Trade show, conference, and exhibition season feels like it extends further and further every year. In reality, it only takes up a few months on the calendar, but preparations and planning to stand out – or if you’re a manufacturer, help your customers stay on the cutting edge – seem like they’re never-ending. TVF’s Print Media Sales Team has already hit some show floors and plans to be at many more this year. As some of the bigger-name print media and textile-focused events get underway, we wanted to share some of our experiences and observations of what’s trending and what’s in-demand in the printable fabric universe.
The View from the Show Floors
TVF Print Media Sales Consultant Leif Kristensen, whose experience includes more than 15 years in printable substrates, wide format, textiles, print shops, and printers says more environmentally-friendly print media fabrics are getting looks right now. “The big thing I noticed was more of a green push,” Leif says after returning from the 2025 International Sign Association’s International Sign Expo in Las Vegas. He adds that tariff policies are causing manufacturers and printers to consider more environmentally conscious products.
TVF’s expansive partnership with premiere print media fabric manufacturer Georg+Otto Friedrich (G+O) in Germany provides a connection to those looking toward greener solutions. Deko-Blue, for example, is a 6.4 oz. polyester composed of 62% yarns derived from reclaimed plastics. Its primary uses include soft signage, banners, and retail display applications.
What’s Trending for Manufacturers, Print Shops?
TVF Senior Print Media Sales Consultant Danny Jimenez, who has more than 20 years of expertise in sign and graphics and over 15 years in the textile world, says gray-back fabrics (like TVF’s all-new PureNight Pro 8668SDWGFS) are gaining traction as global trade fluctuations have printers looking at high-quality alternatives to materials made in countries that are getting tariffed harder than others. He adds “trade show houses like 5-meter-wide (fabrics), and we have them.”
Although dye sublimation (dye sub) remains the print process of choice for most of the print media professionals TVF works with, Danny says frontlit graphics printers are increasingly looking at an additional, faster-drying option. “UV is back on the rise,” he says. “There are products out there like our FrameTex 7188GUF that eliminate or mitigate the UV ink odor. UV gel printing is kind of picking up on the rigid substrate side of things. The Colorado series printers by Canon use a lamp to cure the ink, give the surface variable finish options, and allow for layered printing.”
SEG frame systems, Danny says, are still at the forefront for trade show displays, but other companies are looking to develop alternative systems. He says they’re getting creative with new ways of displaying fabric on frames. Danny adds that these alternatives aren’t necessarily being mass produced yet, but if customers run across an innovative framing option and wonder which fabric could work, reach out to our Print Media Team and we can help determine which materials will work best.
Short List of Fabric Options
In addition to the previously mentioned fabrics, TVF’s in-stock selection is sizeable. Three in-demand solutions include:
- 2 oz. Microlux Brush 7818GFS – soft, super wrinkle-free, some stretch, printable on either side; great for SEG, trade show exhibits, backlit, frontlit, point-of-purchase, event backdrops, retail displays, and more.
- 5 oz. Flash 8087PGFS – shrugs off wrinkles, soft hand, exceptional printing sharpness, available in 3-meter and 5-meter-widths; great for frame systems, lightbox applications, and compatible with direct disperse and dye sublimation inks.
- 2 oz. Prism™ – light diffusion coating eliminates pinholes and hot spots, easy-handling, bright white; great for frame systems, lightbox applications (primarily backlit), pop-up advertising displays, banners, and more.
Pick our brains! Reach out to TVF’s experienced, trusted Print Media Sales Team today to discuss your pain points, projects, and problems in search of solutions.
Trade show, conference, and exhibition season feels like it extends further and further every year. In reality, it only takes up a few months on the calendar, but preparations and planning to stand out – or if you’re a manufacturer, help your customers stay on the cutting edge – seem like they’re never-ending. TVF’s Print Media Sales Team has already hit some show floors and plans to be at many more this year. As some of the bigger-name print media and textile-focused events get underway, we wanted to share some of our experiences and observations of what’s trending and what’s in-demand in the printable fabric universe.
The View from the Show Floors
TVF Print Media Sales Consultant Leif Kristensen, whose experience includes more than 15 years in printable substrates, wide format, textiles, print shops, and printers says more environmentally-friendly print media fabrics are getting looks right now. “The big thing I noticed was more of a green push,” Leif says after returning from the 2025 International Sign Association’s International Sign Expo in Las Vegas. He adds that tariff policies are causing manufacturers and printers to consider more environmentally conscious products.
TVF’s expansive partnership with premiere print media fabric manufacturer Georg+Otto Friedrich (G+O) in Germany provides a connection to those looking toward greener solutions. Deko-Blue, for example, is a 6.4 oz. polyester composed of 62% yarns derived from reclaimed plastics. Its primary uses include soft signage, banners, and retail display applications.
What’s Trending for Manufacturers, Print Shops?
TVF Senior Print Media Sales Consultant Danny Jimenez, who has more than 20 years of expertise in sign and graphics and over 15 years in the textile world, says gray-back fabrics (like TVF’s all-new PureNight Pro 8668SDWGFS) are gaining traction as global trade fluctuations have printers looking at high-quality alternatives to materials made in countries that are getting tariffed harder than others. He adds “trade show houses like 5-meter-wide (fabrics), and we have them.”
Although dye sublimation (dye sub) remains the print process of choice for most of the print media professionals TVF works with, Danny says frontlit graphics printers are increasingly looking at an additional, faster-drying option. “UV is back on the rise,” he says. “There are products out there like our FrameTex 7188GUF that eliminate or mitigate the UV ink odor. UV gel printing is kind of picking up on the rigid substrate side of things. The Colorado series printers by Canon use a lamp to cure the ink, give the surface variable finish options, and allow for layered printing.”
SEG frame systems, Danny says, are still at the forefront for trade show displays, but other companies are looking to develop alternative systems. He says they’re getting creative with new ways of displaying fabric on frames. Danny adds that these alternatives aren’t necessarily being mass produced yet, but if customers run across an innovative framing option and wonder which fabric could work, reach out to our Print Media Team and we can help determine which materials will work best.
Short List of Fabric Options
In addition to the previously mentioned fabrics, TVF’s in-stock selection is sizeable. Three in-demand solutions include:
- 2 oz. Microlux Brush 7818GFS – soft, super wrinkle-free, some stretch, printable on either side; great for SEG, trade show exhibits, backlit, frontlit, point-of-purchase, event backdrops, retail displays, and more.
- 5 oz. Flash 8087PGFS – shrugs off wrinkles, soft hand, exceptional printing sharpness, available in 3-meter and 5-meter-widths; great for frame systems, lightbox applications, and compatible with direct disperse and dye sublimation inks.
- 2 oz. Prism™ – light diffusion coating eliminates pinholes and hot spots, easy-handling, bright white; great for frame systems, lightbox applications (primarily backlit), pop-up advertising displays, banners, and more.
Pick our brains! Reach out to TVF’s experienced, trusted Print Media Sales Team today to discuss your pain points, projects, and problems in search of solutions.
