The 2026 PRINTING United Expo is over. Across three days and approximately 1 million square feet of show floor space, more than 27,000 registered attendees took in the latest and greatest in everything the print and promotional products industries had to offer.

This year’s Expo featured more than 850 exhibitors and attendees from more than 100 countries.

“The energy throughout PRINTING United Expo 2026 was extraordinary,” said Ford Bowers, president and CEO of PRINTING United Alliance. “What we saw in Las Vegas was an industry moving forward with confidence, investing in new technology, entering new markets, building stronger businesses and finding new ways to grow. The size and scope of this event are impressive, but it’s true impact comes from bringing the entire printing community together to exchange ideas, create opportunities and shape what comes next.”

This year’s Expo included an added focus on the promotional products industry with the ASI Pavilion. Suppliers of products ranging from drinkware and outdoor products to tech, apparel, signage, writing instruments and much more interacted with the print audience to further the convergence of the two industries and inspire print distributors to diversify their sales.

Learning Opportunities

The PRINTING United Expo featured more than 200 educational sessions and panels over the course of the show, where printers and print distributors could learn more about economic drivers for sales, challenges they will need to overcome, how to use emerging technology like automation and AI, and the prospect of adding new services like promotional products or apparel, as outlined during Theresa Hegel’s session, which featured industry pros from Specialized (asi/331350), Counselor Top 40 distributor ASB (asi/120075) and Pitch Black Printing Co. (asi/296267).

“This year’s Expo delivered exactly what the industry needs right now: access to innovation, direct conversations with experts and real opportunities to turn ideas into action,” said Josh Carruth, executive vice president for expositions at PRINTING United Alliance. “The engagement we witnessed, from the opening moments of Media Day and the G7+ Exchange through the final afternoon of the Expo, was remarkable. Attendees came ready to learn and invest, and exhibitors responded with technology, expertise and solutions designed to help businesses compete and grow.”

Tech & Takeaways

The show floor buzzed and hummed with action, as companies like Canon, HP and Roland demonstrated what their printing equipment was capable of. Whether it was wide-format printing, direct to film, embroidery or screen printing, there was something on display for distributors of all kinds.

Print brokers and printers especially curious about finding the bridge to the promotional products industry could use the innovations in package printing and design, as well as kitting inspiration from both the main show floor and the ASI Pavilion, where suppliers like Tekweld (asi/90807) explained the differences between the traditional print world and the conveniences of working with a promotional products supplier as a vendor.

“I think the print audience is excited for this revenue opportunity for them, where they know that their clients are buying promotional items and they’re coming to them for it,” said Gregg Szpicek, senior vice president for sales at Tekweld. “That conversation is a little bit of this ‘aha’ discovery. And there are those that are already kind of dabbling and saying, ‘OK, this percentage of my business is mostly print, but 10% [is promo] and I want to increase that to 40%. How do I do that?’ And some of the aha moments were explaining that you don’t have to buy blanks from us because we decorate them. The margin is already there where you don’t have to touch it, and they think that is something interesting.”

Conversations in the educational sessions also gave insight that informed the selling process for distributors, such as what the modern print buyer values in their vendor partners, using AI to improve design and planning, what promotional products trends are on the horizon and much more.

The PRINTING United Expo will return to Las Vegas next year from Sept. 14 to 16.

“Every Expo gives us an opportunity to listen, learn and raise the bar for the industry,” Bowers added. “We leave Las Vegas proud of what this community accomplished together and energized by where the industry is headed next. The Expo serves the industry on multiple levels: as a marketplace for innovation, a catalyst for growth and an economic engine that helps fuel the essential services, resources and programs the Alliance provides year-round.”