Bringing the Future of Print Into Focus in Las Vegas
The printing industry doesn’t need a reminder that 2026 has been a grind. Sales are barely moving, costs keep climbing, and a war half a world away is increasing the price of nearly everything. Yet months before opening day, PRINTING United Expo's 1-million-sqft show floor was more than 90% sold.
The industry has decided this is not the year to stay home.
The print industry converges on the North and Central Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 23-25 bringing together more than 800 exhibitors, attendees from across the globe, hundreds of product launches, and every corner of the business — including commercial, apparel, wide-format, labels and packaging, mailing, in-plant, textiles, and industrial printing. A redesigned digital experience should make it easier than ever to plan your three days before you land.
And it’s not just about the equipment — although there will be more than 4 million tons of it on the floor. The AI Pavilion focuses on implementation, the advocacy team will walk you through your actual tariff exposure, and the Alliance’s economists are bringing the numbers on where the industry stands. The goal is to send attendees home with what they need to make the right decisions right now — and into 2027.
For many attendees, the question this year isn’t which press to buy. It’s whether to buy at all.
Andy Paparozzi, chief economist at PRINTING United Alliance, offers a counterintuitive answer. “During periods of extreme uncertainty, the tendency is to sit tight and wait for clarity,” he says. “The opportunity, however, is to create clarity by moving ahead with capital investment that boosts productivity, automation, and speed.”
He emphasizes that this doesn’t mean rushing into decisions. It means carefully evaluating the options and weighing the cost of waiting. For printers conducting that research, the Expo condenses months of vendor meetings, reference checks, and comparison shopping into just three days.
Paparozzi isn’t downplaying the risk. “The outlook depends largely on the course of war in the Middle East,” he says, and its impact on printers is already evident.
Read more in-depth coverage on the print industry moving forward amid economic uncertainty from our sister publication, Printing Impressions.
Hundreds of products will make their North American debut in Las Vegas, along with previews of upcoming technologies. The launches will span digital printing and automation, specialty finishing, workflow software, and more.
Some of the most exciting discoveries occur at the intersections of different segments: digital textile printing in signage, packaging innovations adapted for commercial use, and automation crossing multiple sectors of the show floor.
The industry has operated this way for some time, and the numbers bear it out. More than 75% of SOI participants have diversified beyond their primary printing segment, according to the “State of the Industry Report 2026,” sponsored by Canon U.S.A. Inc. Two-thirds now offer services beyond printing, and those services are expected to grow from 23.5% of revenue today to 28.6% by 2028.
For companies weighing their next move, the Expo provides an opportunity to compare technologies and applications from across the industry in one place.
Roland DG TY-300i Direct-to-Film printer
The TY-300i direct-to-film printer is one printer that will be on display at PRINTING United Expo. The TY-300i reportedly helps users achieve exceptional results with richer color, stronger detail, and more consistent results. Fast output and expanded white ink capacity keep production moving, even on demanding days, says Roland DGA.
The TY-300i offers a complete Roland DG DTF setup with premium inks, film, and powder, backed by support from the company.
Credit: Roland DGA | Credit: Roland DGA
The Apparel Zone (Booth C1485) returns with a mandate that may sound almost contrarian on a trade show floor: education over selling.
“When attendees visit the Apparel Zone, they’re coming to learn, not be sold to,” says Cassie Green, content director, Apparelist. “They’re seeing what the equipment and technologies are capable of and having educational conversations with the sponsors. It’s all about finding out what you don’t know and going beyond what you thought was possible in apparel decoration.”
For the third year, the Zone is tied together by a design theme created in partnership with local decorators. This year’s theme, “Wear the Future,” is a vibrant homage to the creative energy that apparel decorating technologies offer — and a nudge to attendees to think ahead, consider what’s bigger, and go create their own future in the segment.
At the Apparelist Live! Theatre, Zone sponsors DTF Superstore, Hirsch Solutions, SanMar, STAHLS’, and SuperGamut will take the stage several times throughout the show alongside other sponsor speakers.
“These are not 45-minute sales presentations,” Green says. “They are designed to ensure attendees learn something specific about apparel decorating techniques and blanks alongside the opportunities they offer.”
Sessions are tailored for everyone ranging from beginners to veteran decorators.
Despite DTF’s explosion over the past few years, it will not crowd out everything else. “No single technology will dominate the Apparel Zone, but rather it’s about teaching decorators how to leverage each one in their specific business,” Green says. “The smart ones will consider if DTF is good for them, but they will also explore all the technologies in the Zone.”
Who shows up tells the convergence story in miniature: veteran garment decorators, yes, but also commercial and wide-format printers, promotional products distributors, and in-plants evaluating apparel as a next revenue stream.
