Add DecoNetwork as a preferred source for industry insights.
PRINTING United Expo Las Vegas 2026 is a lot to take in. In the video, Zach Dewhurst from DecoNetwork walks the show floor with Ryan Soldo, who is attending PRINTING United Expo for the first time.
Ryan admits he managed to get lost before seeing half the show, which gives some perspective on the size of the event. Together, Zach and Ryan explore what stood out across the Expo, from DTF and embroidery equipment to automation, AI, and outsourcing.
Three themes come up repeatedly: digital production continues to expand, automation and AI are removing more manual work, and offering more products does not always mean buying more equipment.
New Printing Technology Filled PRINTING United Expo 2026
Digital production stood out across the PRINTING United show floor.
DTF printers, embroidery machines, UV printing systems, heat presses, and other digital equipment appeared throughout the walkthrough. Zach also noticed that some traditional screen-printing displays were less prominent than he expected.
At M&R, for example, he estimated that only around 10% of the booth was focused on screen-printing presses. He compared that with what he remembered seeing a few years earlier and described the shift as part of a broader digital evolution.
DTF was especially visible, with conversations around expanded-color systems and powderless workflows.
Embroidery technology was evolving too. Zach highlighted equipment with digital tension and automatic presser-foot adjustments designed to reduce setup decisions for operators.
New technology earns its place when it solves a production problem, improves consistency, or helps the team handle more work.
Automation And AI Are Removing Manual Work
Automation showed up across both production equipment and software at PRINTING United Expo Las Vegas 2026.
Cameras, conveyors, robotics, RIP software, and AI were all being used to reduce manual steps.
One example involved UV printing. Zach described systems that can photograph a product, identify its position, and determine where artwork should print. Products can then be placed randomly on a conveyor instead of positioned one by one.
RIP software also came up around color control and automated file preparation, including workflows where gang sheets and RIP processing happen with less manual work.
AI is also moving into quoting and artwork workflows.
One DecoNetwork member Zach and Ryan met at the show said he had been experimenting with AI-assisted digitizing and an AI bot that helped create quotes inside Business Hub. It showed how shops are already testing AI in real workflows.
For garment decorators, the value is practical: fewer repetitive steps can mean less setup work and more production capacity from the same team.
Offering More Doesn't Always Mean Buying More Equipment
One of the strongest business lessons from the walkthrough had little to do with buying another machine.
As Zach put it, “Solution means I know.”
A print shop does not have to own every production capability to solve more customer requests.
The video discusses outsourcing products such as banners, yard signs, promotional items, patches, and screen printing. Instead of investing in every machine, a decorator can build relationships with specialists who already have the equipment and processes to produce those jobs efficiently.
Buying equipment brings more control, but it also adds costs for space, maintenance, consumables, training, and keeping the machine busy enough to justify the investment.
That does not mean outsourcing everything.
Ryan explains that his shop prefers keeping embroidery in-house because it gives the team more control over thread colors, tension, and production quality.
The better question is not always, “Can we make this?”
It may be, “Should we make this ourselves?”
What PRINTING United Expo Las Vegas 2026 Showed Us
The biggest trend was not one machine. It was finding smarter ways to produce more.
Digital printing continues to expand. Automation is removing repetitive work. Outsourcing gives decorators another way to offer more without building another production department.
Near the end of the video, Zach and Ryan also discuss the value of keeping online stores, quotes, purchase orders, and other workflows connected within DecoNetwork rather than managing a growing mix of separate systems.
PRINTING United Expo Las Vegas 2026 showed how quickly production technology continues to change. For garment decorators, the best investment is still the one that removes a real bottleneck and makes the business easier to run.
