FESPA Barcelona Day Two: A Fistful of Takeaways

If the second day of the FESPA World Print Expo here in Barcelona can be considered a peak, then it's a strong one. Energy is high and it appears print providers from the EMEA region are here to learn, discover, and perhaps buy.

The day was marked by several events, including a press tour of the HP stand. Led primarily by Oscar Vidal, global director, product portfolio and strategy for large format printing at HP, the tour highlighted recent wide-format developments at the company, the most striking of which was a Neolt intelligent feeding system working in conjunction with its R2000 latex printer. This mechanical automation step, Vidal reported, would allow the printer to run unattended for “many hours.”

But automation is not solely the bastion of mechanical systems. Vidal also highlighted a new feature in HP’s Production Hub software that uses A.I. technologies to upscale (and make usable) low resolution images. He says this is the first of what will be a series of A.I. enhancements.

At a press conference presented by equipment manufacturer EFI VP, worldwide marketing and business development, Ken Hanulec, reported A.I. enhancements to its EFInsight software, which was designed for the company’s Nozomi line, but has been extended to EFI’s complete portfolio. Further, Hanulec highlighted the release of the FabriVu 340 i8 printer, which runs with eight colors including light cyan, magenta, and black. He also highlighted an available width increase (not 1.7 meters) to the Nozomi, which can print more than 1,000 boards per hour.

Already mentioned, automation — whether mechanical or through software innovation — continues to shape and define the efficiencies of wide-format equipment, delivering greater throughput and improved quality. Many other exhibitors, whether highlighting printing systems or finishing systems, touted their automation initiatives.

Sustainability continues to be a growing and more prominent focus among exhibitors, evidences by the mentions and messages featured in both booths and presentations. Part of this is likely driven by the fact that sustainability initiatives are increasingly being mandated by government, and also because the broader opinion of sustainability has moved from “a nice thing to do someday” to a confirmed, favorable business opportunity.

It must be noted that the cluster of events under the FESPA umbrella included its inaugural Corrugated Conference, which focused on digital systems that increasingly changing the business opportunities and models guiding corrugated converters. While this space isn’t wide-format per se, it as proven to be a strong adjacency for wide-format printers seeking new revenue streams.

At the end of the day, Michael Ryan, head of global development at FESPA, shared that registration was strong and the aisles of the event were busy. He shared the possibility that registrations would exceed those of the 2025 FESPA event in Berlin.

It is interesting to mention that while FESPA is now considered a stand-alone brand, not so much the acronym it once was. Back in the day, the “SP” in FESPA stood for screen printing — once the go-to technology for the graphic printing space. It is fascinating to consider the profound digital transformation of the wide-format segment and the printing industry in general. Ever forward.