It seems a long time ago – at least, for the younger ones among us – that a weekly market was the central hub for a community. Farmers would drive their goods into town for the residents to scrutinise, haggle or barter over and, potentially, even buy. In the British wide-format and sign-making community, the community has Sign and Digital UK (SDUK) to fill this role. There were new technology launches, new players entering the market and all sorts of curios to discover – but this show was, essentially, all about sales.

Busy throughout the three days it ran, SDUK proved true to its reputation, with an abundance of deals announced from almost the first minute – Canon sold its first Colorwave 900 in the UK, while i-Sub Digital moved Europe's first Mimaki JFX200-2513 from its stand. Perfect Colours sealed the deal on two Durst engines in the opening hours, while other suppliers, including YPS and PrintMax, also enjoyed strong showings, with the latter posting 'best-ever' results for the show.

"Every year we come away with fantastic sales figures from the show, with a large amount of enquiries to follow up on over the next week or so," admits Michael Bolton, managing director. "This year completely exceeded our expectations."

The releases that grabbed the headlines ahead of the show were the new HP Latex models and the Epson SureColor T-series, as well as Canon's upgraded imagePrograf (iPF) range, but there were several other products appearing for the first time at the event. AEG made waves with its Voyager Pro series, sporting the world's apparent first UV-curable metallic channel, while the Jetrix KX7-D marked an update in terms of engine performance for InkTec.

HP majored heavily on its Latex engines, going great lengths to show the versatility of its offering with a wall of substrates comparing output with various rival technologies. Having spent two and a half years and $200m (￡118.8m) in developing the new machines, including a reduction of the curing temperature, the manufacturer has now set its sights on doubling its share of the market over the next couple of years.

Among the Mimaki distribution network, there were plenty of new products to be seen. Hybrid Services hosted the UK and Ireland JFX200-2513 launch, while also presenting a 'Kebab' add-on for the UJF-3042 HG model to allows for printing to cylindrical items, such as pens. I-Sub Digital, meanwhile, displayed its Digi-Foil product at SDUK for the first time following its December launch, with the system priced the same as a standard UJF model while boasting added foiling functionality.

Having made its name in production print, M Partners's Wide division attended SDUK for the first time, having taken part in the Wide-format Zone at Ipex 2014. Along with Canon iPF models, which the company is offering with extra matte black for proofing applications, its stand focused on its DGI range, which comes with an exclusive five-year warranty. The company is looking to provide a different approach from its competitors, focusing less on the machines and more on additional benefits.

"It's a different market with different rules; I've found it absolutely fascinating," says Murray Locke, director at M Partners. "We're having to approach things differently, taking the lessons we've learnt in narrow-format and applying them to wide-format. For example, rather than simply competing on price, we send customers formal proposals as a way of showing how M Partners can add value to a particular product."

Another entity known more for its narrow-format products, Ricoh focused on its newly-released L4100 model for its move into the sign and graphics market. The new venture is also intended as a way to educate wide-format providers about its products that complement production environments, including MarcomCentral and Clickable Paper. "The L4100 series suits this market, so the release is timely," suggests Stephen Palmer, production print director at Ricoh. "This is a coming of age for us – a chance to tell the market that we are here."

The other major newcomer came in the form of MTex Technologies, a joint venture between MTex and Digital Print Innovations to address sales of the manufacturer's range of textile printers. 'Strong business' at the show proved there is an appetite in the UK for high-end, dedicated dye-sublimation textile engines, according to managing director Stuart Bell. The manufacturer is looking to premiere pre- and post-production machines for its portfolio at FESPA Digital.

Also looking ahead to FESPA is Esko, who used this show to focus on customer relations ahead of the European release of the Kongsberg C- and V-series. As well as the 3.2m Kongsberg C cutter – which will include a carbon fibre beam to reduce wear and tear and maintain accurate cutting across the width – there will also be a workflow update for Esko machines, as well as a new module for the automation engine, which is cited for a June release.

For SAi, the show was the perfect place to focus on the company's link-up with HP, with a special edition of FlexiPrint included with all 310 and 330 engines. "This deal was in the pipeline for two years," explains chief executive Mark Blundell. "Ten years ago, our software was used in the first DesignJets; this time, they're marketing it with the SAi brand. It's nice to be back where we belong."

As well as majoring on this, the company is also promoting its subscription model, announced in early April, offering FlexiDesign from $19.95 (￡11.90) and Flexi from $49.95 (￡29.79) pcm.

Fujifilm continued in a similar vein to its stands at Ipex and InPrint, with a 'more than just a machine' approach, highlighting the company's range of Euromedia substrates, particularly with its wallpapers with clear UV-curable ink effects and Wondertac Ghost adhesive with micro porous suckers to allow easy removal and replacement of graphics.

Soyang, meanwhile, made a splash with its eye-catching floor graphics printed by trade-only printer SuperWide. The product, imported from the USA, has proven so successful to date that the media supplier had to ration supplies in order to have enough to demonstrate it at the show. "The first shipment came in February, and we were sold out within a month," states Mark Mashiter, managing director at Soyang. "We're now shipping two containers across from the States each month to meet demand."

As marketplaces go, SDUK certainly delivered a wide variety of products for visitors to browse and digest. While not heralded as a technology-focused show per se, that it is an important arena for distribution networks to showcase their wares is undeniable – and the big players have reacted accordingly, using it as a platform for releasing products into the UK market. Sign and Digital UK has a community feel about it, as a gathering place for the sign and graphics sector and as a means for print houses, sign-makers to gain first-hand insight into market technologies and invest in their businesses. Long may this continue.