Growing Trend in China: Printers with Epson DX5 and DX7 · printers with Epson printheads. Then, during 2010 and into 2011, several distributors from around the world asked me which

Growing Trend in China: Printers with

Epson DX5 and DX7 printheads

Much much more than just Epson itselfComplete inventory of newly launched brands

August 2011

Nicholas Hellmuth

Printers with Epson DX5 and DX7 printheadsComplete inventory of newly launched brands

Please NoteThis report has not been licensed to any printer manufacturer, distributor, dealer, sales rep, RIP company, media or ink company to distribute. So if you obtained this from any company, you have a pirated copy.

Also, since this report is frequently updated, if you got your version from somewhere else, it may be an obsolete edition. FLAAR reports are being updated all year long, and our comment on that product may have been revised positively or negatively as we learned more about the product from end users.

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Your only assurance that you have a complete and authentic evaluation which describes all aspects of the product under consideration, benefits as well as deficiencies, is to obtain these reports directly from FLAAR, via www.wide-format-printers.NET.

Copyright 2011

Contents

Introduction 1Printers using Epson DX5 and DX6 printheads 2 Allwin 2 A-Starjet 3 BEMAJET 4 Gateway 5 GoldenSign 6 Jettek 7 Nanjing Fortune-Lit Digital Technology Industry 8 NUS Digital Technology Co., Ltd 8 Phaeton 9 Sinotec 9 SIRUI 10 Smartcolor 10 Special Color 11 Sprinter 12 SUXUN 13 Guangzhou Textilepretty Trading Co., 13 TitanJet 13 Wenzhou Tianhe Digital Technology 14 Wincolor 14 Wit-Color 14 Xenons 15 Yinghe 16 Yongli 16 Zhongye 17Pseudo Encad printers 18Other water-based printers 18

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Printers with Epson DX5 and DX7 printheads

1

Complete inventory of newly launched brands

Introduction

Last year I met the A-Starjet people in their booth at the Dongguan expo (2010). I was interested in visiting their factory, but no invitation ever transpired.

In the meantime, I gradually learned that there were many other printer manufacturers who were also making printers with Epson printheads. Then, during 2010 and into 2011, several distributors from around the world asked me which Epson printhead machine I would recommend. Since we can’t recommend a printer without knowing about the pros and cons from a customer site-visit, from a factory visit, and a demo room visit, I decided to look for other brands of printers using Epson heads.

Then in VISCOM Germany expo, Frankfurt 2010, I saw high print quality from a printer I had never seen before. The printer had a local German name but clearly was made in China. They politely declined to indicate the name of the factory, but within a few days I was able to ascertain the original brand name: Micolor. So every month I learned about other brands. Today, as a result of many months of research, you see the new FLAAR Report which now lists almost a dozen brands.

So if in fact A-Starjet had invited me to their factory, I would have probably spent all my time studying their print-ers. But since this never happened, now I have time to look at all the other brands.

So the following FLAAR Reports list is the first ever of all Epson-printhead machines produced in China (at least those who are exhibiting at the D-PES expo in Dongguan 2011).

It is ironic that there is at least one brand that I have not yet found at Dongguan, Mi-color (not to be confused with My-Jet). The printer is present, rebranded; but the original factory manufacturer is not identified at D-PES (or if they are present, I did not recognize them).

Main Entrance of the trade show Dongguan 2011

Some Chinese printer manufacturers say they are using DX7 printheads. Most people in the industry say there is no such printhead, and that in reality the printers use either DX5 or DX6 printheads. This depends on whether the printer is intended for water-based ink or eco-solvent ink.


2


Allwin

Since Allwin rarely exhibits an innovative machine, I tend to skip their booth when interesting products keep me busy in a dozen other booths. I also skip the booth of My-jet because they do display mainly same traditional Chinese solvent printers. But someone said that Allwin should be included on any list of Chinese manufacturers of printers that use Epson heads.

The Allwin E180W printer uses Epson DX5 print heads.

Printers in China with Epson DX5 and DX7 printheads

If Epson itself would publish all the basic facts on their own printheads, then we would not need to go around the world and gradually figure this out for ourselves. If Epson itself issued lists of what printers used their heads (and which head) we would not need to issue our FLAAR Reports on these printers. But since Epson does not provide this information, we at FLAAR Reports provide the following lists to help people around the world.

Today, in August 2011, FLAAR now has several FLAAR Reports on Epson printheaded printers from China. Here you can see the front covers of them.

If you wish the editions with tabulations, these can be ordered with PayPal, Credit Card, or wire transfer. We send an invoice. Upon receipt we send the PDFs.


