INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

WHAT TO EXPECT AT APPPEXPO SHANGHAI, MARCH 2019Maria Renée Ayau

January 2019

ContentsIntroduction 1

UV-curing Printers 6

Waterbased Printers 10

Solvent Printers 11

Textile Printers 15

T-shirt Printers 19

Shanghai is worth visiting 21

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

II

IntroductionWorthwhile Attending and Exhibiting at APPPEXPO 2019 due to Printer Spectrum Coverage: UV, textile, solvent, latex, etc.

Today in 2019 we focus on attending those printer and signage expos which are filled hall-to-hall with actual brands and products (and skip the expos which use excessive PR releases to mesmerize people into thinking they should attend).

Our readership is international and multi-cultural, so we focus on which trade shows are good for people who wish such an international focus. Since APPPEXPO is the largest wide-format printer tradeshow in China, it is crucial you attend this expo to get the latest on this region.

We especially enjoy attending printer and signage trade shows which have a long-term involvement with their communities. APPPEXPO does not need fluff-and-puff PR releases; what print shop owners and distributors around the world want to know is what is actually available to see and experience at each APPPEXPO expo in Shanghai.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

1

APPPEXPO in Shanghai is primarily a printer, inks, media, and cutter expo. But they also offer traditional signage, plus LED and LCD dynamic digital signage (more than any printer and sign expo in USA). And, you can find entry-level 3D printers. But more important, there are many ways to produce 3D printers besides with a “3D printer.” We cover all these aspects in separate FLAAR-REPORTS.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

2

We have attended APPPEXPO for more than a decade, so we know the expo inside out. FLAAR-REPORTS will have at six team members here because there is so much to see. We would not send this large a team unless there was lots of interesting inks, media, substrates, cutters, laminators and printers to see. So we know why we send SIX of the FLAAR-REPORTS team to APPPEXPO.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

3

There are many hard-working organizers of different sign expos in China. We have attended several different expos in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Beijing, and lots of completely different sign expos in Shanghai. But most print shop owners, distributors, and factory products companies ask for our recommendation for “the one expo” to attend in China. We recommend APPPEXPO in March 2019.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

4

If you want to see a full range of wide-format printers, Shanghai 2019 is clearly the place to go. In other words, to see this full range of this year’s new models, APPPEXPO 2019 is a good decision.

APPPEXPO is essential for printshop owners.

APPPEXPO is the single most useful printer expo for distributors to attend

And of course if you are a manufacturer (of printers, inks, media, signage materials, cutters, engravers, etc.) you should exhibit.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

5

UV-curing PrintersIn 2018, there were more brands of UV-cured printers at APPPEXPO than at any expo in Europe or USA put together. It is remarkable how a single printer trade show has been able to grow over the years to reach this coverage.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

6

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

7

We at FLAAR-REPORTS expect more than 350 printers in 2019, since they have been increasing our lists for over the years. Several booths had several printers of an identical model. So we count only one model (some had up to three of same model). But in “total printer count” we count every UV-curing printer that we found. So total count is a larger number than the number of models.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

8

If you want to see a full range of UV-curing printers, Shanghai 2019 is the place to come. UV-curing printers come in many sizes and shapes:

• Dedicated flatbeds• Dedicated flatbeds with roll-to-roll across front• Dedicated flatbeds with roll-to-roll across front and back• Combination of roll-to-roll and flatbed, with conveyor belt• Dedicated roll-to-roll• Faux flatbed• Mid-sized • Desktop-sized • Double-sided printing technology (SkyAir Ship, SkyJet, as an example).

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

9

Waterbased PrintersHP, Canon, and Epson are the primary manufacturers of water-based printers. You can also expect a few Chinese brands. I can remember the years when Roland, Mutoh, and Mimaki (and ColorSpan and Encad) also had popular water-based printers.

But times change. The future for million-dollar industrial printers is in water-based ink chemistry, but these inks are still being developed. Today UV-cured, solvent, and one brand of latex printers are what are used for signage.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

10

Solvent PrintersSome printers are based on low-price only. Other brands and models are based on speed and sophisticated moving of diverse signage materials. It is interesting to learn the different functions that each printer has, plus it was a great experience to talk to the technicians about each printer and what applications it has in real-life projects.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

11

But in the meantime, you can find• Eco-solvent• Lite- and mild-solvent (lite- and mild- mean the same in English)• Full solvent printers are still manufactured in China and still used in many countries around

the world.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

12

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

13

Solvent printers come in sizes from 1.6m through 3.2.m. 5-meter solvent printers have generally been replaced by 5-meter UV-curable ink printers. But at entry level (1.6, 1.8, 2.x meters) there are still plenty of solvent printer brands and models to chose from if you attend APPPEXPO 2019.

