The Print Show Review: From Strength to Strength

With a number of sales announced at the show as well as an increased number of visitors compared to the past two years (4,012 reported this year), The Print Show 2024 has been hailed by many exhibitors and visitors as a great success.

Taking place from September 17th to 19th at the NEC in Birmingham, the show built on the momentum and positive feelings from last year’s edition to cement itself as a key event in the print calendar.
What was also refreshing at this year’s show was the variety and diversity of different companies all celebrating success in different ways.

In this review we recap just some of that success as well as hear from exhibitors and visitors about what stood out to them at this year’s show.

UK Debuts

Following a year of events such as FESPA Global Print Expo and drupa print fair, The Print Show already had a lot of interest, especially for UK businesses which may not have been able to travel overseas to check out some of this year’s product launches.

Building on these events, the show offered exhibitors the chance to not only channel certain communications directly to a UK audience, but also add more launches to a year already stacked with innovations.

One company that made a big impression at the show, partly thanks to its very visual stand and its highly indulgent snacks, was Print.com, which used the exhibition as an opportunity to fully introduce itself to members of the UK print and signage industries.

The print platform showed off its signature airline theme with large airport themed graphics along with staff dressed in vivid red and white uniforms. Team members or “the cabin crew” brought a bit of the Netherlands to Birmingham with the country’s signature stroopwaffles for visitors to enjoy for free.

Launched in the UK earlier in year, The Print Show acted as a great opportunity to introduce Print.com to more potential “frequent flyers” and get the brand more recognised amongst print and marketing professionals.

Speaking about the company’s offering at the show, Fiona Reid, country captain at Print.com, said: “I’ve personally worked in print for the past twenty odd years, and I think we really have a new and fresh way of looking at things.

“The company has got a really strong brand, it’s really open to collaboration and adapting its platform, plus it has lots of integrations such as our Toolbox of different APIs that help other printers sell more print.”

Throughout social media and the trade press, many photos and reviews noted the fun addition of Print.com’s stroopwaffles, which demonstrated the show’s ability to make UK visitors feel they hadn’t missed out on similar experiences overseas earlier in the year.

“It’s been great so far, day one we had loads of really great conversations with lots of potential new customers,” said Reid, adding: “As I mentioned before, I have a history in the print industry, and so because I had been here before in a past life, I knew this would be one of the first exhibitions we had to exhibit at.”

Another company looking to make a splash for the first time at The Print Show was Artworker, a software company which helps printers eliminate artwork issues and receive files from customers in a way smart and efficient way.

On the first day of the show, Artworker brought along David Brent impersonator, Tim Oliver, to attract people to the stand and make exhibitors and visitors more aware of the Artworker brand.

It was safe to say the character turned a few heads and caused a bit of chaos as he brought Ricky Gervais’ signature character to life at the show. Nate Duckworth, co-founder of Artworker, said: “Being big fans of the UK Office series and with David Brent meant to be in the paper industry, we thought it would be fun to bring him along and let him interact with everybody.

“People have enjoyed his jokes, have taken selfies with him, and overall, it has helped us stand out with something a bit different.”

Discussing his reasoning for exhibiting at The Print Show, Duckworth added: “I’ve been coming to The Print Show for many years. Last year there was an incredible energy, and up till now we’ve been heavily in the R&D and building stages of the company.

“We’re now in a really good position to showcase to the industry what we’ve been working on, how it can help printers, but also speak to companies and understand what problems businesses are facing, and what could be made more efficient and streamlined.

“I think it’s been a massive learning curve for both us and the visitors so we can come together to build the best product possible.”

Sales and Launches

As well as new brands, the show was also a hub for many product launches and new investments.
Fujifilm had the largest single exhibitor stand at the show, spanning 240sqm, and returned to The Print Show this year to showcase its latest digital printing innovations, including the UK debut of the Revoria SC285 toner press.

Also showcased was the Revoria PC1120, which boasts a ten colour advanced print engine.
During the show, Fujifilm announced the purchase of a PC1120 by Ballyprint, a Northern Irish print provider specialising in litho, digital, and wide-format print.

A company that also had a large presence at the show was Hybrid Services, the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor of Mimaki, which unveiled its new CJV200 and TS330-3200 DS models in Europe for the first time.

Using the same print engine as the 330 Series high-production models, the CJV200 Series is Mimaki’s new range of entry-level solvent integrated printer/cutters.

The range has been designed to be more accessible to printers of varying levels of experience to operate and maintain and includes new features such an ‘ink saving function’, a quicker printhead cleaning time, and Mimaki’s Dot Adjustment System (DAS).

Hybrid announced the very first UK sale of a Mimaki CJV200-160 at this year’s show. The machine was purchased by Cre8ive Printer. The Manchester-based company specialise in printing for banners, signage, and posters.

Speaking to Print Monthly at the show, Andy Gregory, sales director at Hybrid Services, said: “It’s been a great year for Mimaki in terms of product launches, as well as the two launches here at the show. We’ve also had our new high-speed kebab showcasing here for the first-time in the UK on our UJF flatbed printer.”

Speaking about Mimaki’s presence at the show, Greogry added: “It’s been fantastic to have the team from Mimaki Europe here with us at the show including the manager director which helped us to share these new products to a UK and European audience.”

