In May, I had the pleasure of attending the FESPA World Print Expo in Barcelona, Spain. During my three days exploring the event, it became abundantly clear that wide-format printing continues to evolve, moving toward faster production, smarter workflow, broader applications, and continued connection to adjacent markets. Here are some key impressions I took away from the event.
Automation is Defining Competitive Advantage
Automation had a powerful story to tell. Exhibitors demonstrated how both mechanical- and software-driven interventions are working together to maximize throughput, change the labor equation, and make output more consistent. For example, HP showed an intelligent feeding system paired with its Latex R2000 Plus Printer, designed to enable long, unattended runs. Also, EFI touted the AI-enhanced workflow capabilities in its EFInsight software. Numerous exhibitors emphasized automation as a needed path to efficiency — not as some sort of premium option.
AI and Software are Becoming Paramount
Increasingly, software has become a key part of how wide-format PSPs chart their futures. Durst, for instance, explained this shift by describing the segment’s movement from craft to engineering to code, and posited the next decade will belong to “industrial intelligence.” Both HP and EFI highlighted AI-driven software innovations, which can be seen as the tip of a very large iceberg. The move toward AI shows that future success may be contingent on the ability of PSPs to connect data and workflows to achieve better-informed decision making.
Read this full article on Wide-Format Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
