Digital printing presents the most dynamic and fastest growing segment of a worldwide print market undergoing fundamental change. Smithers reports long term on the key technological developments in this increasing market.
Key facts:
In 2035 the digital print market will be valued at $251.1 billion, this is almost 50% higher than 2025, while the print volume will be 54.3% higher as more high-productivity equipment comes into operation.
Digital print will account for 22.5% of the global value of all print and printed packaging by value in 2035, with the equivalent of a little over 2.83 trillion A4 prints produced.
To 2035, digital print will gain traction in the packaging sector, namely corrugated cartons, flexible packaging, rigid plastics and metal over the period. This is clearly shown by the comparative growth rates of publishing, graphics and packaging & labels.
Within this period only transactional print volumes will decline, while very high growth in metal packaging is observed, reflective of the very low adoption rates prior to 2020. Digital print markets develop inside the broader print market, itself dependent on the wider economic and political situations.
Digital printing presents the most dynamic and fastest growing segment of a worldwide print market undergoing fundamental change. The arrival of a new generation of inkjet equipment and consumables is enabling new business models across multiple print segments, displacing existing print platforms, and enabling new commercial opportunities for print service providers.
This report is essential to:
Brand owners and retailers
Producers of inks and consumables
Producers of digital print equipment
Packaging converters and users
Key Questions:
What will the digital printing market look like in 10 years' time?
How will digital printing be challenging the analogue market?
In which print segments will digital displace analogue most rapidly, and how will this transform the commercial landscape?
Where are growth rates strongest in digital printing?
Table of Contents
0. Executive summary
1. Introduction and methodology
Scope & definitions
Abbreviations used in the report
Geographic coverage
Exchange rates
2. The top-line, trends and drivers shaping future digital print markets
Introduction
3. Trends and drivers shaping future digital print markets
Megatrends shaping print demand and manufacturing
Economics, comparing digital and analogue costings
Sustainability
Digital print technology
Technology beyond print
Artificial Intelligence impacts
Digitisation
Increasingly connected world
Print industry labour
Advertising changes
Retail changes
Supply chain changes
Changing print company activities, business models and routes to market
4. Technology forecasts for digital print
The context for digital printing
Changing business models and location of printing
Workflow developments and automation
Re-engineering print manufacturing
Electrophotography developments
Toner technology
Inkjet developments
Inkjet printhead developments
Inkjet ink developments
Inkjet equipment developments
Hybrid digital and analogue systems
Applications outside graphics and packaging
5. Digital printing product markets and forecasts
Overview, the impact of the pandemic on growth rates 2020-2025
Electrophotography
Inkjet
Publishing
Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Other graphic print
Catalogues
Directories
Advertising print
Photobooks
Commercial print
Transactional print
Security printing
Packaging and labels
Labels
Packaging
6. Toner and inkjet ink markets and forecasts
Overview
Electrophotographic toners
Inkjet inks
Toner and inkjet pricing development
Routes to market
7. Digital equipment markets and forecasts
Introduction
Digital press investment
Electrophotography
Low end machines
Medium machines
High productivity and B2 machines
Inkjet
High speed web presses
Narrow web
Wide Format (multi-pass)
Flat bed (multi-pass)
Bespoke systems and integrations
Sheetfed
8. Supply side markets for digital providers
9. Changing the potential outlook for digital print
Key Facts and Figures
List of figures
FIGURE 0.1: Global digital printing output by process, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 values & exchange rates and billion A4 prints)
FIGURE 0.2: Global digital printing output by print category, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 values & exchange rates and billion A4 prints)
FIGURE 0.3: Global digital print growth rates between 2020 and 2035, in print volume terms
FIGURE 2.1: Changing distribution of all digital print categories in 2020 and 2035 by value ($ billion, constant 2023 values)
FIGURE 2.2: Changing distribution of all digital print categories in 2020 and 2035 by print volume (A4 trillion prints)
FIGURE 2.3: Changing distribution of electrophotography print categories in 2020 and 2035 by value ($ million, constant 2023 values)
FIGURE 2.4: Changing distribution of electrophotography print categories in 2020 and 2035 by value (A4 million prints)
FIGURE 2.5: Changing distribution of inkjet print categories in 2020 and 2035 by value ($ million, constant 2023 values)
FIGURE 2.6: Changing distribution of inkjet print categories in 2020 and 2035 by value (A4 million prints)
FIGURE 2.7: Penetration of digital printing output in all print and printed packaging markets, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 values & exchange rates and billion A4 prints)
FIGURE 3.1: Technology map of equipment for printing labels and packaging available in 2019
FIGURE 3.2: Technology map of equipment for printing labels and packaging available in 2025
FIGURE 4.1: Digital print technology landscape map in 2025
FIGURE 4.2: Analogue and digital book printing and manufacturing in 2025
FIGURE 4.3: Analogue and digital commercial printing and manufacturing in 2025
FIGURE 5.1: Changing distribution of all digital print products in 2020 and 2035 by value ($ million, constant 2023 values)
FIGURE 5.2: Changing distribution of all digital print products in 2020 and 2035 by print volume (A4 trillion prints)
FIGURE 5.3: Growth of digital print products from 2020 to 2035 by value ($ million, constant 2023 values)
FIGURE 5.4: Growth of digital print products from 2020 to 2035 by print volume (A4 million prints or equivalent)
FIGURE 5.5: Growth of digital print processes from 2020 to 2035 by value and print volume ($ million, constant 2023 values and A4 million prints or equivalent)
FIGURE 5.6: Technology map of equipment for printing labels and packaging available in 2019
FIGURE 5.7: Technology map of equipment for printing labels and packaging available in 2025
FIGURE 6.1: Global inkjet and electrophotographic ink and toner sales, 2020-2035 ('000 tonnes)
FIGURE 6.2: Global inkjet and electrophotographic ink and toner growth rates, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
FIGURE 7.1: Technology map of digital print-for-profit machinery 2025
FIGURE 7.2: Wide format inkjet printers in 2025
List of tables
TABLE 0.1: Major trends and drivers shaping the future of digital print in 2035
TABLE 0.2: Long term prospects for digital printing technology to 2035
TABLE 1.1: 2023 US Dollar exchange rates used in this study (=$1US)
TABLE 2.1: Digital print global market, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 2.2: Digital print new machinery and ink/toner global market, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 2.3: Global digital printing output by print category, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 2.4: Global electrophotography printing output by print category, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 2.5: Global inkjet printing output by print category, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 2.6: Global print category share of all digital print, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 2.7: Changes in global print and printed packaging processes 2020-2030 ($ million constant 2023 values and million A4 prints)
