For the past decade, FESPA Global Print Expo has taken place in either Germany or the Netherlands, showing the clear strength and power of speciality and wide-format print in central/Western Europe. This year was no different, as FESPA returned to Berlin after previously hosting its vast exhibition at the city in 2018 and 2022. Previous years of the show have dealt with several global issues as well as clashes with other industry events which has meant FESPA has taking place at different times within the year. One challenge at this year’s event was certainly the medley of bank holidays taking place across Europe which some said created a sense that “lots of people were in holiday mode”. Despite that, FESPA continued to fill many of its halls with visitors and business owners who all seemed to be attending the show with purpose and queries as opposed to window shopping. While the combination of drupa and FESPA last year meant a range of different machines launched in 2024, this year still saw a strong presence from manufacturers, especially those who supply solutions for wide-format and textile printing. Many manufacturers showcased and discussed themes such as near-shoring in response to global tariffs and sustainability, as well as creating solutions to cater to customers who are providing more services ever than before. Many of the stands at FESPA showed the creative uses of print, as exhibitors have done before, however this year’s edition seem to focus far more on creating large and explorative environments, rather than overloading or simplifying stands too much. Examples of this were Agfa, HP, Mimaki, STAHLS, Fujifilm, and swissQprint, all of which carefully laid out presses, materials, and software solutions for visitors to navigate. So, while this year’s show may not have had the momentum or headlines of previous shows, the atmosphere and volume of conversations taking place certainly made FESPA feel like the wide-format industry in particular was still in good stead. But what exactly were exhibitors showcasing at this year’s exhibition? Going Big One manufacturer which had perhaps the most printer debuts at the show was Agfa which showcased all its 2025 releases at the show. One of the standouts of the Agfa stand was its special edition Ciervo which marked 20 years of Anapurna inkjet printing technology. The printer featured a one-of-a-kind artistic design by Belgian street artist DZIA and was actually hand signed by the artist himself. Ten versions of this press were available on a firstcome first-serve basis. DZIA is well-known for his striking murals depicting wildlife in bold, geometric lines, making him a great fit for Agfa as it utilises its “beasts” theme into its range of printers. Speaking to SignLink at the show, Mike Horsten, senior press and PR manager for Agfa, said that the company has been revitalising its total line up in FESPA Global Print Expo has continued to show the ebbs and flows of the speciality print and signage industries as a range of printers, sign-makers, suppliers, and manufacturers all descended on Berlin to share in the latest products and solutions available on the market BUOYANT INDUSTRY BACK IN BERLIN FOR FESPA 2025 EVENTS / FESPA REVIEW 47 www.signlink.co.uk June / July 2025 - Issue 259
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