Sign-ups are growing: many leading international brands are already on board. Against the backdrop of a market that is showing positive signs, this system project has the support of leading national and international players from the entire supply chain.

With less than a year to go until the next edition, Print4All, the exhibition dedicated to the world of printing, to be held at Fiera Milano from 27 to 30 May 2025, is taking shape and, in just three editions, has confirmed itself as a reference point for the sector, thanks to the renewed confidence shown by companies and associations.

Organised by Fiera Milano and promoted by Argi and Acimga, the two Italian associations of reference in the printing and converting sector, the exhibition has already attracted some of the most important companies in the market. The associative network that has grown around the project, recognising its role and value, is also significant. Numerous stakeholders from the entire supply chain – starting with Federazione Carta e Grafica, Assografici and its Specialization Groups, TAGA Italia (Association of graphic arts technicians), Fespa Italia Association and international bodies such as ERA (European Rotogravure Association) and Global Print – are in fact supporting Print4All in terms of expertise and planning, helping to make it an important platform for training and information, where you can discover the latest market news, but also discuss future challenges and acquire practical tools to remain competitive.

THE ITALIAN MARKET

Contrary to other industrial sectors, the Italian market scenario for printing, packaging and converting machinery manufacturers is showing positive and resilient signs in the complex period we are currently experiencing – after overcoming the shortage of components, there are high energy costs and continuing problems with freight transport.

According to Acimga, in fact, the sector closed 2023 with a turnover of €3,050 million, marking a 3.6% increase compared to 2022. The growth was driven by domestic deliveries (+4.8%), but the export figure was also positive (+2.7%), increasing by almost €50 million compared to the previous year, reaching just under €1,800 million and almost reaching the record level of 2018. The USA is confirmed as the first market for Italian exports, while the European Union remains the sector’s main destination, with an increase of 15.1% in 2022.

Pre-forecasts for the first quarter of 2024 and forecast data for the current year are also positive, showing signs of continued overall growth with an increase in exports

While the package printing-oriented segment is performing well, the commercial, graphics and stationery segments – i.e. offset and digital printing machines – are experiencing a particular phenomenon in Italy.

According to Argi, the surge in sales in 2022 was heavily influenced by the Industry 4.0 tax breaks and incentives, and is itself the cause of the rebound in 2023. The very favourable tax advantage created the conditions for the renewal of the fleets of printers and converters, with investments concentrated in the window offered by Industry 4.0, so much so that the recovery is most evident in the offset world, focussed on systems where the tax advantage could have the greatest impact.

However, in 2023, the offset sales figures are much higher than in 2018, 2019 and 2021: revenues in the three-year period 2021-2023 are 60% higher than revenues in the previous three-year period.

For digital printing machines, however, the decline compared to 2022 is just under 10%. However, it is interesting to note that the decline in turnover from the sale of machinery (usually referred to as ‘non-recurring’) was only just over 2%, while ‘recurring’ turnover, i.e. from services and consumables, suffered the most (down 15%).

The market for digital label printing machines, on the other hand, has been growing steadily at around 8% year-on-year for the past three years. In particular, the market segment for machines with print speeds in excess of 20 metres per minute continues to grow.

Finally, plate printing did not experience the recovery that other market segments did after the negative jump in 2020. On the contrary, the steady decline in the number of square metres of printing plates sold continued, indicating a decline in print volumes that continues to affect the commercial printing market in particular.

PRINT4ALL 2025: THE PROJECT AND ITS GUIDING PRINCIPLES

By once again offering an innovative format that goes beyond the traditional segmentation of the printing industry, Print4All 2025 reaffirms its identity as an integrated platform dedicated to the industry and combining a number of characteristics: a showcase for solutions and innovations based on the companies’ offers; a laboratory of ideas, aiming to look at the potential of the market and its main areas of development, with a supply chain approach, and finally a home for content, with a strong commitment to discussion and professional development.

There are three guiding principles around which Project 2025 is being developed: Convergence, Experience and Networking.

