I had a snowy homecoming after a sunny week at ISS Long Beach 2026, and wow, what a contrast. I traded sunshine and mild California weather for roughly 30 inches of snow at home. Long Beach was a great reset, and the show itself was really busy and seeing everyone was excellent. I saw AI & Embroidery & Print Innovation at ISS Long Beach 2026.

An Embroidery Software

I saw an embroidery software, Drawings XII Pro positioned as a multifunctional design platform covering everything from screen printing and embroidery to quilting, crafting, and textile design, some of it patented.

What really pulled me in, though, was their patent-pending sketch stitch technique. It converts bitmap images into a low stitch-count embroidery that looks like a charcoal sketch, minimal, graphic, and genuinely elegant. Think expressive black lines, sometimes layered with gray threads, that feel more like an illustration than traditional fill embroidery.

It feels automated enough that there’s clearly some AI-style logic under the hood, even if it’s not branded loudly as “AI.” They showed other interesting techniques too, some flock-like embroidery effects and texture-forward styles, but that bitmap-to-sketch conversion caught my eye. If you’re doing in-house digitizing, this one is worth a look.

Blanks That Don’t Feel Like Blanks

On the apparel side, Stanley/Stella stood out to me, in a sea of tees. Their garments feel intentionally designed, premium, modern fits with serious attention to detail and comfort.

What caught my eye:

• Mineral washes and unique garment treatments and Garment dyed/naturals (popular this year)
• Dischargeable blanks (always a win)
• Really thoughtful finishing and construction

Even fabrics that felt closer to carded cotton had an unexpectedly smooth surface and a great hand feel. You could tell these were designed to be printed well.

AI Creeping into Equipment (in a Good Way)

On the equipment front, AI showed up quietly but meaningfully. Suppliers like M&R and DCC were demoing systems that track production rates and efficiencies and feed back live performance data. That’s the kind of AI I like, less hype, more “this actually helps you run the shop better.”

The Ongoing Quest to Kill DTF Powder

I saw non-powder (or “non-glue”) DTF adhesive systems from Matsui and DCC. The pitch is appealing: less mess, less powder.

That said, the fine print matters. From what I gathered, most of these systems still recommend doubling up, using their non-powder adhesive plus an additional powder layer if you want real durability. So… not fully powder-free yet.

If these adhesives truly avoid clogging, hold up long-term, and deliver consistent adhesion, they could be a meaningful step forward. But we’ve seen versions of this story before. Whether this approach has real staying power or quietly drifts back into the “almost but not quite” category remains to be seen. The adhesion is in the White.

What I am focused on

I also spent a good chunk of the show running around talking shop about the AI-driven efficiency tools and creative systems I’ve been building lately, and honestly, those conversations were some of the most energizing parts of the week. Catching up with friends, suppliers, vendors, and fellow printers turned into real, future-focused exchanges, not just about what I’m working on (which I’ll keep rolling out, so stay tuned), but about what everyone is experimenting with behind the scenes. One standout moment was meeting a young guy from Montreal who was describing custom AI operating systems he’s building himself, seriously impressive, and I hope he reaches out and we can highlight him here.

Another person told me about Rotoscoping by AI in Adobe Premier for ‘masking’ in video, which is amazing and here is hoping masking plugins for PS start using AI really soon. If you’ve tried any, comment below.

It was great to stay connected to both the next generation of printers and the longtime industry friends who are still pushing boundaries. Right now, this space feels especially rich, particularly around custom workflows and efficiency, and it’s exciting to see just how much innovation is bubbling up across the board.

Final Take

ISS Long Beach 2026 felt optimistic, it was really great to see old friends, I have been out of the loop last year. I like seeing better software, smarter equipment, more variety and nicer garments, and incremental progress where it actually counts.