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Consulting
Services
Dr Nicholas
Hellmuth offers consulting on UV curable ink flatbed printers as
well as wide format inkjet printers including Epson, Hewlett-Packard,
ColorSpan, Encad NovaJet, Mimaki JV4, Mutoh, Agfa, Roland HiFi Pro
II, CAD GIS plotters, fine art giclee printers, RIPs for inkjet
printers such as PosterJet, Wasatch, ErgoSoft, etc, information
about lite, eco, and full solvent ink for sign printers, and much
more.
FLAAR offers
consultation to individuals, small companies, companies with a dozen
to 100 employees, and for Fortune 500 companies.
FLAAR consultant
can come to your office anywhere in the world. Dr
Nicholas Hellmuth has consulted in Japan, Latin America, Malta,
Europe, and naturally across the USA. We can interact auf Deutsch,
en español, or naturally in English.
We understand basic Italian, Portuguese, and a bit of French.
Or you can come
to the FLAAR evaluation facility at Bowling Green State University
of Ohio (near Toledo) or the FLAAR office on the campus of the Francisco
Marroquin University in Latin America.
An educational
alternative is to hire Nicholas to walk a tradeshow with you, so
you can ask him questions on the spot about each printer.
The difference
between merely reading the FLAAR reports and web site, as compared
with having Dr Hellmuth personally in your own facility or at a
tradeshow, is that we have additional fresh information that is
not yet in the written reports nor yet added to the web site. So
you will get far more by an in-person consultation directly with
Professor Hellmuth.
After we have
visited your facility, met your key people, and have established
a consulting relationship in this manner, then as follow-up if you
wish, you can retain FLAAR staff as consultants via e-mail, telephone,
or in-person. Usually, however, we should be able to provide all
the tips, help, info, and consulting services in a single one-day
visit with you.
FLAAR Fast
Facts Consulting Fee Schedule
If you have
purchased any four FLAAR Series you can have 30 minutes telephone
consulting with Dr Hellmuth in person, or lab manager Brent Cavanaugh,
for a flat $300, or an entire hour for $400.
If you have
purchased any five FLAAR Series you get 30 minutes telephone consulting
for $200, or an entire hour for $300. Or, you can drop in and visit
us in person for $300 per hour.
If you have
purchased any six FLAAR Series you get 30 minutes telephone consulting
for $100 or an entire hour for $200. Or, you can drop in and visit
us in person for the same fee the first hour, $300 per hour thereafter.
If you wish
Dr Hellmuth and/or Brent Cavanaugh to visit your facility, anywhere
in the world, fax (419) 352-1971. Fax number (419) 372-8283 will remain active until Friday, July 20th, 2007. Or e-mail FLAARtest@aol.com
for price list for on-site consulting.
If you wish
complete training in color management, this is available only on-site
(your place or ours), and is best done over two days.
Telephone consulting
can explain what tools and software you need, but we can't rectify
your ICC profiles by telephone (but we sure can by on-site visit
at your place).
Telephone consulting
is primarily to answer your general questions as best we can and
to assist in deciding what makes and models of hardware and software
would be optimal for your specific situation. We can also answer
your questions about scanners and digital cameras. Assuming you
have already read the FLAAR Reports, we can usually resolve your
situation in 30 minutes on the telephone as follow-up.
Obviously consulting
fees are non-refundable.
Consulting
includes (you select which you wish; you can add other topics)
- selection
of which printer(s) are optimal for your company's specific needs
- explanation
of the pros and cons of piezo vs industrial piezo vs thermal vs
continuous inkjet technologies for your company's needs.
- discussion
of which inks and media work in which printers (and which inks
and media will not function in popular printers)
- explain inks,
colorants, media, paper, substrates in a non-technical easy-to-understand
- discussion
of pros and cons of the various leading RIP software and explanation
of difference between hardware RIP and software RIP.
- provide
a follow-up list of key contacts within the industry, pertinent
individuals in ink chemistry, media/substrates, printer technology,
business-plans and strategy.
- discuss digital
image storage options, digital asset management software, computer
platforms (Macintosh vs PC)
- discussion
of color management options, training, follow-up, software, color
measurement tools.
- analysis
of market potential for the market(s) you seek to enter.
- rational
discussion of the reality of UV cured inks with flatbed printers
for thick and/or rigid materials. Do these printers really function
as advertised? We relate horror story of an early-adaptor, a sign
shop which paid over $200,000 for a UV cured flatbed and found
out he was maybe really just paying to be a beta tester so the
company could improve the next generation of printer.
