US Photo Labs Prepare for the Post–Silver Halide Era

Las Vegas, USA – Following last year’s successful appearance in Orlando, Imaging Solutions AG returned to PRINTING United in 2026, this time in Las Vegas. Once again, the show brought together a highly professional audience. This year the conversations went a step further: from general interest in automation to concrete transition and investment plans.

printing united 2026

Trade fair

Client

ISAG

A professional audience with clear goals

The Imaging Solutions booth welcomed photo labs, print service providers and production specialists who arrived with specific production challenges and investment plans.

“Just like last year, we met the right people and had excellent conversations,” says Gregor Kohle, CCO Chief Commercial Officer at Imaging Solutions. “PRINTING United attracts a true professional audience, and that is exactly what makes this show so valuable for us.”

Professional photo labs preparing for the transition

The strongest signal came from the professional photo lab segment. The team spoke with four of the largest pro labs in the United States. All of them are gathering information to begin moving away from traditional silver halide production in 2027.

A key question in this transition is finishing. The labs see the multiCut Sheet as the answer to their cutting needs. It processes mixed-format orders automatically, with the precision professional photo production demands. The interest is concrete: one lab indicated it is likely to order a multiCut Sheet later this year.

Canvas production: high demand for automation

The second clear takeaway was strong demand for automated canvas stretching. One visitor runs a canvas business in Mexico that produces around 80,000 canvases per month, entirely by hand. The example shows how much potential automation still holds in this segment.

Our fastFrame solutions drew strong interest from several visitors, and one customer has already announced an order for a fastFrame 600.

From interest to planning

Compared to Orlando 2025, the market has clearly moved forward. Photo labs and canvas producers are no longer just exploring automation. They are planning for it. With multiCut Sheet and fastFrame, Imaging Solutions offers proven solutions for exactly this step.

See our solutions live in Switzerland

Couldn’t make it to Las Vegas? Gregor Kohle and the team look forward to welcoming you for a personal demo at our ISAG Open House in Dielsdorf, Switzerland.