WIN News on 2 Regular Guys Podcast

Latest WIN News Report – Oct. 4

Today, I’ll be sharing updates on some key activities from Printing United, focusing on three major stories that the WIN News Team is closely monitoring.

DTF Market Update with New Units from Roland, Epson,  Ricoh, Brother, Mutoh, STS, Cobraflex

Let’s talk about one of the major trends we’ve been covering at World Imaging News: the rapidly growing DTF (Direct-to-Film) market. If you’ve been keeping up with industry chatter, you know DTF is evolving fast, and the market composition is shifting quickly.

Just this past week, WIN was the first to break news about Roland DG’s new 30-inch DTF unit, the YT-300. It was not shown at Printing United.  It’s worth noting, though, that this model won’t be available in the Americas yet—it’s launching exclusively in Japan for now. However, I’m anticipating the formal release of this unit at the Impressions Expo in Long Beach this coming January, so keep an eye out for that.

At Printing United, we saw major Japanese companies teasing concept units and showing their devices for the first time, signaling a shift in the market. Epson showcased a 44-inch DTF unit, which is expected for launch at the Impressions Show in January. Ricoh revealed an interesting 24-inch model that will ship in March or April of 2025, Brother is shipping a DTF roll-to-roll and Mutoh has partnered from day one with  STS and has continued with their latest offering. What’s most notable here is that these companies bring proven technology and, perhaps more importantly, reliable support—a game-changer for the industry.

The DTF market is also segmenting fast. Entry-level buyers are being cautious after experiencing support issues, while the mid-range is where major activity is occurring and may migrate to the big Japanese brands because of their support capabilities.  On the high end, we’ve got players like Cobraflex with their 15-head Venom unit, which can image at an impressive 2,700 feet per hour. It is being sold into very large nationwide screen printers. It can image over 10,000  transfers in a normal shift. As a point of reference this unit is over $150K. 

This market is changing quickly, and it’s for the better. We’ll keep a close watch on these developments, and I’ll continue to bring you the latest updates as they unfold!

New Print & Cut Units from Mimaki, Mutoh, and Roland

The second story that caught our interest was that Mimaki, Mutoh and Roland introduced or showcased their new print & cut units during Printing United. One of the most notable announcements came from Mutoh, who entered the market with a 24-inch unit priced at just $6,995. This unit offers impressive specs for the price, making it a compelling option for businesses looking to enter the print & cut market.

Mimaki’s aggressive pricing for the 64-inch CJV200-160 printer has caught the industry by surprise. At $11,995, it offers a compelling value proposition for those seeking a high-quality, large-format print & cut device. 

Roland also introduced the BN2-20A, a four-color printer available for $6,495. The BN2-20A is the successor to the very popular BN-20, which sold tens of thousands of units. Interestingly, I’ve seen the BN-20A listed for as low as $2,495 on InkJetBiz and other reseller websites. This makes it a great option for those with a limited budget looking to enter the print & cut market.

In an upcoming WIN SpecTalk, we’ll be doing a deep dive into these models, comparing their features, performance  and pricing.

Epson’s Fiery Acquisition: A New Benchmark in the Printing Industry

The last segment is the purchase of Fiery by Epson.  As many of you know, we were among the first to report on this news, thanks to a tip from one of our sources in Japan. While everyone’s now covering this story, we have a unique perspective to share.

Epson’s recent purchase of Fiery for a staggering $591 million has sent ripples through the printing industry. This groundbreaking deal, which marks a new benchmark not only in terms of transaction value, but also the integration of the companies into Epson. Remember, CADLink InEdit software was just acquired several years ago, and went from EFI to Fiery and now to Epson. Our friends from CADLink have really been through a number of transitions. 

To put this acquisition into context, let’s look at some past deals: Caldera sold to Dover for 35 million Euros, ColorGATE was sold to Ricoh for 10 million Euros and many years ago ONYX sold to Canon for a relatively small sum. Epson’s purchase of Fiery is a new benchmark in terms of transaction value.

Fiery, was actually  EFI before being spun off and was acquired as part of EFI from a private equity company named Siris. Siris acquired EFI in 2019 for $1.7 Billion, and took them private. After Siris has sold off most parts of the company, the remaining part of EFI is the printing division comprised of five printing companies – Vutek, Raster Printers, Creatprint, Matan Digital Printers and Reggiani. The rumor mill is rife with information regarding Siris selling EFI or merging this division with another company. It seems to be a matter of time.  

This acquisition has significant implications for the printing industry. With printer manufacturers increasingly developing their own in-house RIP solutions, the future of independent RIP companies like Wasatch, Sai, Dev Studio, Ergosoft and Print Factory remains uncertain. Additionally, Epson’s move could further consolidate our industry, potentially leading to fewer players in the market.

For a deeper dive into Epson’s motivations behind this acquisition, check out an article on our website from  Andy McCourt, who is the editor of www.wideformatonline.com from Brighton, Australia. He outlines seven top reasons why Epson might have made this purchase. It is a fast read and a very interesting commentary. 

Wrap-Up

That’s all for today. In our next episode, we’ll discuss other significant trends that emerged at the Printing United Show. Stay tuned! Stay healthy and keep a smile on your face. 

2 Regular Guys