Consulting Services available from FLAAR.

FLAAR offers professional consulting services for variety of business and industries in the professional printing, scanning, and digitizing markets.

FLAAR consultant Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth can conduct his consultation services right on-location anywhere around the globe.  He has consulted in Japan, Latin America, Europe, and across the United States.

Dr Hellmuth was flown to Hawaii to consult for three days on color management for digitization and printing of paintings as well as on general management and marketing of fine art giclee.

Dr. Hellmuth was educated at Harvard, trained at Yale (Dept. of Art History), and received his Ph.D. in art history from Karl-Franzens Universität (Graz, Austria).

Dr. Hellmuth consults primarily on RIP software, inkjet printers, inks, media, and lamination. In addition, he is an expert in giclee, solvent, eco-solvent, mild-solvent, and UV printing, as well as in scanner consulting.  Dr. Hellmuth’s consulting services are valuable for manufacturers, distributors, dealers of any size, as well as photography labs, photo studios, print shop owners, operators, and individuals.

FLAAR also consults for patent litigation, patent research, Expert Witness (especially in doing research to assist the client in fully understanding the reality of the world of digital imaging technology and corporate politics).

Nicholas at the leading fine art giclee atelier on the East Coast.

The difference between reading the FLAAR reports and web site, compared to having Dr Nicholas Hellmuth at your conference table in your own office,, is that he can provide fresh information not yet published in the written reports, or posted on the web sites.  Therefore, an on-site consultation with Dr. Hellmuth is invaluable to keeping up with the latest trends and technologies in professional printing.

Listed below are a few of the topics our consultation services cover.  This list is not exhaustive and is only meant to highlight the services FLAAR has to offer.  A brief list of services includes:

• Discussing which scanner size, shape, and technology is best for your business and your clients.
• Discussing which printer(s) are optimal for your business, franchise sign shop, museum, studio, university or company's specific needs;
• Explaining of the pros and cons of piezo vs. industrial piezo vs. thermal vs. continuous inkjet technologies for your specific printing needs;
• Discussing which inks and media work in which printers (and which inks and media will not function in popular printers);
• Explaining inks, colorants, media, paper, substrates in a non-technical, easy to understand manner;
• Providing a follow-up list of key contacts within the industry, pertinent individuals in ink chemistry, media/substrates, printer technology, business-plans and strategy;
• Discussing digital image storage options, digital asset management software, computer platforms (Macintosh vs. PC);
• Discussing color management options, training, follow-up, software, color measurement tools;
• Teaching techniques for printing on ceramic tiles, wood, leather and metal foil (even onto solid metal);
• Understanding how to print art onto silk, cotton, and onto other fabrics with a wide format inkjet printer;
• Providing analysis of market potential for the market(s) your company is seeking to enter.

Custom-made printers

Increasingly FLAAR is being asked to be a consult for deciding whether to buy a printer that already exists or to find an integrator to make a custom printer. Usually these are for packaging, or special materials: glass, ceramic tiles, etc.

OEM and manufacturing: consulting

If you are a manufacturer FLAAR has experience in Korea, Taiwan, and China. Dr Hellmuth has been a guest in the factories of most of the leading printer manufacturers in these countries. So he can provide the information that you need, not only on individual factories, but to explain the considerable differences between dealing with Taiwan, China, and Korea. Each had advantages and each has distinct factors that are crucial to know before making a decision.

Training

Several companies have asked for FLAAR to train their employess and even their management.

Lectures, InHouse appearances, OpenHouse appearances

Your company can ask that Dr Hellmuth give a lecture, or simply appear as VIP guest, at your event anywhere in the world.

FLAAR on-site professional consulting services (and lectures and training) are available auf Deutsch, en Español, and in English. Written materials tend to be in English however, but Dr Hellmuth is fully tri-lingual for speaking, understanding, and reading.

Consulting includes selecting one of three options that best fits your business needs:

Option 1:  Arrive in your city the night before to settle in.  Consulting begins in the morning anytime from breakfast onward and may continue into a working and/or social evening meal.  FLAAR consultant returns back.  Hence there are two overnights but maximized time for consulting and getting to know each other during the entire day of meetings.

Option 2:  FLAAR consultant(s) arrive the night before to settle in.  Consultation meetings begin first thing the next morning.  FLAAR consultant returns back the last available evening flight that day.  Hence there is only one overnight stay.

Option 3:  We fly in to your city on an early morning flight; return back on the last available evening fight.  No overnight accommodations.  Continuing consultation (by 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 site.  Our consultant(s) can sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA), provide exclusivity options, and can adapt themselves to your specific wants and needs.

After we have visited your facility, met your key people, and have established a consulting relationship you may retain FLAAR staff as consultants via e-mail or in-person.  More often than not, a one day consultation visit is ample time to provide all the tips, help, info, and consulting services.  This of course is dependent upon each individual business needs and demands.

Market Analysis, Marketing Survey Data, etc.

FLAAR also offers market information and product analysis for ink, media, hardware, and software manufacturers.  FLAAR’s market savvy can help your business focus on the features end-users are most happy with or would like to see improved.

If you wish to hire Professor Hellmuth as a consultant to come to your company, and/or his staff, please send an e-mail to readerservice@flaar.org.

This e-mail address is not intended for:

• Circumventing the inquiry survey form; or
• Submitting miscellaneous questions before a professional consulting relationship is established

This e-mail is only for opening up a professional consulting appointment either with Dr. Hellmuth coming to your company or for setting up a visit to FLAAR’s facilities.  In either case a professional consulting fee relationship is understood.

FLAAR serves as consultant for Fortune 500 companies as well as companies who wish to reach that level.  Because about 100,000 people every month read the FLAAR reports on our dozen web sites it is not possible to respond to miscellaneous 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 submitting the form via e-mail is the best way to contact us for information other than direct consulting services.  There is no cost for the Inquiry-Survey Form service.

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 e-mail followed by a day of consulting at your place or at a trade show.

We accept inquiries in Español, Deutsch, and in English.

Consulting for giclee, decor, fine art photography and scanning. (FREE Download)	For all wide-format inkjet printers, RIP, Ink & Substrates. (FREE Download)

Consulting for UV printer manufacturers, available to manufacturers only: ink, media, substrate, scanner, RIP software, printer manufacturers, integrators, parts manufacturers, please request this by e-mail from ReaderService@FLAAR.org	To obtain this PDF on consulting services for financial analysts and business strategy consultants, please request this by e-mail from ReaderService@FLAAR.org

FLAAR Schedule for 2009-2010.

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.

Most recently updated July 1, 2009.
Previously updated July 2002 and May 27, 2004.