Of all the Labelexpos I have attended over the last 16 years – and I’ve been to quite a few – none were more eagerly anticipated than Labelexpo Europe 2025. (Well, maybe with the first one back after the pandemic being the exception.) From the moment the doors closed in Brussels until they opened at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, there was a growing sense of excitement and optimism, not only for Labelexpo Europe but also the industry. The move to Barcelona didn’t just bring sunshine and tapas; it brought a renewed energy. 

Now, Flint Group and HP Indigo are two companies that represent different corners of the label printing world. Flint Group manufactures and markets a wide array of products essential for label printing, including high-performance conventional and energy-curable (UV/LED) inks and coatings used in flexographic printing. HP Indigo, meanwhile, is unabashedly all about digital printing. 

Both left their mark in Barcelona and gave us a glimpse of where the label and narrow web sector is headed next.

Flint Group: Chemistry Meets Circularity

When you think of innovation in our world, you might picture a sparkling new press or a smart automation system. However, sometimes, disruption happens at the molecular level.

That’s the story behind Flint Group’s Flexocure LEAP, which garnered lots of attention at Labelexpo Europe 2025. The technology is designed to tackle one of the toughest challenges in packaging today: photoinitiator migration.

For years, converters running UV flexo for food packaging have been tasked with meeting the challenge to deliver vibrant, durable print while staying safely within regulatory limits. Flint Group’s new Flexocure LEAP technology stabilizes photoinitiator compounds, drastically reducing the risk of migration and putting converters ahead of evolving safety standards. 

This is a big deal – not just in terms of compliance but also for brand owners and managers that field questions about food safety and shelf appeal. During Labelexpo Europe, Flint Group experts remarked that printers running Flexocure LEAP reported smooth, high-speed performance with strong adhesion and no compromise in print quality. 

Then there’s EkoCure, Flint Group’s dual-curing ink range that works with both traditional UV Hg and UV LED systems. It serves as a bridge for converters caught in the transition between lamp technologies – those who want to upgrade to LED’s energy efficiency without having to reconfigure their production line to do it.

As LED curing becomes mainstream, EkoCure’s flexibility ensures converters can move at their own pace. Add the EkoCure ANCORA variant – designed for food-safe applications – and you’ve got an ink platform that speaks directly to today’s sustainability, safety, and
efficiency requirements.

And speaking of sustainability, Flint Group’s Evolution Deinking Primer and Overprint Varnish also drew heavy traffic at the booth. The products enable printed labels and shrink sleeves to be recycled along with PET bottles, reducing what gets sent to landfill while keeping contamination out of the recycling stream.

It’s a solution to a growing problem, and it’s already gaining traction with big beverage and personal care brands pushing for closed-loop packaging, Flint Group says. 

Label and package printing companies that want to position themselves as sustainability partners – not just print providers – should keep a close eye on this one. “Converters today are balancing cost pressures, compliance demands, and sustainability goals,” one Flint Group representative told me, adding, “Our job is to make sure the chemistry behind their inks and coatings works as hard as their presses do.”

If you’ve been to enough Labelexpos, you know there are always a few threads that connect the conversations from booth to booth. This year, those threads were sustainability, UV LED, automation, and the growth in hybrid digital-flexo workflows.

Everywhere you looked, LED curing was not only present but dominant. Nearly every new press platform – flexo, digital, or hybrid – featured LED integration. The message was clear: LED is no longer a “future option” – it’s the default.

A Flint Group rep I spoke with at the show pointed to live demonstrations of LED systems running at 400 m/m. That’s the kind of proof converters like to see and what makes Labelexpo such a valuable, important event. Printers are not just hearing and reading claims of sustainability or uptime – they are able to witness it live, viewing the on-press performance that improves total cost-to-print.

Automation also continued to drive discussions, and Flint’s VIVO Colour Solutions platform stood out in this area. The latest VIVO ColourMatch module got attention for its ability to standardize color management across multiple presses and plants. This is often cited as a pain point for many converters with multi-site operations.

While press manufacturers talk in terms of speeds and feeds, Flint Group says it is building tools that help converters print smarter. Reducing setup waste, cutting downtime, and delivering repeatable color – that’s where ROI happens.

