Printing United Expo 2023 Recap

I just returned from an inspiring three days in Atlanta at the Printing United Expo. I was thrilled to present How Digital Printers Can Work Effectively with Interior Designers to attendees. When I wasn’t presenting, I walked the exhibition hall and have to admit, it’s hard to attend a show like this as a designer. I want to play with all the equipment! (And, of course, see Design Pool patterns on all the printers!) It was also fun to see familiar faces in booths by Lindenmyer Munroe, SwissQPrint, and Dreamscape and to see some of the topics I noticed at the Wide-format Summit expanded on in more detail. I came away from the show inspired and energized. It is an exciting time to be in the world of digital printing.

I saw three major trends at the Printing United Expo.

Texture

As technology has evolved, digital printing has embraced texture. It was exciting to see how much texture is now available from printers. In particular, three products stood out to me.

SwissQPrint was highlighting 3D effects. They had a printer that layered inks to create 3D prints representing products such as tiles and paintings. They also had metallic and neon inks that were so rich and saturated that they made a 3D effect when printed.

In the Kornit booth, they were demonstrating 3D inks that emulated embroidery along with their graphics technology.

Lastly, Dimense was showcasing its latest in glitter printing and embossed printing. These were both incredible to see in person and imagine all the places to use glitter.

Sustainability

Digital printing has a lot of benefits for the planet, including the ability to print only as much as you need when you need it, and having printers closer to customers so materials aren’t traveling long distances. Yet, some materials and inks were not always the most sustainable. The industry is responding to the demand from customers for more sustainable material options, and there was plenty on display from exhibitors.

Many of these sustainable materials fit perfectly with the last major trend I spotted.

Commercial Interiors

Printers are finally seeing the opportunity in the commercial interior design space! They are going after this business by sourcing materials suitable for this market. I saw many sustainable materials perfect for the commercial interior market, with a few that stood out to me.

Dreamscape wallcoverings have several product lines focusing on post-consumer-related content and PVC-free, plasticizer-free, and phthalate-free content. Drytac makes a window film called Drytac Zero that is free of PVC, phthalates, chlorine, and carcinogenic additives and suitable for window, wall, floor, and outdoor applications. Also, Lintec of America makes window films from 80% – 100% recycled content.

As for fabric, Dazian makes Renue, sustainable fabric solutions, and Premex Solutions sells recycled upholstery that is also fire retardant.

Thank you for having me!

I want to end with a shout-out to the show organizers. This is one of the most organized shows I’ve ever attended. Plenty of (beautifully printed) signage throughout the venue made navigating the sprawling convention center a breeze. They even had a golf cart to take you from one destination within the show to another and a free shuttle service between the event and the host hotels.

Thank you to everyone who attended my presentation and to the Printing United Alliance team for inviting me. If you haven’t attended one of their events, I highly recommend considering the 2024 Printing United Expo in Las Vegas, September 10 – 12, 2024. Thank you also to the Women in Print Alliance. I enjoyed getting to meet so many inspiring women in the industry.

Did I miss you at this event? See what else I have coming up on our Events page.