Print4All Conference Discusses New Technologies, Challenges
The Print4All Conference 2024, one of the most important events in the roadmap to Print4All 2025 – the exhibition dedicated to the world of printing – was successfully held on 11 July, 2024, at the elegant Villa Quaranta. The picturesque winemaking region attracted hundreds of delegates, including members of supply chain associations, from around the world.
The conference provided the perfect platform for industry stakeholders to hear views of market experts and share the vision of manufacturers and brand owners through an open exchange of ideas and sharing the best practices, new trends, and emerging technologies.
Organised by ACIMGA and ARGI – the two leading Italian associations in the printing and converting sectors – in collaboration with Fiera Milano, the Print4All Conference is aimed at the entire printing and converting industry.
Presented by Stratego Group CEO Enrico Barboglio, the delegates were greeted by the two presidents of the organizing associations, Daniel Barbui of ACIMGA and Antonio Maiorano of ARGI, and by Print4All exhibition director Paolo Pizzocaro. Both Barbui and Maiorano underlined the need to strengthen collaboration between the two associations to organize events like the Print4All that has become an aggregation hub for the printing and converting supply chain.
The title, ‘Future Print: supply chain outlooks and innovation for the printing industry of tomorrow’, summarised the day’s objective. Starting with an analysis of the innovations and technological advances introduced to the market in recent months, a broader scenario was sketched out, leaving ample room for interdisciplinary debate throughout the supply chain to consider the future directions in all areas of the printing industry, from converting to packaging, from labelling to commercial and industrial printing.
“The Print4All Conference has always been a strategic system project that goes beyond a simple conference event and is the result of being the only event where the entire printing and converting supply chain – manufacturers, printers, communication agencies/designers, brands – meets and interacts around the main issues that drive the sector and the market,” says ACIMGA’s Barbui. “This year’s theme once again underlines the absolute necessity to face the challenges of the future from a common perspective, with ever greater inclusiveness and aggregation. This is effectively reflected in the support of all the industry associations who have confirmed their support for the 2024 edition through their patronage of the event.”
ARGI’s Maiorano adds, “The 2024 edition of the conference is the last fundamental step on the way to the next exhibition, a bridging event leading up to Print4All 2025. Both events stand out in the global panorama because they are cross-cutting and complementary events that bring together all levels of the supply chain at a single time and place, embracing all printing technologies in the three pillars of Packaging & Labelling, Commercial Printing, and Industrial & Wide Format.”
“Print4All is an event dedicated to business and knowledge and the Print4All Conference as a moment to verify the state of its reference market,” adds show director Pizzocaro.
Michele Bianchi, president of the Federazione Carta e Grafica, put the printing sector’s turnover at over 27 billion euros. Speaking about the 2023 market results, Bianchi stated that the 13.4% dip in the market (with the sole exception of the machinery sector, which saw a 3.6% uptick) must be considered in the light of several unprecedented events, including the pandemic and the ensuing shortage of materials, supply chain disruptions, soaring energy prices, and destocking. But despite these challenges, the sector has more or less bounced back and is responding well, evident in the preliminary data collected in 2024 that shows improvement.
Major Italian associations in the printing sector including Assocarta, Assografici, ATIF, Comieco, Federazione Carta e Grapfica, FESPA Italia, GIFASP, GIFCO, GIFLEX, TAGA Italia, and Unione GCT, international organisations like the European Rotogravure Association (ERA), and several print industry publications offered their endorsement and support to the conference.
Themes preview Innovations & Technological Advances
Throughout the day, the innovations and technological advances – from the point of view of both the manufacturers and the brand owners and creatives who have the opportunity to use them – were grouped around three themes that previewed the special areas returning to the Print4All 2025 exhibition. Green Printing dealt with the many challenges facing the printing industry in terms of sustainability and the recycling of production waste. Corrugated Experience threw light on the strong innovative drive of a sector which is not showing any signs of slowing down. The third theme – PrintMAT – focused on materials innovation as an area of strong experimentation and design creativity, looking for new ways to push the traditional boundaries of printing.
Artificial intelligence and future technology were the hot topics for the audience. Speaking on AI, Andrea Camisani, CTO at Camozzi Automation, described the impact of technology on industrial automation. Consultant, researcher, and communication technology evangelist Pat McGrew offered a compelling overview of the latest trends in the technological, application, and strategic fields. McGrew’s observations proved useful for printing companies to evaluate future investments.
Two lively round tables were held in the afternoon session. The first one, between brands and agencies, had a comparison of the supply chain, while the second saw the contributions of leading printers in various sectors – from flexible to corrugated packaging, from commercial to large format printing. The common denominator in both meetings was the central role of the press and of the emerging technologies in making effective and impactful communication possible. The conference emphasized the need for discussions and collaborations between industry stakeholders in a rapidly evolving sector to meet future challenges.
Print4All 2025 will be held at Fiera Milano, Italy, from 27-30 May, 2025.
