Durst Group adds open house twist to FESPA showcase
Spanish Durst customer, Nivell Publicitari, will showcase the manufacturer’s print solutions live at its Barcelona facility during this year’s FESPA Global Print Show
We give an overview of some of the key focuses in signage and wide-format throughout 2025, including major acquisitions, kit releases, and out-of-home campaigns
2025 was a big year for all things signage and wide-format, with major kit releases, acquisitions, and new investments filling up the headlines and garnering buzz online.
In this round-up , we give an overview of some of the focuses in the industry and the most popular articles here on SignLink.
In January, Epson announced the release of its first direct-to-film (DTF) printer, the SC-G6000, marking its strategic entry into the DTF market.
Epson’s development of the SC-G6000 was reportedly in direct response to market demand, with what the company sees as an increasing preference for DTF over conventional textile and garment printing techniques such as DTG, heat transfers, and screen printing.
The new press comes with an automated fabric wiping system, which is designed to eliminate the need for regular manual maintenance unlike traditional systems that often require manual cleaning.
The SC-G6000, which leverages Epson’s existing inkjet technology, also offers a white ink circulation system which has been developed to prevent clogging and sedimentation.
2025 was a bumper year for Epson in terms of kit releases. In March, the company announced a new direct-to-fabric digital textile printer designed for jacquard fabrics, the Monna Lisa ML-16000JQ.
Epson also announced the launch of the wide-format SureColor S7100 in the same month, which boasts increased speeds, as well as new nozzle verification technology and upgraded software features.
In addition, the manufacturer used this year’s FESPA Global Print Expo to release another two solutions to the market, the 64-inch eco solvent SC-S8100 and the SC-V2000, a compact A3 UV flatbed desktop printer.
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/news/textile-garment/epson-releases-first-dtf-printer/
January also saw a major acquisition in the form of Bauer Media Group acquiring Clear Channel Europe, in a deal worth a reported $625m (£512m).
The purchase of the UK-headquartered advertising and out-of-home (OOH) company significantly extends Bauer Media’s European coverage. At time of purchase, Clear Channel Europe’s OOH infrastructure spanned 13 national markets with more than 100,000 advertising spaces and 1,600 dedicated employees.
The purchase also included the acquisition of 200 magazine brands and 150 audio brands from Clear Channel. According to Bauer Media, joining the two companies enables Bauer to reach a combined 350 million consumers.
Since the purchase, Bauer Media launched what it dubbed as the UK’s largest ever DOOH activation, with a campaign for Birra Moretti launched simultaneously across more than 2,000 screens across the entire breadth of the UK.
In November, Bauer Media Outdoor also secured a contract for Morrison’s which will see it install and operate a network of DOOH screens across 300 Morrisons stores in the UK.
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/news/bauer-media-acquires-clear-channel-europe/
2025 was a strong year for eye-catching OOH campaigns that grabbed attention and created buzz both online and in person.
In March, an article about a guerilla OOH campaign criticising Elon Musk became SignLink’s most read news item of the year.
During the inauguration celebrations of American president Donald Trump, Musk twice gave a one-armed salute akin to the ‘Sieg Heil’ salute of the Nazi Party.
In response, an OOH poster mocking Musk and Tesla appeared in Bethnal Green, East London, with the slogan: “Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds,” along with a picture of Musk saluting from the rally.
In the same billboard, Musk’s Tesla vehicles are dubbed “The Swasticar,” with people encouraged to stop purchasing the luxury electric vehicle brand.
Another standout campaign that garnered significant attention was Ineos’ provocative dig at Land Rover, which reignited a long-standing feud between the rival carmakers.
The campaign, created by agency Wonderhood Studios, represented a clean Land Rover Defender facing off against a mud-covered Ineos Grenadier. Text below the image reads: “Let’s take this outside.”
The ad came five years after Ineos, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, won a legal battle launched by Jaguar Land Rover.
In 2016, the British car maker applied to secure trademark rights to the historic shape of its Defender 4X4. However, it lost the ruling in 2020, allowing Ineos to use the design as inspiration for its Grenadier.
