ISA Sign Expo 2025 Features Some Fun Surprises

By Eileen Fritsch

At ISA International Sign Expo 2025, I looked forward to seeing the latest advances in printing and finishing equipment. But one of the joys of attending trade shows is discovering under-the-radar surprises. Here are a few things that caught my attention.

PVC-Free Adhesive Materials

A few days before ISA Sign Expo opened, I submitted an article to Wide-Format Impressions about PVC-free adhesive-backed inkjet-printable materials for graphics on vehicles, walls, windows, floors, and other surfaces. So, at Sign Expo I looked for products included in my article as well as some I may have overlooed.

For example, I knew that Photo Tex Group was one of the first companies to supply non-PVC adhesive-backed materials for wide-format printers. They had shared application images for my article. So I wasn’t surprised to see that Photo Tex had contributed materials for the removable entrance-area wall mural below.

ISA Sign Expo 2025 mural on Photo Tex — This 20 x 20 ft. welcome mural near ISA Sign Expo’s main entrance was printed on Photo Tex OPA Opaque Block-Out adhesive graphics fabric. The 100% polyester material is PVC-free, fire-safety-rated, and LEED certified.

But, I wasn’t aware that LX Hausys, Ltd., a Korea-based manufacturer of building materials, architectural films, and automotive components, had started demonstrating a PVC-free cast polyurethane material for full vehicle wraps as part of their Vizuon line of sign and graphic films.

PVC-free wrap materials from 3M and Arlon are currently available. At Sign Expo, visitors to the LX Hausys booth saw a video demonstrating a premium polyurethane cast material that could be used for curved vehicle surfaces, such as this eye-catching wrapped hood.

Robo-Cut Elvis

Ronchini Milling Technologies in Italy has developed Robocut, a high-performance robotic milling machine that can carve high-density polystyrene, wood, plastics, resins, and foam into statues, stage sets, bas-reliefs, and design objects. The surface of the carved object can be painted and coated for indoor or outdoor display. High-power options are available to cut stone and granite.

Elvis statue being milled by robotic milling machine — Additive manufacturing (3D printing) isn’t the only digital method of making 3D objects for stage props or visual displays in windows, theme parks, casinos, and events. The 6-axis robotic arm on the Robocut milling machine sculpted this Evis status from a solid block of material.

The First Wrap-Ready Truck

The Wrap Experience at ISA Sign Expo 2025 showcases new products for the wrap community and offer hands-on training in the latest application techniques. On the final day of the Expo, wrap installers and designers at ISA Sign Expo were among the first to see the Slate Truck, the first vehicle specifically designed to be wrapped.

Slate represents a substantial new market for creators and installers of vehicle wraps.

“Slate recognizes that ISA is the go-to resource for connecting the wrap community,” said Lori Anderson, ISA president and CEO. She remarked that ISA was thrilled to offer an exclusive first look to wrap professionals who will help make Slate trucks stand out on the street with their unique designs.

Slate is a new American company founded in 2022 on a disruptive business model of simplifying the manufacturing process and reindustrializing America. Slate trucks are built to be radically affordable, customizable, and reliable electric vehicles.

Slate Truck can be converted to an SUV — Designed for personalization, the Slate vehicle is built as an affordable, unpainted 2-seat electric vehicle with a spacious cargo area. Buyers can select from more than 100 accessories to customize or update the vehicle to meet their changing needs. With a flat-pack accessory SUV kit, the car owner or auto professional can transform the Slate into a 5-seat sport-utility vehicle. Photo: Slate Auto)

“Slate trucks are designed to be wrapped without the removal of any trim,” explained Slate Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Snyder. Buyers can choose to have the car wrapped with colors before it is delivered, use a do-it-yourself accessory kit of Slate-supplied stickers, or hire a wrap professional install unique graphics and designs.

These three options make vehicle customization more affordable and accessible. A vehicle can be easily wrapped, unwrapped, and rewrapped to meet the owner’s preferences.

Slate Truck is currently in preproduction. For more information about costs. specs. and availability, visit https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization.

On-Demand Personalized Stickers

With digital printing equipment, almost anyone and everyone can create personalized products on demand. In the hallway leading up to the Sign Expo entrance, Roland DGA invited attendees to see how easy it was to use the Roland VersaSTUDIO BN2 benchtop 20-inch integrated eco-solvent inkjet printer/cutter and Antigro Designer’s Sticker Builder software to provide personalized, face-cut photo stickers.

Attendees who scanned the QR code on display stand were instructed to upload a photo they would like to see converted into a small, personalized sticker. The Sticker Builder software automatically drew cutlines around the face in the photo A digitally kiss-cut sheet of five ready-to-peel stickers rolled off the printer within minutes.

My 4-year-old granddaughter loves stickers. So, I uploaded a recent photo of her and received this wonderful souvenir of a memorable expo. (She applied one of the stickers to the Mother’s Day card she gave her mom.)

Grafitti-Resistant Posters in the Restrooms

Bathroom-stall doors in restrooms near the Expo show floor were an appropriate environment for General Formulations to promote their graffiti-resistant graphics-laminating film made with ultra-durable Tedlar by DuPont. The front side of the stall door featured a colorful, eye-catching poster. The poster inside the stall listed the durability benefits of Tedlar.

General Formulations’ GF 108 Tedlar® by DuPont™ is a satin clear 1.0 mil PVF (polyvinyl fluoride) laminating film with a permanent adhesive. It defends against permanent markers and spray paints and withstands harsh cleaning chemicals and abrasion. GF 108 can help printed graphics remain color stable even during extended exposure to UV light. Printed graphics can last up to 10 years outdoors under normal conditions.

An Upbeat Mood in Uncertain Times

Despite headwinds of economic pessimism, travel restrictions and tariffs, ISA International Sign Expo 2025 closed with almost 18,000 people registered, surpassing the 2023 event held in Las Vegas. The number of exhibitors was the highest since pre-COVID.

The ready-to-buy mood on the tradeshow floor also ran counter to broader uncertainty. Many exhibitors started the last day of the show with “sold” signs on their equipment while others remarked that it had been their best show in years.

“ISA International Sign Expo 2025 had the theme of ‘No Limits,” said Lori Anderson, ISA president and CEO. “That clearly was the attitude of those who came to Las Vegas. They were there to find ways to grow their companies no matter what else was occurring outside of their business. The new ideas they found, the connections they made and the products they explored have set them on the course for success throughout 2025.”

ISA International Sign Expo^® 2026 will be April 8-10 with a pre-conference day April 7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Registration will open later this year. Visit: https://signexpo.org/