On opening night of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Print Fair, a line stretched around New York’s Park Avenue Armory—a surprising sight, perhaps, for a medium long considered niche. But something is shifting in the world of prints, and recent sales and visitor figures suggest it might be more than just a trend—it may be a renaissance.

A record number of print-focused events last month highlighted growing momentum in the sector, with dealers and artists reporting strong sales and rising interest from a new generation of collectors, despite the broader art market slowdown of the last two years. This newfound enthusiasm for what used to be a sleepier corner of the trade was evident at IFPDA’s four-day event, which concluded on March 30 with a record overall turnout of 21,000 visitors—a 14 percent increase year over year. Moreover, the fair saw a 57 percent rise in VIP registrations.

“The buzz was incredible,” said Jenny Gibbs, the executive director of IFPDA, noting around 5,000 people were in attendance on the fair’s opening night.

Running concurrently to the event were two newer print fairs, including the inaugural Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair and the fourth run of Paris Print Fair. A week earlier, throngs of print collectors had already descended on the London Original Print Fair, which concluded its 40th edition on March 23. There, strong sales and a solid turnout created “a real sense of optimism” for the print market, according to Helen Rosslyn, the fair’s director. “We see no signs of the market slowing down.”

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