Wide Format and Display Graphics in 2026: Where the Industry Is Heading

The global print market is projected to reach 4 billion by 2026, with wide format and display graphics among its fastest-growing segments. Here's what's driving the industry.

The market landscape

Wide format printing — generally defined as output exceeding 24 inches in width — encompasses everything from retail signage and trade show displays to vehicle wraps, architectural graphics, and industrial textile printing. According to industry analysis citing Smithers Global Print Report data, this segment is one of the fastest-growing areas in the broader print market, driven by brand demand for physical presence in an increasingly digital world.

The personalized items market alone is projected to reach 1 billion by 2026, up 49% from 2021, creating significant demand for custom large-format output: branded environments, event graphics, custom wallcoverings, and one-off promotional displays that cannot be replicated digitally.

Key technology shifts

UV-curable printing continues to expand its footprint. UV flatbed and hybrid printers cure ink instantly using ultraviolet light. Meanwhile, Kyocera's high-viscosity printhead breakthrough is expanding inkjet into materials previously restricted to screen printing and flexographic processes, enabling printing on rigid substrates (acrylic, PVC, foam board, glass, wood, metal) without pre-treatment. At ISA Sign Expo 2026, swissQprint demonstrated its fifth-generation flatbed range, and Canon expanded its Colorado XL series to 3.4-meter width with both rollfed and rigid media support. UV technology has largely replaced solvent-based printing for indoor applications where durability and substrate versatility matter.

Latex ink systems (pioneered by HP) offer water-based, heat-cured printing with broad substrate compatibility and low VOC emissions. HP's Latex FS70 W, launched at PRINTING United, represents the latest generation of this technology. Latex prints are odorless immediately after printing — a significant advantage for indoor retail and hospitality applications where solvent or UV ink residual odor is unacceptable.

Direct-to-film (DTF) has emerged as a fast-growing application segment, particularly for apparel decoration and soft signage. Mimaki's UJV300DTF-75 and similar systems enable wide-format UV DTF printing for transfer onto curved, uneven, or irregular surfaces — expanding the range of products that wide-format shops can offer beyond flat media.

Textile printing expansion

Soft signage — fabric-based displays using silicone edge graphics (SEG), fabric banners, flags, and tension-fabric displays — has become one of the fastest-growing application categories in the wide-format segment. Compared to rigid signage, fabric displays are lighter, easier to transport, wrinkle-resistant when tensioned, and produce vivid backlit graphics. They're also reusable: fabric skins can be reprinted and re-tensioned on the same frames.

The textile opportunity extends beyond signage into interior décor (custom wallcoverings, upholstery prints, curtain fabrics) and retail merchandising. Industry reports indicate that textile printing represents one of the highest-margin opportunities for wide-format providers willing to invest in dye-sublimation or direct-to-fabric equipment.

Sustainability requirements

Environmental compliance is moving from optional to mandatory across the display graphics industry. Water-based and latex inks reduce VOC emissions. Recyclable and biodegradable substrates are replacing PVC-based materials for short-term displays. LED-cured UV systems use less energy than mercury-vapor lamp systems. According to Wide-Format Impressions, PRINTING United Alliance's environmental affairs leadership indicates 2026 is a pivotal year for printers navigating new compliance and sustainability mandates — particularly for companies serving retail brands with formal sustainability commitments.

Automation and workflow

A FESPA census found that 59% of print businesses expect customer demand for faster turnarounds to grow. In response, the industry is automating every step: automated color management (EFI Fiery, ColorGATE, Wasatch), automated cutting and finishing (Zünd, Kongsberg, Graphtec), web-to-print ordering systems, and AI-assisted design tools. The integration of RIP software with production management systems reduces manual touchpoints and enables smaller shops to handle complex multi-substrate jobs that previously required manual intervention at every stage.

Print and digital convergence

The relationship between printed display graphics and digital signage has shifted from competition to coexistence. Roland DGA's digital signage initiative reflects a broader industry recognition: sign shops that traditionally produced only printed graphics are now offering digital displays alongside print, giving clients integrated campaigns that combine the tangibility and permanence of print with the flexibility and updatability of screens. The most successful display graphics providers are positioning themselves as visual communications partners rather than print shops, delivering solutions across both media.