Written by Holly Steedman, IST INTECH

Welcome to Las Vegas! If you travel to the US for business, you will at least once a year end up in Vegas for a conference or trade show. Love it or hate it, the organisers embraced the theme, and I heard even Elvis was in the building. If you have been to a show in the US, you will for sure noticed that its different to European shows, I personally find the visitors more diverse in age and gender and the feel of the energy different. You see that in the extracurricular program around the main show such as initiatives like the Women in Print Alliance, a platform that celebrates and supports the contributions of women in the print industry. This diversity is a testament to the inclusive nature of the print community in the US and the efforts to bring everyone together.

The Printing United show has continued developing in the last years since its rebranding from SGIA in 2019. Now, it is a key show for the print market in the US, covering wide format, Label & Packaging, commercial, Apparel and industrial. As with other shows of this genre, the focus has become more on digital print, and being in the US, you see far more on the promotional side compared to the equivalent show in Europe. I noticed the increase in the number of machines at the show and people investing in larger stands to accommodate this. Yes, you still see some smaller drape stand setups that are unique to the US trade shows, but I see this as enabling a variety of exhibitors and options for them.

The show reports I have seen have often focused on the number of deals made. However, I choose to look at it from a different angle and focus on the great engineering and machine development that is coming out of the US and keeps growing. This growth and innovation in the US print market is a promising sign for the industry's future and should be a source of excitement for all of us. The US print market is not just about making deals, but about pushing industrial inkjet printing in another key region, and this is something we should all be interested in.

When I first started traveling to the US it was met with some resistance from some who made statements like none of the digital machine manufactures are building there now. But they need to be corrected; the US is abundant with people developing inkjet printing systems; yes, there may be fewer developing wide-format or large-format packaging, for example, but they were not the people I was looking out for. I knew this from my time working for Marabu when I first started travelling to the US, at that time, Marabu NA was kicking off with selling digital inks, and many focus markets came from traditional screen or pad printing applications. It became apparent that the market I was looking for was completely different and you can see that in the Printing United show. To start with the US is a huge country as we know, so you have more regional effects within the country with some concentrating on their area or you have extensive dealer networks. But the applications are different also, mailing is declining but still stronger in the US compared to other markets and promotional print is huge. These unique features of the US print market and trade shows, such as the diverse applications and extensive dealer networks, are a testament to the industry's adaptability.

Let's start with mailing applications. A super interesting company, Kirk Rudy, has been a vital figure in the mailing world since the 1960s. They build all the material handling and manufacturing equipment, including coring, folding, attaching, and glueing. The systems are designed and built in the USA, down to the parts being machined in-house. They provide automation in these workflows, including printing, mailing, and packaging, which is critical in this area due to labor challenges. They have also seen the importance of digital print and offer print engines from various other US-based suppliers. They see a new market in packaging and have also moved into this space.

Another exciting find is a company called DDS- Document Data Solutions, specialising in print and mailing systems with variable data applications- they have seen a demand for custom systems that fit the exact needs of the customer and have seen demand rise as more print jobs come back to the US and the need for smaller local runs. The web water-based system they had on show printing tickets was more compact -typically half the footprint than the average- a critical point in the buyer's considerations. They can customise to the exact requirements, and they manufacture in-house. They have also make technology developments, such as custom in-house designed printhead cleaning stations for water-based printers.

On the promotional and direct-to-shape side, the dominant application is direct to container at this show. Inkcups had a great showpiece where you could create your own design and print on reusable cups. Another great example of development and manufacture in the US was LSINC, based in the technology hub Huntsville; they have been developing inkjet systems since 2002 and entered the direct-to-container market in 2019; they have a diverse range of printers from entry-level to mid-level, which really fills the gap between the large scale production systems. I ran into a few decorators who had transitioned to digital print on the containers, and the attitude has for sure changed. Inkjet Technology is embraced more no more finding faults; digital print's advantages, such as faster turnaround times, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to produce high-quality prints, are acknowledged.

On the industrial side and direct-to-shape to shape, Engineered Printing Solutions presented their latest system, the XDLT, an exciting concept pitched between a UV flatbed and a single-pass printer. It provides an excellent way for businesses to consider entering digital print applications, the perfect system to integrate into existing manufacturing processes. It is an ideal idea to get more on board with inkjet printing for those who are hesitant due to the jump in investment between wide format and single systems.

So don't be put off by the long flight and jet lag. It is always eye-opening to visit events in different regions, and it is critical to understand the market and see the opportunities yourself

To finish- Fun LED fact about The Sphere in Vegas – The building's exosphere features a 580,000-square-foot (54,000 m2) LED display also designed by SACO Technologies. It was the world's largest at the time the venue opened. It comprises 1.23 million puck-shaped LEDs. (Source: SACO).

It's true what they say: there really is something for everyone in Vegas, even LED geeks.

If you have any questions or comments regarding any of the content above, please get in touch with Holly Steedman