Blog
Installations, repairs, production launches and ink conversions, written up with the machine, the site and what went wrong on the way — plus the occasional buying guide.
Article
September 23, 2026
Digital Die Cutting vs Steel-Rule Dies: When Each One Pays
A steel-rule die is made for one design and pays for itself over a long run. A digital cutter reads the file and charges nothing to start. Here is the arithmetic, and where each one belongs.
Article
September 23, 2026
Knife or Laser? Cutting Fabric, Leather and Acrylic
A laser cuts with heat, a knife cuts with a blade, and the material decides which one you want. What each does to the edge of synthetic fabric, natural fibers, leather and acrylic — with the manufacturers' own words.
Field report
August 6, 2026
Océ Arizona 365: control board replaced, ink converted to Lipla
The printer would not run and would not initialize. A printhead control board replaced it, the heads were flushed and dried while the machine was open, and the ink system was converted from OEM to Lipla in the same visit.
Field report
August 5, 2026
Two Océ Arizonas: a leaking white channel and a bed that missed the ruler
A 2280 that dripped white ink from its heads overnight, and a 360 next to it with air in the white filters. Wrong air filters, a clogged head segment, split coolant hoses and registration pins that had drifted off the ruler.
Field report
August 5, 2026
A loose screw shorted four printhead boards on a VUTEk H5
The printer stopped part-way through initialization and put a system error on the panel. The cause was a screw loose inside the carriage, lying across the printhead control boards. One board is back in service; three are on the bench.
Guide
July 15, 2025
How to Choose the Right Flatbed Printer Size
Bed size decides which sheets you can print in one pass. It does not decide how many you can print in a shift — that is the configuration. Here is how the two questions differ.
Article
June 10, 2025
UV-LED vs. UV Mercury: What's the Difference and Why It Matters
UV-LED curing technology has largely replaced traditional mercury arc lamps in industrial flatbed printing. Here's a practical breakdown of what changed, what improved, and what to consider when choosing your next printer.