Following European shows like FESPA Global Print Expo and drupa, this year’s show became a showcase of wide-format technology with brands such as Agfa, swissQprint, and Liyu UK also exhibiting.
The Print Show marked the first UK showing of swissQprint’s Kudu flatbed model and was also an introduction to Liyu’s Platinum KCXL+ flatbed model which launched earlier in the year at FESPA.

Agfa meanwhile launched its Anapurna Ciervo H3200 to the UK market, a wide-format printer which is reported to have an almost 70% increase in printing speeds while in Production Mode compared to its predecessors.

Speaking to Print Monthly at the event, Graham Clark, application specialist at Agfa, said: “The quality over quantity at this show has been unbelievable. Visitors have been very interested in our machines which has meant this has been a very good show for us.

The quality over quantity at this show has been unbelievable. Visitors have been very interested in our machines which has meant this has been a very good show for us

“The types of customers we are speaking to may not be at the point of making a large purchase, but they can talk to us about how we can help bring them forward. Visitors are here for a reason, they want to buy, and they want to improve their business.”

Similarly, CMYUK, a supplier of large-format digital printers, cutting equipment, and materials, had a successful show demonstrating solutions from Canon and JWEI.

The company’s stand featured the Canon Colorado M5W UVgel LED printer as well as the JWEI JCUT 1625 digital cutting table and Fiery Prep-it software.

CMYUK reported a string of sales at The Print Show including two JWEI cutting tables and three Canon Colorados. Among these sales was the purchase of a Canon Colorado by design, print, and display company, Carbon Colour.

Speaking at the event, Jason McNulty, senior digital sales consultant of CMYUK, explained: “The customer was after an upgrade from the machine he had, to give him more productivity.

“He came to the show because he was after more of an idea of how the machine was going to run. He had a look at it and confirmed everything we discussed.”

The success and presence of so many wide-format suppliers and signage companies means it has come as little surprise that The Print Show this year announced “The Sign Show” which will run as a co-locating event next year in Hall 3 of the NEC, Birmingham, from September 23rd to 25th, 2025.

Speaking about the launch of the new exhibition, Chris Davies, event director of The Print Show and now The Sign Show, comments: “The Print Show has had a strong wide-format print presence for a number of years now.

“This year we welcomed Fujifilm, swissQprint, Agfa Graphics, and Liyu UK to name but a few major manufacturers, as well as leading distributors and suppliers such as CMYUK, Soyang Europe, and Quality Print Services.”

Davies adds: "Across the two events, visitors from the signage market will be able to find the solutions they are looking for."

Strong Momentum

The feedback and chatter from both the 2023 and 2024 events have highlighted the positive atmosphere and momentum The Print Show has kept intact. This positive atmosphere could be seen via the engaging presentations at The Knowledge Zone, the many reunions taking place on the show floor, and the fun games and competitions being held by exhibitors.

On Stand B50, paper and board supplier Elliott Baxter Group (EBB) hosted a table football tournament dubbed ‘The Magno Cup 2024’.

Exhibitors competed for the chance to win a football table branded around EBB’s paper partner, Sappi Magno. The eventual winner of the 20-team tournament was creasing and print finishing company, Tech-ni-Fold which competed against Agfa in the final.

Speaking about the success of the show at the end of the three days, Davies commented: "In my opinion, this is the best year we have ever had. Lots of our exhibitors reported on-stand sales and high-quality leads, proving once again that The Print Show is an incredibly valuable gathering point for the UK print industry.

 “Add in a series of insightful sessions on the Knowledge Zone, a hugely enjoyable gala party evening and, as always, the chance to network with friends and peers, and the show’s stock has never been higher.”

A lot of the positivity from the show was evident online over the three-day exhibition. Speaking on social media, print and design company The Unique Enterprises, said: “This event gets bigger and better every year… Lots of ideas and inspiration to take away as the evolution of The Unique Enterprises continues.”

Marten Sims, senior lecturer at Arts University of Bournemouth, not only got to speak at The Print Show’s Knowledge Zone, but also got to experience the show with his students Lauren Gardner and Annabelle Turner.

Speaking to Print Monthly, Sims said: “We’ve absolutely loved being at The Print Show. Yesterday we got to experience the fun cocktail experience [organised by eProductivity Software, Transeo Media, Konica Minolta, Morgana Systems, Fujifilm, Premier Paper Group, Antalis, and Fiery] which gave us the chance to look at the different stands and meet new people.

“Seeing the equipment and what the printing industry can offer, it's been a real eye-opening experience for us. I’ve been working in the industry for over 20 years and even I am seeing new stuff. But I think for Anabelle and Lauren it was very important to see what different technologies can offer.”

Also at the show was Hampshire Design Studios, which took to Facebook to say: “Attending the show is beneficial in so many ways. We all get to look at new ideas together and keep up to date on the latest trends. It also gives us a chance to network with others in the industry too.”

Factoid: The Sign Show will launch alongside The Print Show in September 2025, in Hall 3 of the NEC, Birmingham

Speaking on LinkedIn, marketing lead of Sign Trade Supplies, Garrick Dartnell, said: “It is always interesting to see the crossover between the print and sign worlds.

“There is some very impressive print hardware on display and lots of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers which are not so prevalent in the sign industry. Can’t wait to see what Chris Davies and the team have in the pipeline for the joint show.”

To wrap things up, Davies concludes: “Of course, there was plenty of buzz about the launch of our new co-located event, The Sign Show, in 2025, so there is lots to already get excited about for next year’s show. Keep an eye on our websites and social media channels for updates on both events.”