Friday, October 10, 2025
Madrid, the epicenter of the printing sector in Spain
2025
Why is Madrid an important hub for the printing, visual communication, and graphic arts industries?
Madrid has established itself as the heart of the printing industry in Spain , a meeting point where tradition, innovation, and business come together. The capital hosts some of the most important events in the sector, such as the C!Print Madrid trade show, which will hold its next edition from January 13 to 15, 2026, and which in its last edition received more than 37% of its total visitors from the Community of Madrid . It also offers a dynamic environment that favors the growth of companies dedicated to visual communication, packaging, labels, and digital printing.
The history of printing in Madrid dates back to the mid-19th century, when the Municipal Printing House was founded in 1853, now a museum and book arts center. This space symbolizes the evolution of the craft and the city's close relationship with the printed arts, from movable type to the most advanced technologies in digital and sustainable printing.
High local demand is another driving force keeping the sector alive. Constant cultural activity, festivals, tourism, and a strong advertising presence generate a continuous flow of projects requiring creative, large-format printing solutions with quality finishes. The large number of trade fairs and conferences held in the capital is one of the major drivers of this momentum. In 2023 alone, Madrid's venues brought together 33,978 exhibiting companies —45.6% more than the previous year—and 3.8 million visitors , with a 28.6% growth in professional attendees, according to data from IFEMA's 2023 Annual Report. This constant flow of business activity and knowledge exchange fuels the demand for graphic solutions, signage, and print production, reinforcing Madrid's role as the epicenter of visual communication in Spain.
Added to this is the growing production and consumption of personalized printing: labels, packaging, and corporate stationery that reflect brand identity and take advantage of the benefits of digitalization.
Furthermore, reports from the COTEC Foundation for Innovation highlight that Madrid is home to a large number of companies dedicated to the creative and digital economy , which enhances the
interaction between design, visual communication, and print production.
On the other hand, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Community of Madrid is the Spanish region with the highest concentration of companies in the services sector , a factor that directly contributes to the dynamism of the graphic design market.
Finally, Madrid benefits from its strategic location in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, which facilitates logistics and connections with the rest of Spain and Europe. Its status as a business hub attracts talent, innovation, and international companies that choose the capital as a base for developing their operations in the Iberian market.
All of this makes Madrid a unique environment where graphic tradition merges with technology, sustainability, and creativity, and a hub for the future of the sector.