HP Indigo: Nonstop Digital and the Future of Labels

Meanwhile, across the hall, HP Indigo was continuing in its mission to advance digital label production.

From what I believe was the largest booth at Labelexpo Europe 2025, HP Indigo was intent on making “nonstop digital” more than a catchphrase. The company showcased a strong portfolio, anchored by two new presses – the HP Indigo 6K+ digital press and the HP Indigo V12.

The 6K+ features HP’s new SmartControl System, delivering higher uptime, broader media compatibility, and improved automation that shortens setup time and reduces waste. For converters, that means faster ROI and a smoother path to scaling digital across multiple sites.

Then there’s the HP Indigo V12, which turns heads with its productivity. Running at speeds and throughput levels once unthinkable for digital, the V12 is essentially bridging the gap between digital agility and flexo economics. 

HP Indigo personnel don’t hold back, either. Both at Labelexpo and the Dscoop event I attended in the Spring, it was made clear to me that the company believes its digital printing technology is truly on its way to becoming technology that replaces conventional, analog print methods like flexography.

HP Indigo also continues to lean into customer storytelling, and during the show the company was eager to share with Labelexpo attendees real-world examples of digital transformation. Among
the stories: 

• Be Packaging (Italy) unveiled the country’s first HP Indigo V12, extending its digital reach into medium and high-volume production.

• Baker Labels (UK) added two HP Indigo 6K+ presses, bringing its fleet to 13.

• Watershed (UK)installed its second 6K+, doubling down on short-run productivity.

• Labellisten (Germany) and Digital Etikett (Norway) both debuted new Indigo platforms to expand capacity and improve turnaround times.

• ePac (Europe)continued its digital packaging dominance, expanding its Indigo 200K fleet to meet what it says is explosive demand for flexible packaging.

HP Indigo claims it holds over 50% share of the global digital labels market and roughly 65% in labels and packaging combined. 

“Nonstop digital printing isn’t a vision anymore,” said Noam Zilbershtain, vice president and general manager, HP Indigo. “Our customers are proving it every day. Together, we’re not just bridging analog and digital – we’re setting a new standard for what’s possible.”

That “nonstop” philosophy was more than marketing. HP Indigo’s Labelexpo booth ran live presses all week, showcasing 24/7 reliability, remote diagnostics, and predictive maintenance – technologies that make downtime almost obsolete, the company says.

The cumulative message from HP Indigo: digital isn’t just for short runs anymore. It’s now competing head-to-head with conventional flexo for efficiency, versatility, and total throughput.

A blended landscape for the future

Taken together, Flint Group and HP Indigo’s stories at Labelexpo Europe 2025 reveal an industry firing on all cylinders. One company is perfecting the chemistry that keeps print safe, circular, and compliant. The other is looking at an industry on the verge of a complete makeover, calling for an all-digital future. 

In my opinion, the future of this industry isn’t flexo versus digital, or analog versus automation. It’s a blended landscape, where chemistry and computing coexist, and converters choose the tools that fit the job – and the customer – best.

Converters leaving Barcelona seemed united on one front: they want to do more with less – less waste, less downtime, fewer regulatory challenges – while unlocking more growth, more speed, and more value. And judging from what we saw on the show floor, the industry’s leading suppliers are delivering exactly that.

The aisles at Fira Barcelona were packed, the machines were humming, and the conversations felt forward-looking. Sure, the air-conditioning wasn’t working, and it got hot and uncomfortable (nothing new, if you were at Brussels 2023), but the strong content put forth at exhibitor booths and during press conferences more than made up for it. 

If Labelexpo Europe 2025 taught us anything, it’s that innovation isn’t slowing down. It’s accelerating – in ink chemistry, in digital print, in workflow, in just about every corner of the pressroom.

Finally, about sustainability, I will say that conversations felt a little different this year. I think the glossy “green” slogans are giving way to more nuanced, data-driven discussions about recyclability, material science, and circular systems. “Substance over slogans.” That’s a refreshing shift that suggests the industry is maturing in how it approaches the important topics. Looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Steve Katz is the former editor of Label & Narrow Web and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on X @LabelSteve.