FESPA's visitors last week were invited to explore the wider opportunities of printed matter, and while a couple of key names were absent there were some valuable new additions to the exhibitor roster. Durst elected not to attend, citing concerns about the location's proximity to rival HP, but that didn't stop most of the other big boys from living it large in Barcelona – nor a couple of key product launches ahead of drupa.

Mimaki dominated pre-show headlines with the launch of its new latex products in 1.3 and 1.6m versions, as well as advances in its dye sublimation and RIP offerings. The company is confident that the piezo heads in its signature latex models – which mark a move away from Epson's head technologies – offer a more consistent result over time than HP's thermal option, and the proof-of-concept SUV machine, which combines the adhesive properties of solvent with the application benefits of UV-curable inks. While HP's Ronen Zioni was quick to welcome this challenge to the establsihed latex market, others were less admiring of the competition's big day: a break-in was reported on the third night of the show targeting Mimaki's new efforts, and while no damage was done, it's clear that its launch has put Pertama amongst the pigeons.

Mutoh's ValueJets were just a few of the machines to endure the scrutiny of my HD lens at this year's FESPA Digital

Both Epson and Océ have come to market with entry-level machines in the roll-to-roll and flat-bed markets respectively. Epson's SureColour S30600 reflects the company's belief that signage has remained large-format print's most resilient market, offering a lower-cost solution to those in the product area below the GS6000r by making manufacturing totally automatic. This wobble-free, noiseless addition to the family is also the first with the company's 4.2pl TFP head, which makes the most of a four-colour ink set and provides sellable quality at an affordable price. Similarly, the Océ Arizona 318GL offers a speedy flat-bed option at a list price of €72,500 [￡60,427], and will be launched officially at Sign and Digital UK next month.

While other companies made excellent use of the FESPA platform to demonstrate established technologies – EFI lured users in with the VUTEk GS3250r outputting demanding images at impressive speeds, and Fujifilm pulled some crowds with its proverbial-off-the-shovel Inca Onset S40 demonstrations – there was significant innovation claimed by the media manufacturers and applications specialists. Beelite, Dufaylite and Reboard all offer sustainable solutions to those whose customers are now becoming trickier about specifying green, and I heard various murmurs about the more prevalent use of honeycomb and other strong but lightweight and recyclable rigid board options. For those who are still thinking that price beats green, you might like to think again.

Digimura presented a raft of options in its 2.1, 1.1 and Muramour products, creating interior design possibilities for wide-format printers with application-ready wall graphics media using a raft of different textured finishing effects. Last year, the seven-year-old brand supplied 10,000 rolls of media to the industry and are the flavour of the month of such holy grail clients as Starbucks, Barclays and the BBC; with forward-thinking measures such as high fire ratings and the provision of matching adhesives, this is definitely one to watch. It was also, for me, the most attractive stand on the show floor, using its materials plus a simple video to create an eye-catching stand which, despite not having the strongest position on the show floor, nevertheless attracted footfall.

Adfloors, another young, innovative British company, is making similar waves in the floor graphics space. A simple stand nevertheless showed off printable media suitable for high-traffic, retail and QSR environments, and was put to good use in FESPA's own Big Bucks Café applications area. Also on my 'to watch' list for the fine art space goes Innova Art Systems, whose JetMaster product is an affordable pre-scored rigid product, printable with UV-curable and other ink types; it is supplied with a peelable release liner that can be assembled quickly by the end client once printed to create a light-weight, high-quality artwork. The company works with artists and this understanding is bound to grow the cross-over space between art, design and wide-format. What's interesting about each of these three examples is that they are British, understand the art and design worlds, and have business models that rely on innovation rather than volume and dedication to quality and usability, which made this a great show for all of them.