Press Releases

The drupa Prize 2026 has been awarded to literary scholar Christina Slopek-Hauff for her outstanding doctoral thesis in the field of English and American Studies. With her thesis “Plural Psychologies: Interrogating Mental Illness in Anglophone African and African-Diasporic Fiction”, she makes an innovative contribution to interdisciplinary literary and cultural studies.

By partnering with the German E-Commerce Association, the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION (PDC) is expanding its professional network across the value chain. Following collaborations with industry and marketing associations, the focus is now shifting even more strongly towards the interface between print, packaging and digital commerce.

Ticket sales have begun approximately three months before the start of the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION. On 16 and 17 June 2026, the foyer of Hall 1 at Messe Düsseldorf will once again become a meeting place for decision-makers from the print, marketing, communication and creative industries.

drupa, the world's leading trade fair for printing solutions, is now accepting exhibitor registrations for its next edition: from 9 May to 17 May 2028, Düsseldorf will once again become the global stage for integrated printing technologies, automated production processes and industrial applications.

The European Brand & Packaging Design Association (epda) and the Verband Druck + Medien Nord-West (VDM Nord-West) are joining the partner network of the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION 2026. These new collaborations bring fresh impetus, expand the reach and strengthen the appeal of PDC as a platform for exchange, innovation and new business potential.

The drupa Prize 2025 goes to art historian Anna Maria Jonietz for her outstanding dissertation on the Medici self-portrait collection from 1650 to 1723. The work impressively shows how self-portraits in the Medici collection were deliberately integrated into art and science history discourses, opening up new perspectives on image politics and representation.

In times of profound market transformation, the PRINT & DIGITAL CONVENTION once again proved its significance as a central platform for innovation, exchange, and future strategies.

With just a few weeks to go to PRINT & DIGITAL CONVENTION 2025 on 13 and 14 May it has become clear that visitors in Düsseldorf are in for two days packed with impulses, innovations and in-depth expert networking.

As part of the constituent assembly of the drupa committee on 5 February 2025 Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, was confirmed as chairman of the body.

drupa 2024 exceeded all expectations. It received top marks from visitors from all over the world, who left the trade fair with new ideas and clear prospects for the future. Numerous contracts signed and technological innovations inspired the print and packaging industry.

drupa Gardens presents modern materials and printing solutions live in the Food Court at drupa, the world's leading trade fair for printing technologies. International partners from the printing industry are supporting the project with innovative materials and modern digital printing solutions.

The drupa song is a fixed part of drupa and captures the unique atmosphere at the world’s largest trade fair for printing technologies, which will again bring the industry together from 28 May to 7 June this year. In 2024, this tradition successfully continues with the theme song “Let us Create the Future”.

The print industry remains on course for growth worldwide. The sector posted sales of over €837 billion in the past fiscal year. “Our industry is growing and also has a future,” says Thomas Schiemann, Managing Director of the VDMA’s Print and Paper Technology Association.

Sustainability is a fixture in the print industry. This is also reflected by drupa 2024 where this topic occupies a large space. “Sustainability is a set theme in the print industry and forms an integral part of transformation,” says Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.

The print industry in Germany counts a total of 8,700 trainees. But the training and skilled labour situation is placing increased pressure on this sector with a workforce totalling 110,00 employees. Some 75% of the industry’s 7,000 companies state they are facing major challenges due to skilled labour shortages. Nor can all apprenticeship posts be filled.

At this year's drupa (May 28 to June 7), Messe Düsseldorf will present the drupa Imaging Summit for the first time as part of the "drupa next age" event series: Top-class speakers from renowned companies will give 20-minute keynote speeches and panels on the most important topics at the interface between imaging technologies and printing.

By establishing touchpoint textile, drupa has created a special forum to showcase pioneering applications in digital textile printing. The highlight will be the Digital Textile Micro Factory – a fully connected, integrated process chain starting with the customer enquiry and design through to large-format digital textile printing.

As a central forum at drupa 2024 which does not depend on any single supplier, from 28 May to 7 June the new Touchpoint Sustainability (tps) will for the first time focus on the holistic role of the print and paper industry within the global sustainable transformation. The industry has made major achievements, which is however often overlooked.

Digitalisation, demographic change, climate change – these megatrends are also having a significant impact on the transformation of the printing and paper industries.