All of these solvent printers you can inspect and learn about at APPPEXPO 2019 in Shanghai.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

14

Textile PrintersAPPPEXPO is not an expo dedicated entirely to textile printing, but has more textile printer brands and models than other sign expos we attended during 12 months of 2018. So it does have a strong textile focus, they even have an entire hall dedicated to textile printing. Over 90 brands and over 120 models of textile printers make the textile portion of APPPEXPO 2018 almost as large as the entire textile printer brand list for dedicated textile expos.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

15

At APPPEXPO you can find primarily direct-to-fabric printers (disperse dye ink, with a heat transfer system below or in front of the printer). You can also find printers with dye sublimation inks for printing on transfer paper. Then you transfer the image onto polyester with a calendering machine by applying both heat and pressure.

Reactive dye and acid dye printers are primarily at mid-range and high-end printers. Entry-level and mid-range are for sublimation inks.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

16

Pigmented ink is a continuing trend, due to the fact that you don’t need to wash or dry the media after printing, only apply heat. These printers are at all sizes and shapes: entry level, mid-range, high–end, t-shirt size and even single-pass.

High-end textile printers tend to be 1.8m width; some are 3.2m wide, and there are only a few 5-meter width printers in the market.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

17

There are several kinds of textile printers by structure; you can find most of them at APPPEXPO:

• Sticky belt• Basic roll-to-roll• Roll-to-roll• Roll-to-roll with drum heater• Roll-to-roll with heating unit• Dedicated roll-to-roll• Roll-to-roll with calender

We expect the number of textile printers at APPPEXPO 2019 to be impressive, since this has been the up and coming technology for the past few years.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

18

T-shirt PrintersT-shirt printers come in many sizes:

• Single shirt, desktop style printer• Double-shirt, desktop style printer• Multiple T-shirts, can either be a

modified wide-format printer or a printer designed to handle many t-shirt plates

• Most t-shirt printers come with different interchangeable platens so you can choose if you want to print t-shirts, shoes, bags or any other fabric-made object.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

19

Some T-shirts are printed with pigment ink. Best to pre-treat the shirt material before printing. And best to heat press after printing.

Other T-shirts are printed via transfer paper, or direct-to-fabric.

Obviously mass-produced T-shirt designs are printed with silk-screen press. Nowadays you can include an inkjet printer module in-line.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

20

Shanghai is worth visitingShanghai is a friendly city and worth going a few days early to do sightseeing. If your spouse likes shopping, Shanghai is again a great place.

90% of the booths have English-speaking students or sales reps to speak English. The bigger companies may also have people in the booth who speak Spanish or other languages.

90% of the spec sheets and catalogs are in English (of these about half are dual-language, English and Mandarin).

Mandarin is a popular language to learn to speak. There are plenty of videos and web sites and lots of books with CDs that you can obtain. You can also learn to read many of the Mandarin signs after a few days practice. Nonetheless, in the airport ALL the signs are in English (and Mandarin). And on all highways also, the signs are in both languages.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

21

Hotel staff at the better hotels speak English. Even some of the economy chair hotels, you also can find someone to speak English.

For cab drivers, simply have the address written in Mandarin and they will take you to where you need to go.

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

22

If you missed APPPEXPO 2018, be sure to make reservations to attend APPPEXPO 2019.

FLAAR-REPORTS is the appointed media partner for APPPEXPO for over a decade (the largest inkjet printer and signage expo in the world).

If you wish to hire FLAAR-REPORTS as consultants, in-person, at APPPEXPO we can assist your planning for China in general and APPPEXPO in particular e-mail FrontDesk@FLAAR.org In this video you can see the highlights of APPPEXPO 2018

INKJET PRINTERSof every size and shape

of every and all key brands

What to expect at APPPEXPO 2019

23

This report has been licensed to Shanghai Modern International Exhibition Co. to distribute on their website, since they are the organizers of APPPEXPO (Advertising, Print, Pack & Paper Expo), Shanghai.

You can also obtain FLAAR Reports straight from our websites:

www.FLAAR-Reports.org | www.large-format-printers.org | www.wide-format-printers.net

©Copyright 2018

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We look forward to seeing you in Shanghai at APPPEXPOMarch 5, 6, 7 and 8, 2019

www.apppexpo.com/index/2/enNational Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)

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