Convergence refers to the new opportunities that are opening up today for different print applications to intersect to create new solutions and new business opportunities, as well as between technologies and new techniques.

Print4All will also be an Experience: emerging topics and new challenges in the sector will be the focus of themed areas dedicated to specific market segments, for in-depth discussion that will accompany visitors throughout the exhibition.

Finally, Networking: Print4All is a business opportunity and a meeting of complementary sectors thanks to the participation of the entire supply chain: manufacturers, printers, communication agencies, designers and brand owners. Another added value is the renewed membership of The Innovation Alliance, the event dedicated to instrument mechanics, with Print4All taking place at the same time as Ipack-Ima, Greenplast and Intralogistica Italia. An important opportunity to discover machines that manage different stages of the industrial production process, united by a very high level of innovation and significant investment in research and development, especially in the light of the major changes that are affecting every sector.

PRINTMAT, CORRUGATED EXPERIENCE AND GREEN PRINTING: A THREE-DIMENSIONAL EVENT

Print4All will be a unique opportunity to explore the market segments that represent not only the greatest progress, but also the greatest potential for growth and development. New materials, corrugated cardboard and the most original solutions for greener printing will be the focus of the exhibition, thanks to three areas that provide a vertical insight into the sectors they represent.

PrintMAT: where the “wow” factor thrives – in a market context where brands increasingly need to express uniqueness and distinctive, personal values, materials and media play a key role. PrintMAT, an area that has been present at previous editions but which is always innovating thanks to the wide range of solutions and materials on offer, will showcase the most innovative solutions in the constant search for the “wow” factor. Here you will find outstanding print applications, practical examples of how the innovative combination of new technologies, materials and substrates – traditional and non-traditional – and inks can achieve completely new results and bridge the gap that often exists between creative idea and realisation. The aim of PrintMAT is to demonstrate how printing can go “beyond” to become communication, packaging and identity itself for the brand that wants to communicate its excellence and differentiate itself.

Corrugated Experience: discover corrugated cardboard – Not just a vertical sector, Corrugated Experience is a real themed journey amongst companies that, thanks to their experience and the technological avant-garde they have achieved, will look at innovation in the corrugated cardboard sector, an important market segment with constant growth that shows no signs of stopping. In recent years the sector has been characterised by a strong innovative drive, demonstrating an evolutionary capacity with high added value, which is most pronounced in Europe and Italy, geographical areas that are home to the main manufacturers of machinery and systems for the production, converting and printing of corrugated cardboard, whose R&D activities are world class.

Green Printing: sustainability at heart – Sustainability is an increasingly important dimension for the converting and printing supply chain, in a vision that encompasses the entire lifecycle of the printed product, from production to distribution to disposal. This is why Print4All is dedicating a special part of the exhibition – the Green Printing area- to green opportunities, aimed at companies that can help the printing world in its ecological transition and provide a qualified showcase for the most innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact.

THE ROADMAP TO PRINT4ALL 2025

Launched over a year ago, the roadmap to the exhibition, through participation in the industry’s key events, is a unique opportunity not only to meet the market and its supply chain on an ongoing basis, to understand their needs and urgencies, but also to begin a listening process that will culminate in the education and training events at the show.

The next step is the Print4All Conference 2024, which will be held on 11 July at Villa Quaranta, Ospedaletto di Pescantina. The Roadmap’s most important event of the year, the conference will be an opportunity to listen to the voice of market experts, but above all to share the vision of manufacturers and brand owners through an open exchange of ideas and experiences on best practices, new trends and emerging technologies. It is aimed at all communities in the printing and converting industry.

The title, Future Print: supply chain outlooks and innovation for the printing industry of tomorrow, summarises the aim of the day: starting with an analysis of the innovations and technological advances introduced to the market in recent months, a broader scenario will be sketched out, leaving plenty of room for interdisciplinary debate throughout the supply chain, to look at the future directions of the printing world in all industry segments, from converting to packaging, from labelling to commercial and industrial printing.