PrintXpand Insights & Innovations—June 2025
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June has been one of those months when it feels like everything is happening at once in our industry. Between major product launches, eye-opening conferences, and some genuinely exciting tech breakthroughs, there's a lot to unpack. Here's what caught our attention and why it matters for your business.
Continued Advancements in Digital Printing & AI
PrintVis 26 Delivers Advanced Print Business Management
PrintVis 26 launched this month, and honestly, it's refreshing to see an MIS platform that doesn't overpromise and underdeliver. The real-time job tracking works as advertised, the automated prepress workflows actually eliminate those annoying bottlenecks we all know too well, and you can finally see what's happening across your entire production floor without playing detective.
What makes this different? It's built by people who clearly understand that print shops don't have time for systems that require a PhD to operate. Everything connects the way it should—business management talks to production planning, production talks to scheduling and estimating, and somehow it all just works seamlessly with your existing workflow.
Antares Vision Group Launches AI Visual Inspection Platform
Anyone who's ever had a bad print run with color shifts or registration issues slip through knows that sinking feeling. Antares Vision Group's new AI-powered inspection platform is designed to catch those quality control problems before they become expensive reprints. The system learns what proper color matching and print consistency look like, spotting defects, blemishes, and misregistration in real-time—no more hoping your quality control operator catches everything during make-ready.
The interesting part isn't just the machine vision technology; it's that this kind of automated inspection is finally becoming accessible to smaller commercial printers and packaging converters, not just the big offset operations with massive budgets.
Epson Combines Inkjet Technology with Robotics
Epson's latest innovation combines piezoelectric inkjet technology with 6-axis robotics to print on complex 3D geometries that would make your prepress team's head spin. Think beyond traditional substrates—we're talking about direct printing on curved surfaces, cylindrical objects, and irregular shapes that conventional flatbed or sheet-fed presses can't touch.
This opens doors for packaging converters, label manufacturers, and specialty printing operations that never considered digital decoration before. Suddenly, that oddly-shaped promotional product or complex packaging prototype that was impossible to print on with traditional lithography? Problem solved with variable data capabilities to boot.
Xerox Demonstrates Workflow Automation at Amplify Print 2025
Xerox used Amplify Print 2025 to demonstrate some seriously impressive JDF-enabled workflow automation and finishing embellishments like foil stamping, embossing, and spot UV capabilities. The workflow automation handles those repetitive preflighting and imposition tasks that eat up prepress time, while the embellishments add that tactile appeal and shelf presence that customers remember.
Here's what's smart about their approach: automation isn't just about reducing makeready times—it's about freeing up your bindery and finishing operators to focus on complex jobs that actually add value. The embellishments turn routine CMYK work into premium print products that command higher margins.
Focus on Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Solutions
Automation and Sustainability Drive Labelexpo Europe 2025
Sustainability took center stage at Labelexpo Europe 2025, but not in the usual "feel-good, do-little" way. Exhibitors showed real solutions—automation that cuts waste, AI that reduces material usage, and processes that actually lower carbon footprints without sacrificing quality or speed.
What's encouraging is seeing sustainability and profitability working together instead of against each other. Companies are proving you can do right by the environment while improving your bottom line.
Key Events and Industry Connections
PIAS 2025 Graphic Awards Recognize Industry Excellence
The PIAS 2025 Graphic Awards wrapped up with Lithographics Inc. from Nashville taking home Best in Show. What stood out wasn't just the quality of the winning work—it was how every winner combined old-school craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.
These awards remind us that our industry rewards both artistic vision and technical innovation. The companies that excel understand that traditional skills and new technology aren't competing—they're collaborating.
Print Matters Conference 2025 Explores Digital Integration
The Print Matters Conference in Zurich just concluded, and the conversations were as valuable as the presentations. The big theme? Digital transformation isn't coming—it's here, and it's moving faster than many expected.
The most interesting discussions happened between sessions, where industry veterans shared real experiences with automation, AI adoption, and sustainable practices. These conversations matter because they're based on actual results, not marketing promises.
The print industry is in one of those periods where everything feels possible. New technologies are solving old problems, sustainability is becoming profitable, and companies that embrace change are pulling ahead of those that don't.
At PrintXpand : End-to-End Web-to-Print Solutions Provider , we're watching these developments closely because they shape how we build our POD solutions and web-to-print platform. Our goal is simple: help businesses take advantage of these opportunities without getting overwhelmed by the complexity.