Over 75 products to be launched at FESPA Global Print 2024 and co-located events

With just a matter of days to go until doors open at the RAi Amsterdam, Rob Fletcher takes a look at some of the new launches and technology showcases visitors can look forward to at the FESPA Global Print Expo 2024, European Sign Expo 2024, Personalisation Experience 2024 and FESPA’s new exhibition, Sportswear Pro 2024.

The FESPA Global Print Expo 2024, along with the European Sign Expo 2024, Personalisation Experience 2024 and the all-new Sportswear Pro 2024, expect to welcome thousands of visitors from all corners of the printing world. All attendees will be keen to view the latest technologies and solutions from more than 500 exhibitors across the four events.

More than 75 new launches are planned across the four events, while visitors also have the opportunity to view established solutions that have already helped print service providers (PSPs) grow. With so much to explore and experience over the four days in Amsterdam, there is much to look forward to.

Here, Rob Fletcher picks out just some of the highlights across this year’s shows…

Seeking print perfection

Starting with the FESPA Global Print Expo 2024 and its extravaganza of print, the event has the support of partners including Brother and Mimaki, as well as sponsors ROQ, Stahls’ Europe, UPM Raflatac and Felix Schoeller. Spread across several halls, visitors can view a wide range of technologies.

Caption: Roland DG will showcase three new machines on its stand, including the VersaSTUDIO BD-8. Image credit: Roland DG.

Among the many exhibitors is Roland DG, which, on Stand D10 in Hall A1, will be using the event to display three new products. First, the VersaOBJECT MO-240 is a flatbed UV printer that can print on materials up to 640mm wide 488mm long and 204mm thick, all while boasting a max print resolution of 1200dpi.

Also new from Roland DG this year is VersaSTUDIO BD-8, the first desktop flatbed UV printer in the manufacturer’s VersaSTUDIO series. In addition, Roland DG will be showing off its new VersaSTUDIO BY-20, a desktop direct-to-film (DTF) system that also allows users to produce heat transfer graphics from PVC sheets.

Another printer manufacturer showing new machinery at the event is InkTec Europe, with the main attractions on Stand C72 in Hall 1 being the JETRIX LXa5 and JETRIX XGR320. The new JETRIX LXa5 is a 2.5 x 1.3m LED UV flatbed printer that can run at speeds of up to 37sq m/hr, has a top print resolution of 1440 x 726 dpi and can handle in media up to 100mm thick.

The second new machine from InkTec Europe is the JETRIX XGR320, a slightly larger, 3.2m UV LED roll-to-roll printer with Ricoh Gen6 printheads. It has a top printing speed of 114sq m/hr and offers multi-roll capability, featuring wide double rollers both front and rear.

Finish the job in style

Visitors seeking other solutions to complement their print hardware will also have plenty to see. For example, Italian digital print finishing specialist Flexa will be showing two new pieces of kit on Stand G92 in Hall 5.

Caption: More than 500 exhibitors will appear across the four events this year. 

The first of these is the Easy Plus, a new hot laminator that features integrated WiFi and LAN connectivity, with visitors able to view live demonstrations throughout the event. Also new from Flexa is the Miura Plus, an automatic XY cutter suitable for flexible materials and wallpaper.

Elsewhere on the show floor, on Stand H70 in Hall 12, Digitran which supplies digital transfer printing solutions for both the textile and packaging markets, will invite attendees to experience a range of new software, inks and adhesives, as well as a new heat press – all designed to support its DTF printers.

On the subject of transfer technology, visitors can drop by Stand A51 in Hall 12 to find out the latest from Unitrade, which supplies heat transfer vinyl across 40 countries around the world. New developments from Unitrade that will be showcased at the event include a DTF ink, as well as reflective, glow-in-the-dark and foil shadow and suede, and pearl options.

Sign of success

Over in the European Sign Expo 2024, visitors can access valuable insight into advancements with digital and other, non-print signage technologies. Like the main FESPA exhibition, the European Sign Expo has also secured the support of several event partners including EFKA, Navori Labs, Apametal and MWM.

Picking out a selection of solutions from these partners, framing specialist EFKA, on Stand E30 in Hall 5, will be showcasing its new webshop. EFKA said this solution presents users with a “gateway to a world full of unlimited possibilities”.

Fellow partner Navori Labs develops digital signage software products to manage end-to-end operations, covering key aspects such as content management, playback and AI-driven audience measurement. Expert staff from Navori Labs will be on hand to speak with visitors on Stand F56 in Hall 5.

Joining these partners will be a host of other exhibitors, some of which will be showcasing new products. One such company is Zhanyu, which, on Stand F107 in Hall 5, will display a brand-new PET/PC sheet, adding to its already expansive collection of acrylic sheets that it has been providing to the market for more than 35 years. Also included in the wider Zhanyu portfolio are a range of acrylic and expanded PVC sheets.

Let’s get personal

Back by popular demand for 2024 is the Personalisation Experience, which will again allow visitors from all backgrounds to find out more about the opportunities with personalisation and the types of products and methods common within this market.

Attendees will be free to browse the stands inside this dedicated section of the event and speak with specialist exhibitors, each of which has a strong focus on personalisation. One such company is Antigro Designer, which provides customers with advanced personalisation software for print.

Based on Stand B18 in Hall 11, Antigro Designer will speak about its online creator that can support almost all personalised print products. It will also showcase DTF Gang Sheet Builder, a specialised tool for DTF printers, and Sticker Builder, which enables customers to create stickers in predefined shapes and custom die-cut options.

Also exhibiting at the Personalisation Experience is Kit Builder, which can be found on Stand D11 in Hall 11. Kit Builder is an on-demand, 3D customisation SaaS platform that supports customers to help them capitalise on the demand for personalisation. Using advanced 3D graphics, its platform simplifies the creation of bespoke products, providing a host of design, colour and customisation options.

Kit Builder will demonstrate this at the show and also invite visitors to learn more about a new solution in the form of Squad Stores, allowing users to create storefronts for their clients.

Score a winner

Finally, an exciting new addition to the program this year is Sportswear Pro 2024, designed for professionals in the sportswear and merchandise manufacturing industry, with a focus on new technologies, sustainability, and efficiency.

Many exhibitors at the Personalisation Experience will also be featured at Sportswear Pro, due to the crossover between the two markets. Antigro Designer and Kitbuilder are two of those and will be joined by other companies form various sectors.

On the debut exhibitor list for Sportswear Pro is Cre8iveskills, which, with over 25 years of experience in the industry, specialises in embroidery digitising, vector art conversion, and embroidered patches.

Cre8iveskills is also one of the first agencies to begin offering Coloreel digitising services to customers according to their requirements. Visitors to Cre8iveskills at Sportswear Pro, and indeed the Personalisation Experience, can find out more about this and its other services.

Also exhibiting across both events is PunchCloud OU, which, for over 20 years, has specialised in providing digitisation and vectorisation services, developing embroidery files in popular machine and vector graphics formats.

The experienced graphics team at PunchCloud retouches, vectorises and illustrates clients’ images to ensure the highest quality before embroidery takes place. As a way of supporting this, PunchCloud will be on hand on Stand C01 in Hall 11 to speak with visitors about its own system, which works on the principle of a cloud, whereby all files are archived, systematised and managed for users.

With well over 500 stands to explore at the event, this represents just a small sample of what visitors can expect when they pass through the doors of the RAi Amsterdam this March.

For more information on exhibitors and what they will be showing, visit this year’s official show guide.  Register here to visit all four FESPA exhibitions and discover the latest innovations in print, signage, personalisation and sportswear.