“As convergence continues to blur the lines between the various printing industry verticals, apparel is more and more becoming a common theme across all of them,” Green says.
More than 70 paid sessions cover the business of running a print operation with topics ranging from growing sales, pricing for margin, hiring, and M&A to AI adoption, diversification into promo and apparel, sustainability compliance, workplace safety, and advocacy.
Session titles such as "Margins Over Machines: The Business Decisions That Actually Make You Money," "The Price Perception Problem: How to Sell Value, Not Discounts," and "What Print Owners Aren't Doing to Build Their Business (and Why It's Costing Them Growth)" give a fair snapshot of what is on owners' minds this year.
The presenters are practitioners, drawing from real-world operations and experience. Some of the best networking happens in the hallway after a session, when attendees realize they're up against the same problems.
If your team already uses iLEARNING+, these sessions are not replacements for it. The platform provides year-round training on production skills such as color management, bindery, and customer service, while most Expo sessions focus on the business side of the operation, with select hands-on production topics included.
The key difference is the opportunity to ask presenters how their advice relates to your specific operation and learn about the challenges other printers face.
The PRINTING AI Pavilion debuted in 2025 and ran out of room.
“Year 1 proved the appetite,” says Amy Servi-Bonner, VP, PRINTING AI, PRINTING United Alliance. “Print and packaging operators were not just curious about AI; they were starved for a place to have honest, grounded conversations about it without getting sold to. We filled that need and ran out of room. Year 2 is about earning the credibility that comes with permanence.”
The 2026 Pavilion (Booth N6531) is larger, but Servi-Bonner is quick to clarify what that means. “Bigger does not mean louder. It means more intentional.”
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The agenda follows a deliberate three-day arc. Day 1 examines what AI is already costing an operation. Day 2 shows what a real implementation looks like and what it returns. Day 3 is your move.
“Most event programming tells you what is possible,” Servi-Bonner says. “This one is designed to tell you what to do Monday morning.”
A centerpiece of the experience is the AI Readiness Benchmark, which launched earlier this year. A self-serve version runs throughout all three days. Attendees scan a QR code from anywhere in the Pavilion, work through a structured assessment across six operational areas, and receive a scored Lab Report personalized to their operation.
PRINTING United Alliance members receive a complimentary Expo + Education pass, an express members-only registration queue, access to the Member Experience, and more. But the most notable addition for 2026 is scheduled time with the Alliance’s own subject matter experts.
“One of the new things we’re offering this year is the opportunity to schedule one-on-one time with our subject matter experts,” says Christine Cachuela, VP, membership operations, PRINTING United Alliance. “We know attendees often come to the Expo with specific questions, and this gives them a chance to have a dedicated conversation with the people who can help.”
Attendees can stop by the Alliance booth to check availability for the week. Experts will be on-hand in areas including government affairs, workplace safety and environmental compliance, workforce development, human resources, and membership — with additional topics represented throughout the show. The office hours are open to current members and prospective members alike.
For someone considering a membership, Cachuela’s pitch skips past the obvious perk.
“The Expo pass is a great benefit, but it’s not the reason to join,” she says. “What I’d tell someone is that membership gives you access to people and resources that are there for you all year — not just during the three days of the show. If you need help finding training for your team, understanding a regulation, connecting with industry peers, or just figuring out where to go for answers, we’re here. The Expo is where a lot of those conversations start, but membership is what keeps them going.”
Both individual and corporate members receive the complimentary Expo + Education pass and access to the Member Experience. After the show, a corporate membership extends training, resources, research, and expert support to the entire company.
Asked which benefit members underuse most, Cachuela doesn’t hesitate.
“Honestly, it’s us,” she says. “I think many members don’t realize how accessible our team is. We have experts covering everything from safety and government affairs to workforce development and business resources, and people are often surprised when they find out they can simply pick up the phone or send an email with a question. We may not always have the answer ourselves, but we’ll find the person who does. That’s one of the biggest values of membership, and I don’t think enough people take advantage of it.”
In a year with this many open questions, one of the fastest ways to find answers is to go where everyone who has them will be. For three days in September, that’s Las Vegas.
The trip pays off more if you don’t come alone. Much of the schedule is built for different organizational roles. The AI Pavilion, for example, runs sessions aimed separately at owners, operations leads, and front-line staff. A capital decision evaluated from several vantage points is stronger than one made alone from the corner office.
Come to benchmark your AI readiness, learn about a new global color standard, to sort out your tariff exposure, or simply to find a better way to do what you already do.
Nonmember general admission started at $50 for an Expo-only pass and $150 with paid education, with rates increasing as the show nears. Alliance members attend free. Registration is open at printingunited.com, where members also receive VIP perks and enhanced access to the full Expo experience.
See you in Las Vegas.