3


A-Starjet

Astarjet now also makes a model called the Marveljet, but this brand name is not well known at all. The Marveljet models are six-colors; A-Starjet are four-color systems.

Their booth at Dongguan 2011 was large, but had only two printers on display; none of them were being used as textile printers. The main booth was at the Guangzhou expo.

The manufacturer is Terminator Image (ChangZhou) Technology Co., Ltd., abbreviated TIT (sic).

Printer A-StarJet Epson DX6 head at the A-starjet booth.


4


BEMAJET

Since there is not enough English in either their web site or in their printer spec sheet I am only guessting that the BEMAJET may use an Epson printhead. On their web site they show Seiko and Xaar printheads. But they do show the word Epson 5th generation head in one of their links. But the link does not take you anywhere! (typical of so many Chinese web sites, but also found on European web sites too).

As is so common with Chinese companies, the printers they show at a trade show are not included or pictured on their web site!

From their web site they appear to be more a small distributor of a limited number of products.

When you get to their web site you see their corporate name is Guangzhou Fengsheng Computer Co., Ltd.

Bemajet waterbased printers at their booth.


5


Gateway

The Gateway brochure does not mention who makes each printer they sell, other than one they list as a Crystal-Jet.

I estimate Gateway is more likely a distributor than a manufacturer of the printers they show in their catalog. I am not sure all the printers in their booth are in their catalog however.

Gateway booth.


6


GoldenSign

Their catalog states that they manufacturer printers with Konica, Xaar or Epson printheads.

There is a complaint on the Astartjet web site, against GoldenSign, alleging that GoldenSign was formerly a dis-tributor but in fact the printer they sell is not really from Astartjet factory. Since other manufacturers copy Roland, Mutoh, Mimaki and other brands, it can hardly be a surprise that Chinese manufacturers would also copy other Chinese factories.

Goldensign booth.


7


Jettek

Jettek brand printer is sold by the Guangdong Jiecai Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.

They emblazon their brochure with the word EPSON larger than anything else.

Their booth was sort of lost back in the CNC and CO2 laser cutter area. There were three dark blue printers here. The nice lady showed me the insides: they were clean and well manufactured. She pointed out that this brand had ink filters (but that cheaper brands had no ink filters). When I asked precisely what factory made the printers she was honest and indicated Wit-Color. You can figure this out yourself by comparing catalogs, but it was nice of her to save me ten minutes of comparing catalogs.

It is helpful when a factory tag has the information you need. This factory tag said “OEM 9000.” Too many printers have no engraved manufacturing documentation on their end or back.

No web site listed! E-mail is QQ address (very Chinese). But if you looked at the business card you could see they had a web site that was not in the brochure.

Jettek solvent printer.


8


Nanjing Fortune-Lit Digital Technology Industry Co., Ltd.

Nanjing PrintPretty Digital Technology Co., Ltd.

Printers are called Niprint. Epson DX5.

NUS Digital Technology Co., Ltd

Firebird printers were also exhibited at Guangzhou expo.

NUS claims to have an ink factory and insinuates they have printer manufacturing too, but the NUS printers have the same outer shell as Micolor.

Epson DX5 printhead, booth B31-1

NUS Digital Technology printer with a Epson DX5 print head.


9


Phaeton

I would like to compliment Phaeton for having one of the more innovative booths at the D-PES expo. They had an extensive area and filled this with printers of every diverse kind of application. Most of the printers used Epson DX5 printheads.

Phaeton uses the same factory, Universal, as FY Union and Infiniti (Challenger). But in theory a large distributor such as FY Union may use more than one factory.

Sinotec

Their catalog pictures on printer that looks identical to what is in the booth of ShinyColor.

Another of the Sinotec printers is the same as in old catalogs from Sky Air-Ship. Thus it is logical that the Epson printhead machines sold by Sinotec are from other manufacturing plants.

Phaeton printer with a Epson DX5 print head.


10


SIRUI

Sirui Eletronic Technology Co., Ltd.

Sirui makes mostly printers with Lexmark thermal heads but also makes one model with Epson printheads.

Sirui Electronic WB Epson printheads

Smartcolor

In a Chinese trade magazine there is a photo of the 4-color 2-head machine (assuming I am reading the Chinese characters correctly; my Chinese is still at rudimentary beginner stage). The printer comes in 1.8, 2.2, 2.6, and 3.2 meter widths.

The deep vertical oval design on the front chassis is different than any other Chinese-made Epson printhead machine.

Distributed by Power Digital Image Equipment Co., Ltd.