Option 1:
arrive in your city the night before to settle in. Consulting begins
in the morning anytime from breakfast onward. Can continue into
a working and/or social evening meal. FLAAR consultant returns back
to university the following day (because red-eye flights into Toledo
are not readily available). Hence there are two overnights but maximized
time for consulting and getting to know each other during the entire
day of meetings.
Option 2:
we arrive the night before to settle in; so we can start first thing
the next morning. FLAAR consultant returns to our university the
last available evening flight that day. Hence there is one overnight.
Option 3:
we fly in to your city on an early morning flight; return to
our university the last available evening fight. No overnight.
Option 4:
you and your company team personally visit pertinent tradeshow with
Nicholas Hellmuth as your personal instructor and guide. This insures
you are protected from hype and nonsense that are rampant if you
visit the booth on your own. In some cases we can get introductions
to deep within the hierarchy of the manufacturer. Usually when accompanied
by Nicholas you can meet a higher level of person within the company.
Option 5:
rather than anyone flying anywhere, the consulting can be by tele-conference.
We send all pertinent FLAAR report series in advance and discuss
them personally item by item with question-and-answer format on
the telephone. You send your questions by e-mail in advance. Then
discuss them by phone directly with Nicholas. You need to order
and pay for the Report Series you desire and there is a minimum
fee for 3 hours consulting (one hour of his digesting your questions
and responding by e-mail initially; then up to two hours of subsequent
discussion on the telephone).
Option 6:
If you order multiple FLAAR Report Series you get all bonus reports
plus you can consult in person with Dr Hellmuth by telephone. You
can arrange a conference call for Nicholas with your company managers
and printer operators. You get 30 minutes consulting at the charges
listed above.
FLAAR will provide
you with Nicholas's telephone number and suggested times he is available.
You can fax or e-mail your questions in advance if you wish. You
then get 30 minutes consultation via telephone.
If you wish
additional hours after the first 30 minutes, you can pre-pay at
the rate of $300 per hour or fraction thereof for consulting.
Obviously there
are no refunds for payments related to consultation.
Continuing
consultation & Retainer
Continuing consultation
(by phone, e-mail, special reports specifically for your needs)
is a flat fee per hour. However in most cases we can solve your
problems with a single visit to your business or you coming to FLAAR
at BGSU for a single day.
Retainer: you can retain Dr Hellmuth and/or other staff of either
university where FLAAR has facilities for on-going consultations.
Our consultant(s)
can sign NDA, can provide exclusivity options, and in general can
adapt themselves to your specific wants and needs.
Please note:
do not telephone and ask for consulting on the spot. Consulting
is not handled this way. Initiate the process with a fax, not a
phone call. Then select which option you prefer, send in your check.
Once your check has cleared, and once the process is started, then
you can telephone.
Market Analysis,
marketing survey data, etc.
If you are an ink, media, hardware, software, or printer manufacturer,
FLAAR offers market survey information, product analysis, and most
importantly, information on what features of your current models
end-users wish you would add, subtract, improve, update etc.
Together with Bowling Green State University and Francisco Marroquin
University, FLAAR is available to evaluate, review, and if the product
meets acceptable norms, to provide certification documentation.
Tests are independently undertaken by the university professors
and staff. If your company wishes FLAAR to consider accepting your
product, your first step is to arrange for a 1-day consultation,
either in your facility anywhere in the world, at a tradeshow anywhere
in the world, or at BGSU. In either option, the same initial consulting
fee applies.
After the initial
consulting session, you are free to decide how to proceed to receive
further benefits from access to FLAAR marketing savvy. Obviously
no actual obligation exists other than the initial consulting session.
Consulting is
open to everyone in the sense FLAAR is not owned or operated by
any manufacturer. We are blissfully independent because we have
been successful in professional photography for 30 years, long before
inkjet printers even existed. Our initial funding came from the
Japanese Ministry of Public Education (totally unrelated to any
Japanese manufacturer: the project was as consultant for scanning
and digital image storage at Japan 's National Museum of Ethnology,
Osaka).
However in some
instances non-compete clauses in contracts disallow us from working
for two companies in the same identical field. For example, we can't
work for Wal-Mart if we are already working for K-Mart (K-Mart is
obviously not a client; this is just an example). So we may already
be working for your direct competitor. If not, you might want to
hire us first. However we sign non-compete clauses only for long-range
projects which are of benefit ultimately for improving product design
functions and projects for providing public education in digital
imaging.
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Dr.
