Important First Looks During Day One of FESPA 2025

Innovation, automation, and new technology were the key terms defining day one of FESPA, taking place in Berlin, Germany, May 6-9, 2025. This year’s event played host to several new equipment and technology releases, and served as a marker for key partnership announcements between major companies.

New Equipment Focuses on Automation

Kicking off the day was a press conference from EFI, during which Ken Hanulec, VP, worldwide marketing for EFI, led a discussion centered around key growth trends in the printing industry.

The EFI VUTEk M3h features automated media handling, print speeds up to 280 sq. meters/hour, and 2,400 dpi. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

Hanulec noted that the company’s focus has been on the transition from analog to digital, which is largely driven by customer demand. “We believe that customers are interested in two or three things maximum,” he said in the press conference. “They want to take costs out of their business — especially in today’s macroeconomic environments — or they want to enable new applications so they can expand their go-to markets, their reach, and more importantly, their margins.”

In the spirit of new technology, EFI announced the launch of its VUTEk M3h, which showed for the first time at FESPA. The printer features automated media handling, print speeds up to 280 sq.mtr./hr., and 2,400 dpi.

In addition, the company focused on convergence in packaging, signage, and other solutions, highlighting EFInsight, a cloud-based platform that helps track data for business intelligence.

Show here from the front, the Agfa Panthera is a monster of a machine that boasts speeds up to 16,297 sq. ft./hour. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

Also among companies making big equipment announcements was Agfa. The company unveiled two inkjet printing systems: the Jeti Tauro H3300 XUHS and the Onset Panthera FB3216. The Panthera can reach speeds up to 16,297 sq.ft./hr. and packs an eye-catching robotic system. Its LED curing system features two units at the front and one at the rear, which the company says allows each layer to dry with precision, “ensuring strong adhesion, a wider color gamut, and dazzling high-gloss finishes.”

The Jeti Tauro H3300 XUHS, a hybrid printer, features 12 rows of print heads and is available in four- or seven-color configurations, including options for ink channel redundancy in dark colors and enhanced light/mid-tones.

Alongside the printing systems releases, Agfa is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Anapurna printer series. The company commissioned an artist to create special artwork for the occasion. Ten of its Ciervo printers are wrapped in the artwork as special editions machines.

Durst had a big presence on the FESPA floor, as well. Operating around the theme “Made in Durst,” the company premiered a few new solutions:

• P5 500 TEX iSUB – a water-based sublimation printer
• P5 X – high-end flatbed printing system that can also be used for roll printing
• LF 40 GF – expansion of Durst’s direct-to-fabric printing portfolio
• P5 350 HS D4 – “D4” version of its P5 3in50 HS

Alongside the equipment debuts was a focus on Durst’s software portfolio, which includes additional automation solutions.

The FASTSEWN CNC sewing and cutting system contains 2D sewing and cutting in one automated operation. | Credit: Wide-format Impressions

In the world of textiles, our team also got a breakdown of the FASTSEWN CNC sewing and cutting system, where 2D sewing and cutting happen in one automated operation without any manual handling.

A Spotlight on Software

In the world of software, Adobe came to FESPA armed with its new PDF Print Engine 7. Playing with the number “7,” the platform update has seven new key foci:

• In-RIP multicolor transparency blending – Adobe shared during its press conference that this is an “industry first” that overcomes technical hurdles of transparency blending for expanded color gamut (ECG) print jobs
• In-RIP merging of variable product data – a feature that Adobe reports will “help accelerate adoption of product authentication and streamline production of simple direct mail”
• In-RIP rendering of Adobe Photoshop Illustrator job files – Adobe reports that with this feature, prepress operations can eliminate the manual steps of opening the  job in the design software and converting it to PDF
• In-RIP bleed generation – a feature for jobs that need to be trimmed but were submitted with graphics that stop at the trim line
• In-RIP cutline expansion – again, the focus here eliminates the need for manual preparation steps
• In-RIP white mask generation for printing on metallic substrates – builds on the white ink capabilities of Print Engine 6 to automatically generate a white ink mask from the metallic spot color plate
• New performance and scalability features – help boost the speed of caching, image resampling operations, and multithreaded trapping

Beta testing began rollout in April of this year, with final Gold Material edition distribution to those testers happening in August. OEMs and RIP vendors should expect to release products done using PDF Print Engine 7 by 2026.

Several other companies have new equipment and announcements — stay tuned to our future coverage from the FESPA floor to hear about the latest from HP, Kornit Digital, Inkcups, and more.