Is It Difficult To Advance On-demand Printing? How Can Publishers, Printing Companies, And Equipment Suppliers Break Through?

On-demand printing, as a new concept and production model that integrates digital and intelligent technologies, possesses the typical characteristics of new-quality productivity and offers new ideas and solutions for the publishing and printing industry to innovate and achieve high-quality development. Since its inception, on-demand printing has evolved from being a choice of "whether to do it or not" to a question of "how to do it." At the 21st 'Digital Printing in China' Technology Development Forum in 2025, we specially invited five guests to discuss the topic 'How to Advance On-Demand Printing in the New Situation?' together, exploring the current implementation, critical bottlenecks awaiting breakthroughs, and future development prospects of on-demand printing. Today, we will share the insights and reflections of Yu Lixuan, General Manager of the Printing Center at Chemical Industry Press.

General Manager of the Printing Center, Chemical Industry Press, Yu LixuanIndustry research data show that from 2023 to 2024, the paper usage growth rate for digital printing among 47 publishing units is 7.4%. Although this growth rate is in the single digits, it is nearly 10 percentage points higher than that of traditional printing. This indicates that digital printing is a continuously growing and promising field in the printing industry. However, at present, the growth of digital printing business among leading publishers is slowing, and some have even seen a decline, with only one achieving significant growth due to changes in labor costs. Current growth is mainly contributed by smaller publishers that have not fully utilized digital printing, indicating that digital printing has entered a phase of popularization and is injecting confidence into the industry's development. At the same time, digital printing is showing a trend of extending from technology-focused publishers to educational publishers.Under the current economic conditions, different types of publishers face different challenges. For example, textbook publishers suffer the most from piracy, market-oriented publishers are significantly affected by changes in reading habits and sales methods, and policy-oriented publishers are mainly constrained by national policy guidance and regulatory frameworks. This reminds us that when promoting on-demand printing, it is necessary to accurately identify customer needs and not generalize.We have also noticed that publishers' demand for four-color printing has not fully exploded, as there are still concerns about cost control and production quality. In my personal view, although cost is a factor affecting four-color printing, it is not the most critical; product quality and the level of internal recognition within the publisher are the main constraints. As digital printing equipment continues to improve in performance, it is expected that publishers' demand for four-color printing may grow next year.For digital printing equipment manufacturers, in terms of equipment and technology routes, on-demand printing currently follows two parallel development paths: first, relying on high-speed inkjet rotary printing technology to achieve "short-run printing," controlling per-unit costs through large-scale high-speed inkjet rotary printing to replace traditional printing; second, leveraging the reduction in the cost of single-sheet inkjet printing equipment and post-press equipment to truly achieve flexible printing for "each copy being different." The latter is particularly suitable for low-cost, variable, and flexible orders. Currently, due to consumption habits, the complexity of managing publisher files, file security, and insufficient market demand, large-scale promotion in book and magazine printing has not yet occurred. However, the potential of the equipment and market prospects are vast, especially with significant demand in county- and city-level quick-print shops. The Chinese market is highly competitive, and if success can be achieved domestically, Chinese digital printing equipment manufacturers may further expand into overseas markets, leveraging technology and cost advantages. In particular, the large number of small and medium-sized overseas publishers urgently requires inventory reduction and low-cost operations, providing broad international development opportunities for related equipment and services.For printing companies, "one-stop service" is becoming a key competitive advantage. Publishers generally hope that both "each copy being different" small batch orders and large batch orders can be handled by the same service provider, which requires companies to have both traditional and digital printing production capabilities. Many traditional printing companies are currently seeking breakthroughs by introducing digital printing equipment, while digital printing companies face significant pressure as they find it difficult to expand into traditional printing. It is recommended that digital printing companies consider forming alliances with traditional printing companies to achieve resource complementarity and industry chain integration. At this stage, the core objective of digital printing in the publishing industry is not short-term profit, but securing customer resources and capturing market share to lay a solid foundation for long-term development.Overall, China's on-demand printing market is currently technology-driven rather than demand-driven. Therefore, I recommend taking proactive action and planning ahead, providing one-stop, full-process services to secure a more advantageous position in a rapidly changing market.