One of the key billboards for the campaign was located directly outside a large Jaguar Land Rover dealership in London, with another transportable billboard being towed by a muddy Grenadier through Royal Leamington Spa, the home of Jaguar Land Rover.
On a lighter note, drinks brand Naked launched a ‘train-triggered’ digital OOH activation at Tottenham Court Road tube station, which featured one of its smoothies being ‘blended’ by passing trains on London’s Elizabeth line.
The full-motion ads featured the slogan ‘Get Naked, Get Going’. The ads were linked to the train timetables, with messages including ‘Heathrow bound?’ and ‘Heading East?’.
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/news/out-of-home/tesla-dubbed-swasticar-in-out-of-home-actionist-campaign/
While attending FESPA Global Print Expo 2025, SignLink was able to a preview of the dates for the 2026 edition of the event, which will take place in Barcelona from May 19th to 22nd.
At the opening day of the event, The Federation of European Screen Printers Associations (FESPA) announced that Barcelona will play host to FESPA Global Print Expo 2026, the first time it has been hosted in the city since 2012.
The co-located European Sign Expo and Personalisation Experience are both set to return alongside the main show. FESPA also later revealed the launch of two additional co-located events, Corrugated and Textile.
The new Corrugated and Textile events will aim to offer focused exhibits and content for packaging and display manufacturers, as well as textile and garment producers.
FESPA reported that the 2025 Global Print Expo had a total attendance of 23,061, with 14,036 unique visitors, surpassing 2024 figures by 10.5%.
According to figures released by FESPA, visitors to the event travelled from 126 countries, with the largest audiences coming from Germany, Poland, Italy, and the UK, among others. The event was also host to over 100 product and technology launches from exhibiting companies.
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/events/fespa-global-print-expo-2026/
In August, sign-making materials manufacturer, Grafityp UK, announced that it would close all operations at its Tamworth site by the end of 2025, with its business transitioning to Metamark UK.
Grafityp was purchased by parent company, UPM Raflatac, in 2024, with the Finnish corporation subsequently purchasing materials manufacturer Metamark in February of 2025.
When UPM acquired Metamark UK, it was calculated that the deal was worth a reported £146m. In a statement following the acquisition, UPM said it had purchased Metamark to accelerate its growth into the graphics sector, particularly for its recently developed UPM Graphics unit.
Metamark’s existing graphics business was also seen to strengthen UPM Raflatac’s overall competitiveness, significantly boosting the company’s market value.
The subsequent decision by UPM to dissolve Grafityp UK was made as part of "broader goals of strengthening its operations" and with the aim of "capitalising on synergies", according to an official statement. Print Monthly recently covered the joint venture announced by UPM and Sappi, in order to also better synergise the European paper market.
According to the statement, Grafityp's graphic films and heat transfer films businesses were transitioned to Metamark in the latter part of 2025.
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/news/materials/grafityp-to-close-down/
November brought the shock announcement that 75Media, an OOH media company which had claimed to be the number two market leader for wide-format roadside billboard sites in the UK, had entered liquidation and would cease trading.
Before it entered voluntary liquidation, 75Media was estimated to have employed a team of more than 60 staff across its six offices.
Just last year, the company acquired 595 new classic 48-sheet roadside OOH billboards, increasing its total estate from 580 to 1175. According to the company, this made it the UK’s second largest wide-format roadside billboard owner behind Global.
Subsequently, 75Media made a raft of new appointments, including a new team of national and international account directors.
The outdoor advertising company also announced a ‘seven-figure investment’ from Mercia Partners in March 2025. At the time of the investment, 75Media described itself as the “fastest-growing roadside media operator” in the UK.
Announcing the news on LinkedIn on November 19th, 75Media said: “Today, the board of directors at 75Media Limited has made the very difficult decision to place the company into voluntary liquidation.
“Over the last six months, the board has explored every viable option to secure the long-term future of the business but sadly, despite extensive negotiations with our infrastructure landlord, it has not been possible to agree a way forward.”
Original article: https://www.signlink.co.uk/news/industry/75media-announces-shock-liquidation/