Nichollas Hellmuth at BGSU FLAAR office using Nik Sharpner
software
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If you wish to
hire Professor Hellmuth as a consultant or expert witness to come
to your company, and/or his staff, or other faculty from BGSU, please
send a fax to this effect to FLAAR at BGSU (419) 352-1971. Fax number (419) 372-8283 will remain active until Friday, July 20th, 2007.
This fax number
is only for opening up a professional consulting appointment either
with Dr Hellmuth coming to your company or you coming to FLAAR at
BGSU. In either case a professional consulting fee relationship
is understood. This fax number is:
(419) 352-1971
not to circumvent the Inquiry Form
not to ask miscellaneous questions
not to get other information
FLAAR serves
as consultant for Fortune 500 companies as well as companies who
wish to reach that level.We also welcome individuals who wish to
learn about any aspect of selection of hardware or software.
Because about
100,000 people every month read the FLAAR reviews in 42 countries
in three languages on one of our dozen web sites it is not possible
to respond to fax inquiries unless to establish a professional relationship
on a fee basis.
If you are an
individual, a small business, as well as a large company, we reply
to the Inquiry-Survey Form usually within 48 hours, so by e-mail
via the form on the web site is the way you should reach us. There
is no cost for the e-mail service; there is no cost for the FLAAR
reports at present.
Please understand
that due to the size of the readership it is not realistic to handle
inquiries by telephone unless we have a working relationship with
your company initiated by your fax followed by a day of initial
consulting at your place or at either of the two universities where
FLAAR maintains an office.
The other way to reach Dr Hellmuth by phone is to purchase 5 series
of FLAAR Reports; then you get 30 minutes speaking with him on the
telephone at no extra cost.
If you wish
to have telephone and/or direct contact with the FLAAR and BGSU
staff, please consider signing up for one of the courses.
That way you get the direct telephone number, direct e-mail straight
to Nicholas, and can come visit the FLAAR facilities as well.
We accept inquiries
in Spanish, Deutsch, and naturally in English. FLAAR Schedule for 2007
January 2007 |
All-day lectures on UV-curable flatbed and roll-to-roll
printers, Seoul, Korea |
Training in lamination at Drytac headquarters, Toronto |
Two day factory-visit and technology briefing (especially in UV-ink chemistry), Gandinnovations world headquarters, Toronto |
Site-visit case study of a print shop with an Inca Columbia, Durst Rho 600, DuPont Artistry (textile printer) |
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One week at Mutoh Europe world headquarters in Oostende, Belgium; training on eco-solvent and mild-solvent printers. Four reports are the result; three are ready now.
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Lectures over three day period on fine art giclee at Gulf Print, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
May 2007 |
Training in UV inks, factory-visit inspection at their world headquarters (Expedio, Tempo Q) |
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HumanEyes, training in 3D photography software |
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Objet Geometries, a visit to their world headquarters and factory (3D rapid prototyping) |
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Leaf digital camera backs (for Hasselblad, etc), visit to their world headquarters in Israel. (now part of Kodak) |
Scitex scanners, visit to their world headquarters in Israel (now part of Kodak) |
May 31-June 1, Zund headquarters, Switzerland, two days inspecting the Zund cutters, Zund 215 and especially the Zund 250. Training and factory visit. |
June 2007 |
June 5-9, FESPA trade show Berlin, FLAAR shared a booth with SIP magazine (Verlagshaus Gruber). |
Late June: Vutek, visit the factory to evaluate the QS2000 and QS3200
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July 2007 |
July 1-8: 15th Annual Shangai International Ad, Print, Pack, Paper Expo and meetings at Xaa |
July 9-14: Meetings at IP & I in Seoul, Korea |
July 17 - August 16: Site-visit case study research on printers in Guatemala |
Upcoming
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Autumn, lecture in Slovania on UV-curable inkjet printers for screenprinting companies |
Training and visits to the leading manufacturers of UV-lamps, both mercury-arc and LEDs |
Visits to UV printer manufacturers in Korea |
Visits to Taiwan, Thailand, |
GraphExpo, Chicago. FLAAR has a booth
Sunday, September 9, 2007
12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
UV Printer Secrets from the Source: Why You Should Visit Factory Demo Sites
Monday, September 10
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
UV Printer Secrets from the Source: Why You Should Visit Factory Demo Sites |
Viscom Spain, Madrid, the entire period |
SGIA, Orlando, all three days plus two pre-show set-up days |
FESPA India, New Delhi |
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Any time you order three or more FLAAR Reports on UV printers, you can ask for as many of these June 2007 articles as you wish. The articles on UV printers are by Nicholas Hellmuth; the article on RIP software is by Mandy Daniel, color management expert who worked with FLAAR at FESPA and works with FLAAR as a trainer in color management. |
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