11


Special Color

The web site of SpecialColor shows a printer, with Epson DX5 heads, The chassis lid has “thick exagger-ated pseudo-Roland design concept” so that helps you know who is the manufacturer.

Jose Melgar, FLAAR Technical Writer, with Special Color personnel.

Special Color printer, Epson DX4 printhead close-up


12


Sprinter

They had several printers in their booth. One used Epson DX5 printheads.

This company is a start-up, formed by two former engineers from My-Jet.

As with many printers made in China with Epson printheads, a Mutoh chassis is a generic model for their Chinese chassis design.

Sprinter S1600 printer.


13


Guangzhou Textilepretty Trading Co.,

With the word “Trading” I am wondering whether this is perhaps a distributor?

TitanJet

Epson DX5, eco-solvent ink.

Titan Jet TT 1604 with Epson printheads.

SUXUN

Their booth was in the CNC router area. Their logo is SXUN (sic).

I am estimating their suncorn printer is a rebranded Mutoh ValueJet and that thus other printers in the Suxun catalog are rebranded from other manufacturers.


14


Wenzhou Tianhe Digital Technology Co., Ltd.

Printers with Epson printheads.

Wincolor (model), Temei Digital (company name)

Wincolor WP5-160E

Wit-Color

Wit-Color Ultra 9000 Epson DX5 series.

Wit-Color has a large factory (that I have visited at least twice). With a large factory it is not surprising that their printers are rebranded under different colors for other brands such as Jettek.

Wit-color printer with Epson printheads.


15


Xenons

This company had eleven printers. Presently they use primarily water-based inks. Next generation will use eco-solvent inks. There were about 11 printers in their booth.

When I asked, they stated they were using Epson DX6 printheads. But when they saw we put this in the report they sent a personal e-mail stating that they used DX7 printheads.

So I asked for a photograph of the head, and a list of what other printers the DX7 was used in. The reply we got said that the DX7 was faster and better color than the DX5. But no one in China has sent a list of all the printers that state they have a DX7 printhead. And no photographs were sent.

And no one indicates what Mutoh printers have this printhead. Epson itself does not use DX4, DX5, DX6 or DX7 nomenclature.

XENONS 6740ASW printer with Epson printheads.


16


Yinghe

Also including flatbed YH-1326F; though this was in the catalog, I am not sure it was in the booth.

Yongli

Guangzhou Yongli Co., Ltd.

They had eight printers on exhibit; of these four used Epson printheads. The others probably used Lexmark or comparable thermal printheads.

ARG-1650, Epson DX5 printhead machine.

Yinghe booth.


17


Zhongye

The Zhongye catalog shows a textile printer atop a sublimation unit. The printer uses Epson printheads. The same printer (without dye sublimation unit) is the in their catalog with no spe-cific product name, just “inkjet printer” for water-based inks: dye, pigmented, and dye sublimation onto paper. This is listed as New Generation” and of-fers only four colors (so far from even an 8-color Epson). Actually the same printer is then again pictured on an earlier page as “Series ECO.”

Zhongye textile printer.


18


Pseudo Encad printers

Normally we do not cover Encad-clones. This is ironic as it is Encad corporation who provided the first wide-format printer that FLAAR ever evaluated: back circa 1997. This printer evaluation in that year is the beginning of what is now the FLAAR Reports on hundreds of printer brands read by over a million people around the world. It all started by my evaluation of an Encad NovaJet Pro 36.

But it did not take me long to realize that Encad printers had too many quirks. HP printers in those years were not very sophisticated but they had fewer issues. And when HP came out with the Designjet 5000, they took market share away from Encad. Encad continued to produce model after model with issues (mostly because of the primitive Lexmark printheads). So when there are Chinese manufacturers copying these Encad printers still today, my natural inclination is to ask why they don’t at least copy a printer that was successful: such as an HP Designjet!

Nonetheless, there are many Chinese manufac-turers who crank out copies of the Encad con-cept. These must be selling to someone because they are exhibited at every Chinese expo year after year.

Lecai has the system which is the most clearly taken from an Encad prototype.

Huacai had about sixteen simple printers lining the four sides of their booth.

Sirui had printers mostly with Lexmark heads, but had one with an Epson printhead.

Sky-color

Zhengzhou Totek Printheads of Sky-color printer.

Other water-based printers

Zilch HP printers at D-PES.

Canon dealer and Epson dealer; up front in first row.

Canon iPF9010S

Canon iPF8010S, among others.

Most recently updated August 12, 2011.First posted earlier this summer.

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Documents

Growing Trend in China: Printers with Epson DX5 and DX7 · printers with Epson printheads. Then, during 2010 and into 2011, several distributors from around the world asked me which