review textiles
Virtu
L&P
3P
Textile printing with inkjet printers: silk, cotton, polyester.
Dye-Sublimation
Textile Printers
Introduction, dye-sub
DigiFab StampaJet
DTP
Eurotech Mermaid
Gandinnovations Jeti 3324 AquaJet
Printing Decor: Wood, Stone Tiles, Glass, Wall coverings
Dye Sub ceramic tiles
Digital Wallpaper
Interior Decor, Digital
Eastech Magic Ink
Interesting Water-based Inks
HP Latex Inks
HP Designjet L25500 Latex ink
SAM Ink
Staedtler Lumocolor i
Sepiax Ink
Hewlett Packard
HP Z3200
HP Z2100, Z3100
HP Z6100
HP 130nr HP 30n
HP 3000, 3500, 3800
HP 500, 500ps Designjet
HP 4000
HP 4000ps
HP 4500
HP 5500
HP 430, 450
HP 90
HP 800, 800ps
HP 750c
HP 500, 500ps
HP 5000ps, 5000
HP 2800, 3800
HP 1050, 1055
Canon
ImagePROGRAF iPF9000
ImagePROGRAFiPF9000s
ImagePROGRAF 8400
ImagePROGRAF 8200
ImagePROGRAF 7250
Canon iPF8000
Canon iP8000s
Canon iPF8100
Canon iPF 500
Canon iPF 600
Canon iPF 700
Canon BJ 9000
Canon BJ W9000
Canon BJ 7000
Epson
Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900
Epson 10000,10600
Epson 7600, 9600
Epson 7500, 9000
Epson 2200,5500
Epson 9800
Epson Stylus Pro 11800
Epson Stylus Pro 7800
Epson Stylus Pro 4800
Epson Stylus 4400/7400/9400
UV Printers
Durst Rho
Nur Tempo
Sericol Inca Eagle 44
UV inks printers
large-format-printers
Solvent Ink Printers
Bellise, Arizona
Vutek, Nur, Scitex
Raster Graphics
Electrostatic
Laminating/Cutting
Laminator
Cutter - Trimmer
Media Papers
Media and Papers
Drytac
Rip Software
EFI Fiery
PosterJet
Hardware RIPs
Software RIPs
PerfectProof
Best RIP
Encad
NovaJet 1000i
Kodak 1200i
NovaJet 880 Flatbed
8 Color 850
NovaJet 500
NovaJetPro 50"
Chroma24
Xerox 8142, 8160
Other Encad
Other Printers
Iris Fine Art Giclee
Kodak 5260
Mimaki JV4
Mimaki JV22-160
Mutoh
Mutoh RJ900
Roland Hi-Fi
Roland 8-Color
Seiko
XES Colorgraf X2
Color Managment
ICC color profiles
Spectrophotometer
Software
X-rite tools
BARBIERI electronic
Book Reviews
Books color
Digital Cameras
BetterLight
Sinar
Photo Printers
Digital Photo Course
Durst Lambda
Scanners
Drum
Flatbed
Repro (overhead)
Seminars
Intermediate Course
Additional links of our FLAAR sites
Printing on Glass
Sandwich board for recyclable furniture!
Metallic Effects
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