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If you are a photographer, traditional or digital artist, painter, or printer, then this fine art giclée printer site is the information source for you. The advantage to you, is that FLAAR is nonprofit and is based on the campus of a university. The art department on our campus provides invaluable tips (their experience with one printer was a disaster, perhaps our report on this can save you from the same mistake... they bought a printer without first finding out what it was really like). The other benefit of FLAAR is that we cover the entire workflow, color management from ICC color profiles, color calibration, through selecting the canvas, watercolor paper or photo matte, photo satin, through top coating. Plus, we offer assistance, both as consultants and also as publishers of tips, help, information, and documentation on how to set up your own giclee atelier. Since FLAAR is non-profit we don't mind revealing the ways that you too can produce giclee effectively. After all, this is the role of an educational institute: to do the research first, then the practical first-hand practice, and then write up and publish the results. If you wish to meet Nicholas Hellmuth and ask questions in person, he is available as a consultant anywhere in the world. Dr Hellmuth was recently in Thessaloniki consulting with a new giclee atelier there, started by the Granis brothers. We have a report on their start-up coming this summer. Nicholas will be in Istanbul consulting with a new giclee production company in Turkey this September. You can find him in Madrid in October, giving a lecture on UV-curable flatbed inkjet printers (you can print on pre-stretched canvas). Over the summer Professor Hellmuth is in Guatemala, where he does his own fine art photography. If you prefer to reach him by telephone or get his direct personal e-mail, this is available to any of our readers who order any five series of the FLAAR Reports. This way you get the FLAAR Reports, and then you can speak with Nicholas directly by phone to ask your further questions. His quad-band cell phone accepts calls worldwide.
Last year the big news was the HP Designjet Z2100 HP Designjet Z2100 and HP Designjet Z3100 . Then Epson hurridly responded with their slight update at 17-inch size, the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 . But Canon (see below) and HP still have the heavier artillery. HP reportedly spent over 1 billion dollars to develop their technology. Canon reportedly spent close to that over the last several years. Epson does not have that much spare cash, and piezo printhead technology is slow compared to the breakthroughs Canon made in thermal printhead technology. In the last four months the entire digital fine art world has seen major technology breakthroughs. Although Epson has been the clear leader for four years, at Art Expo 2006 HP produced a giant digital fine art exhibit to feature its new comprehensive workflow for giclee production. The 8-color HP B9180 printer , now with a pigmented version of Vivera inks ushers in the new generation of thermal inkjet advances that resulted with the Z2100, Z3100 and Z6100.HP In a modest booth next to Epson, Canon unleashed its imagePROGRAF iPF5000 with 11 colors (has 12 ink lines but uses 11 at a time, switching matte black to photo black). Most of the Canon printers of 2006 have been replaced in 2007-2008 such as the Canon iPF9100, 8100, 6100, 5100, etc But what was clear is that these desktop sizes were the hints of what appeared later as 24" and 42" and 60" production printers later this year. Indeed Canon already showed its 60" printer in Europe, the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9000 (but not often in the US; perhaps there are problems that are still being worked out?). It is notable that the two technology advances of 2006 are both in thermal (bubblejet) technology, not in piezo printhead technology. The Canon iPF5000 is already out (we have one) and the iPF6000 and iPF8000 are already being talked about (we lack them). But I estimate that the HP Designjet Z2100 and Z3100 will harvest most of the interest now that they are have appeared. For 2008 we will bring you evaluations of the new Epson printers; the FLAAR Reports on the HP Z2100 and Z3100 are already out (as of early February 2008). Nicholas Hellmuth's pithy, revealing, and unconventional reports already cover the Epson 4000 , Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 5500ps , Mimaki JV-4 , Kodak 5260 , HP 30, 90 and 130 plus HP 5750 for fine art photos, ColorSpan Esprit, ColorSpan DisplayMaker X12, imagePROGRAF W8200 , Canon W6200 , Agfa, Mutoh Falcon II , Iris 3047 giclée printer , Ixia and Encad NovaJet are available in PDF format . Tips, information, product comparisons, reviews, evaluations based on factual everyday real-life experiences. Iris 3047 giclée printers initially defined the giclée fine art print market. But if you prefer an easier to use printer for home, photo studio, or office, we recommend more practical printers of other brands that a normal person can learn to use on their own. FLAAR Reports tell you, bluntly, what a printer can and can NOT achieve. Since we do not sell printers, we don't have to spin hype and mislead you into buying the wrong brand. |
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