What do you feel were the main trends and key industry developments in 2024?
Firstly, the commitment to sustainable printing. From workflow automation, optimising processes to reduce energy usage, wastage and materials, sustainable printing is here to stay.

Even when sourcing new print equipment, focusing on those with the most carbon neutral impact, such as cold inkjet technology, is a key purchasing tactic. Cold inkjet printing, where no heat is used in the print process, reduces energy usage and ozone emissions is helping companies meet not only their own sustainability goals but their customers too. 

Also inkjet technology: with consumers demanding even faster turnaround times, shorter SLAs and consistent image quality, it is easy to see why inkjet devices are so trusted by commercial printers. Capable of delivering high levels of productivity from a very compact footprint they help maximise profitability, and allow for new markets and revenue streams to be opened up.

And an added benefit of cold inkjet printers is by having less moving parts, printer uptimes are optimised and productivity maximised so it’s clear to see why inkjet technology is leading the charge amongst commercial printers.

What do you expect to be the main trends, key industry developments, and biggest opportunities for printers in 2025?
The continued push toward greater automation continues to streamline print production. From pre-press (automating design and file handling) to finishing (automated cutting, folding, and packaging), end-to-end automation is reducing labour costs, speeding up production times, and improving overall efficiency. We have certainly already seen this demand and expect it to increase in 2025.

Digital printing for packaging is growing, driven by demand for short runs, faster turnarounds, and on-demand production. Packaging printers are increasingly adopting digital presses that allow for cost-effective production of variable designs and personalised packaging.

Continued and growing demand for eco-friendly printers and printing materials. Printers are looking for multiple ways to reduce environmental impact and improve air quality during production. Also as increasingly more end users are looking to work with sustainable suppliers in order to meet their own net carbon zero goals as a business, having sustainable print solutions in the fleet is becoming a necessity for commercial printers in order to demonstrate their own green credentials.

What are Riso’s own hopes and aims for 2025? Can you tell us about anything exciting in the pipeline?
We are very excited in particular about the development of two new products born out of industry demand:

ExpeJet is a scalable two-in-one solution for automating page-by-page printing, envelope stuffing and continuous postage while maintaining a high production speed of 10,000 envelopes/hour. It ensures the processing of documents from the simplest to the most confidential in complete security and traceability. The two modules, Pitney Bowes Sirius and Riso ComColor GL9730 are connected thanks to the ExpeJet buffer feeder but can also operate independently. Riso UK has launched the product initially in certain regions in response to increasing demand.

Integlide is an upcoming short-run packaging line printer. It offers printing, marking and labelling unit in a single operation that is easily integrated into existing systems. Showcased at Drupa 2024 and designed specifically for the corrugated packaging market, it enables manufacturers to easily add printing capabilities to their production lines, or even develop complete presses according to their needs. With a speed of up to 30 metres per minute, Integlide is designed to print quickly and efficiently on uncoated substrates, without the need for pre-treatment. It supports both monochrome and CMYK printing, offering flexibility in terms of packaging personalisation. By integrating Riso’s environmentally friendly printheads and oil-based ink into a single packaging system, the Integlide simplifies packaging line workflows, reducing storage costs and improving overall production efficiency. Users can customise designs directly on the line, offering greater flexibility to meet specific customer requests or low-volume orders.

How can suppliers better help printers navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in 2025?
Sustainability is a key area where suppliers can help printers meet the challenges they face and seize new opportunities. As more companies measure and plan to minimise their carbon footprint by making strategic investments to improve their sustainability credentials, suppliers can develop and manufacture products and services to help them achieve these goals.

The optimisation of workflows and printing processes can also help results in a reduction in waste and scrap, ultimately leading to more responsible behaviour in production and work-methods.

What did you think of Drupa? Do you plan to attend the show in 2028?
Drupa was an excellent show for us, and it was great reconnecting with industry colleagues and to feel such positivity and enjoy shared visions.

This year, we demonstrated our highly productive transactional printing systems, Valezus T2200 and T1200, with their high-productivity with low energy usage, combined with various industry leading post-processing devices to deliver a range of flexible production solutions.

We were also excited to showcase a new product specifically designed for the packaging sector, and initial market feedback is very positive. We had more meaningful discussions with customers than at any other previous Drupa and that for us says it all. While 2028 seems a long way off, in terms of preparation it’s only just around the corner!