2020 has been the year of imposed flexibility—and a worldwide pandemic made it abundantly clear that diversification is the key to surviving and thriving in uncertain times. The finishing category offered a range of opportunities for printers to stand out and expand their offerings. The highest volume of announcements in finishing this year have been in the cutting and embellishment categories, followed by exciting developments in robotics, and some fascinating new offerings in book-of-one bindery automation.

Additionally, the year’s challenges brought us encouraging stories about transformation—companies seizing upon opportunities to open up to new markets and customers by using their finishing equipment in creative ways, with the equipment manufacturers stepping up to support their journeys.

In what began as an exciting early Q1 leading into a drupa year, things quickly turned to uncertainty by March. By then, the biggest news in finishing was related to notices of continuity and support. There was a wave of virtual demos and events, and a round of notable retirements. And then something interesting happened—everybody started to get creative.