TABLE 2.8: Global analogue and digital printing output, 2020-2035 ($ billion, constant 2023 values & exchange rates; billion A4 prints)
TABLE 2.9: Penetration of all digital print by application 2020-2035, in value and volume terms globally
TABLE 2.10: Penetration of electrophotography by application 2020-2035, in value and volume terms globally
TABLE 2.11: Penetration of inkjet by application 2020-2035, in value and volume terms globally
TABLE 2.12: Digital printing supply side addressable market, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 3.1: Major trends and drivers shaping the future of digital print to 2035
TABLE 4.1: SWOT Analysis for Electrophotography
TABLE 4.2: Long term prospects for electrophotography printing to 2035
TABLE 4.3: Inkjet printheads in 2025 used in print-for-profit production
TABLE 4.4: Long term prospects for inkjet printing to 2035
TABLE 5.1: Comparing printing output impacts for COVID, 2019-2025 ($ billion, constant 2020 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.2: Global digital printing output by print product, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.4: Fastest growing digital printing products, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent) ranked by absolute growth 2020-2035
TABLE 5.5: Global digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.6: Global digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.7: Global digital printing output by print process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and billion A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.8: Global electrophotographic printing output by print product, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.10: Fastest growing electrophotography printed products, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.11: Global electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.12: Global electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.13: Global inkjet printing output by print product, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.15: Fastest growing inkjet printed products, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.16: Global inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.17: Global inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.18: Publishing: digital printed packaging output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.19: Global publishing digital printing output, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.20: Publishing: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.21: Publishing: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.32: Books: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.33: Magazines: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.34: Magazines: digital printed output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.35: Magazines: digital printed output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.39: Magazines: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.40: Newspapers: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.41: Newspapers: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.42: Newspapers: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.46: Newspapers: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.47: Other graphics: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.48: Other graphic print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.49: Other graphic print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.50: Other graphic print: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.51: Other graphic print: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.52: Other graphic print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.53: Other graphic print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.54: Catalogue digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.55: Catalogues: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.56: Catalogues: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.60: Catalogues: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.61: Directories: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.62: Directories: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.63: Directories: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.67: Directories inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.68: Global all digital advertising printing detail, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.69: Global electrophotographic advertising printing detail, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.70: Global inkjet advertising printing detail, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.71: Advertising print: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.72: Advertising print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.73: Advertising print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.77: Advertising print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.78: Photobooks and photoproducts: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.79: Photobooks and photoproducts: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.80: Photobooks and photoproducts: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.81: Photobooks and photoproducts: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.82: Photobooks and photoproducts: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.83: Photobooks and photoproducts: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.84: Photobooks and photoproducts: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.85: Commercial print: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.86: Commercial print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.87: Commercial print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.91: Commercial print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.92: Transactional print: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.93: Transactional print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.98: Transactional print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.99: Security print: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.100: Security print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.101: Security print: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.105: Security print: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.106: Packaging and labels: digital printed packaging output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.107: Packaging and labels: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.108: Packaging and labels: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.109: Packaging and labels: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.110: Packaging and labels: electrophotographic printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.111: Packaging and labels: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.112: Packaging and labels: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.113: Labels: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.114: Labels: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.115: Labels: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.116: Leading inkjet narrow web press providers in 2025
TABLE 5.120: Labels: inkjet printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.121: Digital printed packaging output by application, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.122: Electrophotographic printed packaging output by application, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.123: Inkjet printed packaging output by application, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.124: Packaging: digital printed output by process, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates and million A4 prints or equivalent)
TABLE 5.125: Packaging: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 ($ million, constant 2023 prices & exchange rates)
TABLE 5.126: Packaging: digital printing output by geographic markets, 2020-2035 (million A4 prints or equivalent)