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Author Topic: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014  (Read 10323 times)

dgberg

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Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« on: January 14, 2014, 12:12:02 pm »

We are only 8 months away from the expiration of Sawgrass dye sublimation ink patent. (About time!)
Any word on the street who might be jumping into the dye sub ink business to compete with Sawgrass?
J Teck has a liscensing agreement with Sawgrass and I am a little confused why Epson signed a deal with Sawgrass in Jan. if the patent runs out in Sept?
Must be a lot more to it?
« Last Edit: January 14, 2014, 12:18:34 pm by Dan Berg »
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Farmer

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2014, 03:37:48 pm »

Patents don't equate to extensive corporate knowledge - having the formula doesn't mean someone can replicate the same quality or consistency or fine tune it etc.
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Phil Brown

dgberg

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2014, 04:15:15 pm »

Politics aside all I want is for someone to jump in and stir the pot to give Sawgrass some long overdue competition.
Just choking to death on there $1.25 ml ink.
J Teck is .16 ml but I would have to change to a 44"printer plus get the Wastach Rip.
I believe we all know there is a whole lot more to this then just cost per ml.

Mike Sellers

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2014, 12:28:05 pm »

Hi,
Can you tell us what you do with dye sub inks? Is there more to it than printing t shirts?
Mike
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dgberg

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2014, 01:05:52 pm »

One of the hottest selling products on the market right now.
Dye sub Chromaluxe metal prints.
I already have my second press and if all goes as planned will be looking at the George Knight Maxxi Press.
Many do the dye sub process for sportswear and other advertising products. There are about a hundred products you can dye sub.
Not really my area of interest but I do have some of the ceramic tiles coming. (8x12's)
I have already seen several landscape photographers offering that size for $40.00.
Costs are $2.50 per tile,paper is .25 and ink maybe .25. Thats $3.00 for something you sell for $40.00.
The whole process takes maybe 15 minutes. You have 4 to do that's $100.00 an hour.
The largest metal prints I can press with my present DK-25sp press is 16x24 and they retail for $99.00.
Probably takes closer to 30 minutes to do a large one including attaching the hanger.
Even though the cost goes up pretty fast when you start doing larger sizes it seems to be what is selling.
You have to match your printer with your press size and that is the kicker.
I am printing with the 17" Epson 4880 and so I am as large as I can go with that printer and the press I have.
The Maxxi press and a wide format dye sub printer to match can exceed $15,000 and that's the catch for going large.


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« Last Edit: January 18, 2014, 01:09:09 pm by Dan Berg »
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2014, 04:10:40 pm »

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/SeriesSureColorFSeries/Overview.do

Epson recently introduced a series of printer and ink specifically designed for dye - sublimation.  In visiting with them at the West Coast Art and Frame show, they said their inks work better in with their newer head technology, sawgrass inks have had problems in their newer printers.
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dgberg

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2014, 04:37:31 pm »

Wayne,

In Jan. of 2013 Epson signed an agreement with Sawgrass,see below.
This was about the time that Epson introduced their new F model printers.
The word on the street was $2,000,000 plus 5% of sales for the patent release if that is what it is called.
J-Teck has a similar agreement with Sawgrass for ink sales on dye sub printers over 42" as well.
I am guessing Epson signed because they needed to get those F models on the street rather then have a long drawn out fight over ink rights with Sawgrass.
At the time they signed it was almost 2 years from the Sept. 2014 patent expiration date on my thread title.
I guess the patent date does not matter if you are using a wide format machine because the inks are now dirt cheap in that wide format.
(Epson dye inks are $125.00 for 1000 ml and the Sawgrass small format are closer to $1.25 per ml)
That 9890 at $3195 is a steal to convert. Take all those K3 inks that come with the printer and use them in my 9900 and convert the 9890 to dye sub with dirt cheap inks.
The payback will be really fast.
As a side note it does not say Epson is selling Sawgrass inks,it might be there own. All dye sub ink sales revolve around Sawgrass's patent strangle hold. At least for another 8 months.



18/01/2013 - Sawgrass Technologies & Seiko Epson Corporation Sign License Agreement for Sublimation Technology
  4
Sawgrass Technologies, Inc., and Seiko Epson Corporation of Japan today announced that they have entered into a long term license agreement under which Epson, as an authorized Sawgrass licensee, will sell inks for sublimation imaging.

Sawgrass is an industry leading developer of innovative printing technologies as well as the world largest supplier of dye sublimation inks. Seiko Epson Corporation is a global imaging and innovation leader for a broad range of electronics products. Epson printers as well as their patented piezo electric print heads are used in the dye sublimation market.

Seiko Epson has extensively evaluated the Sawgrass global patent portfolio and signed a license agreement which allows them to legally enter the dye sublimation ink business with printers having a carriage width greater than 42 inches.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2014, 04:52:36 pm by Dan Berg »
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Mike Sellers

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2014, 08:16:02 pm »

Hi Dan,
Are you going to become an official Chromaluxe print provider? It looks like a very interesting possibility. I have some small sample prints done on aluminum that I got from a lab several years ago but I don`t remember their name now. One is a tropical fish, another is an autumn leaf with droplets of water.
Mike
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dgberg

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2014, 08:31:32 pm »

That's the plan.
Only issues are size.
My new press is 20x25 which is all the larger I can do for now.
With 2 smaller presses we are presently using them in our workshop to demonstrate the dye sub metal process.
Interest in metal prints has been pretty hot of late,attendees really love it.
« Last Edit: January 23, 2014, 08:33:42 pm by Dan Berg »
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Mike Sellers

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2014, 10:43:54 am »

Dan,
How are you doing with your new press? Are you making prints already?
Mike
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dgberg

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Re: Sawgrass ink patent expires 9/2014
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2014, 11:39:16 am »

Mike,
Printing and pressing with pretty good results.
I am getting occasional color issues again mostly in yellows.
While my web gal continues with my website overhaul I will keep on with my testing.
Looks favorable just not sure about going large just yet.
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