More than just a trade show, PRINTING United Expo 2025 is an opportunity to learn, make insight-led business decisions, and strengthen the North American print community. This year, from October 22 to 24, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., will be transformed into a more than 33445 m² (360,000 sf) microcosm of the printing industry as the largest and most comprehensive North American printing event brings every printing community and every printed application together under one roof.

For visitors eager to keep up to date with the latest wide-format print equipment, the exhibitor line-up includes brands such as Agfa, Canon, Durst, EFI, Epson, FUJIFILM, HP, Konica Minolta, Kornit, Mimaki, MUTOH, Ricoh, Roland DGA, swissQprint, and more. However, for many, trade shows today are more than an equipment shopping trip, and most visitors to PRINTING United in 2025 will also be focused on enhancing their industry knowledge as they explore new ways to reduce costs, improve output, enhance quality, and diversify.

Productivity through automation

Automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and workflow continue to dominate industry conversations, so it is no surprise that a 2024 PRINTING United survey found that seven of the 10 areas in which respondents planned to invest were related to increasing end-to-end productivity, whether through enhancements at the point of order intake, in prepress, overall workflow management, or finishing. Indeed, more than 88 per cent of respondents cited increasing productivity or efficiency as their primary motivation for capital investment planned in 2024 and 2025, while 57.1 per cent were planning investments that would enable them to automate their operations.

Those in the signage industry may expect this. The market segment continues to grow, but against a backdrop in which profit margins are growing ever tighter and the labour market is short on skilled labour. We now also face uncertain economic conditions and questions over tariffs. Many in the industry began 2025 looking for ways to do more with less, and if anything, that search for incremental efficiencies and productivity enhancements has only accelerated.

The 2025 educational program at PRINTING United includes numerous sessions aimed at helping print businesses to tackle these real-world issues that affect them daily. Covering topics ranging from business strategy and labour challenges to workflow optimization, colour management, and automation in wide-format printing, attendees will leave the show empowered by insights they can act on.

Breaking barriers

Last year, research by PRINTING United found that more than 68 per cent of print providers are already diversifying beyond their primary print segment. Signage and graphics printers are expanding into commercial (46.5 per cent) and functional printing (21.1 per cent), commercial printers are moving into wide-format (59.7 per cent) and packaging (31.6 per cent), apparel decorators are making leaps into wide-format (31.9 per cent) and promotional print (43.3 per cent), and the list doesn’t stop there. Wherever you look in the industry, market segments are converging as providers diversify their application portfolios to offer new services to existing customers and capitalize on lucrative opportunities in adjacent segments.

It was with this convergence in mind that PRINTING United Expo was first established, to meet the industry’s need for a show that brings all facets of the printing industry together in one place. For those coming to the show to explore opportunities in diversification, the educational program includes sessions on everything from how to move into promo, how to make money as a printer in a digital world, the state of the decorated apparel industry, and even a step-by-step look at diversification. Meanwhile, the Apparel Zone (Booth 886) and Professional Decal Applicators Alliance (PDAA) Zone will offer visitors hands-on demonstrations.

PRINTING United is much more than a trade show that empowers visitors and exhibitors to learn, grow, and make smarter business decisions; it’s a physical manifestation of how vibrant and alive our industry is. So, whether you’re exploring convergent opportunities, keeping up to date with digitalization, or looking for ways to increase productivity through automation, this October, Orlando is the place to be.

For more information and to register to attend, visit www.printingunited.com.