4 Things You’ll Miss If You Skip PRINTING United Expo 2026

By Allee Bruce

The following article was originally published by Promo Impressions. To read more of their content, subscribe to their newsletter, Promo Impressions.

It's officially PRINTING United Expo month! Will we see you in Las Vegas Sept. 23-25 for the event that brings commercial, apparel, promotional products, wide-format, and package printing together in one place? If you're still on the fence, it's getting down to the wire, but it's not too late.

What You'll Miss

PRINTING United Expo is where print businesses and brands come to find better ways to work, new applications and products to explore, see printing technology up close and personal, and make connections that last.

1. Equipment All in One Place

For promotional products decorators, suppliers, and printers looking to expand or grow their offerings, equipment is aplenty on the show floor. Explore equipment across various technologies and applications, ask questions, and come ready to find answers.

"We feel that at the show, you get a personalized experience and also the opportunity to look at other vendors to help paint the whole picture of what you are truly looking for," Avinash Garikiparthi, marketing manager at Radian Laser, says. "With the investment required for these machines, there is nothing that compares to an in-person interaction and getting the full understanding of how things apply to your specific situation. Meeting with other peers trying to achieve similar goals, as well as experts navigating that path, is something that hits different when attending a show."

Attendees can compare equipment across direct-to-film, DTG, wide-format, UV, dye sublimation, embroidery, laser, engraving, and more — all in one place. For a cheat sheet on technologies relevant for those decorating promotional products, check out The 2026 PRINTING United Expo Playbook for Promo Decorators.

2. Seeing Applications in Person

Step inside the ASI Show Pavilion to get a pulse on promotional products applications trending today. Then find the equipment vendors who can make those applications come to life. Attendees can feel dimensional print, compare print quality, see specialty finishes, and discover products they never considered adding to their lineup.

"At the PRINTING United Expo, attendees get to see technologies side by side, running in a real-world environment, which makes it much easier to understand what’s truly possible and how different solutions compare," Brad Parker, vice president of operations, AutoTran Inc. "Just as important, attendees often discover applications, processes, and ideas they weren’t originally looking for — those unexpected conversations and face-to-face moments are something you simply can’t replicate online or in an individual demo."

Pro tip: Bring samples and ideas to equipment vendors to understand what's possible with each piece of equipment.

3. The Ability to Compare Before You Buy

Being able to see every segment of print and related technology in one place allows you to compare equipment and get a real side-by-side look at what's possible. It not only helps you reduce risk on large investments, but it gets you in front of people to ask about real-world applications.

"At PRINTING United, attendees can watch live output from our machines and those of our competitors, then judge the quality, speed, and consistency for themselves — real print in hand," says Laken Laird, vice president of business affairs, LSINC. "That kind of direct, apples-to-apples comparison simply isn’t possible online or in a one-on-one demonstration.”

4. Industry Pulse You Can’t Get Online

In addition to walking the show floor and seeing and touching tangible products and equipment, the intangibles are just as valuable. Learn about new verticals in education sessions, take part in networking opportunities on and off the show floor, understand how AI fits into print, and discover where print is headed.

"What you simply can’t replicate online is the ability to see the entire industry working side-by-side, in real time," Jared Granberry, president of ROQ US, says. "At PRINTING United, attendees can watch equipment actually run, see and feel the finished product, compare different technologies just steps away from each other, and have conversations with the people who design, build, operate, and use that equipment every day."

Join the rest of the printing industry in discovering what's new and what's next in print. Find more information on exhibitors and experience at printingunited.com.