The Battle Of Industrial Printing! A Complete Analysis Of The Strongest Growth Points For Digital And Screen Printing in The Next Five Years!

According to the latest blockbuster report released by Smithers, an authoritative research institution on the global printing market, "Future Outlook for Screen Printing and Digital Printing (to 2030)", the global industrial printing market is ushering in a profound structural change. This report provides an in-depth analysis and forecast of the development prospects of two key processes, screen printing and digital printing, in the coming years.

The report pointed out that by 2025, the total output value of screen printing and digital printing in the field of industrial printing is expected to reach $81.7 billion. It is worth noting that this value will account for 58.8% of the total value of the global industrial printing market, and their share is as high as 75.1% in terms of print volume. This is a clear indication that screen printing and digital printing have become dominant forces in industrial applications.

Digital printing is soaring: exceeding $240 billion in five years

Digital printing, especially inkjet printing technology, is undoubtedly the fastest growing "star" in the current printing industry. It not only continues to expand in traditional application fields, but also opens up a broad new blue ocean in industrial applications.

Smithers predicts that overall demand for digital printing in traditional and industrial applications will continue to grow strongly over the five years from 2025 to 2030. Its total output value will jump from $194.3 billion in 2025 to $244.6 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7%.

In the overall market for digital printing, its traditional core applications (packaging, labeling, and graphic production) still hold an important place. By 2025, the market size of these areas will reach $166.9 billion. Smithers predicts that the market will grow to $204.8 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2%. Among them, the packaging segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate, followed by the label segment, while the demand for graphic printing tends to slow down.

Digital printing, especially inkjet printing, is becoming a strategic focus for OEMs across the printing industry, including many manufacturers that have historically focused on analog printing. These manufacturers are investing heavily to reduce equipment cost of ownership, enhance automation and connectivity, and improve production efficiency and overall throughput.

Screen Printing Jedi Strikes Back: Functional Applications Reshape Value

In contrast to the overall growth of digital printing, traditional screen printing is facing challenges. The report notes that the demand for screen printing in traditional applications such as graphics, packaging and label printing is gradually declining. However, screen printing has not been eliminated, but has found an opportunity to "fight back with a Jedi counterattack" in a more profitable market segment with higher technical barriers, namely functional and industrial printing.

In these sectors, such as the manufacturing of textiles, promotional items, automobiles, and electronics, the unique value of screen printing is being rediscovered. Despite the increasing competition in inkjet printing, screen printing continues to grow in value in industrial applications thanks to its process characteristics. The total output value of screen printing in these industrial applications is expected to grow from USD 63.8 billion in 2025 to USD 79.3 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% between 2025 and 2030.

The screen printing process is relatively simple, but its biggest advantages are versatility, technological maturity, and the ability to precisely control the amount of complex fluid deposits. This makes it the preferred solution for many industrial and functional printed products, especially for direct printing of textiles, printed electronics, and promotional items. Driven by this, the market growth of screen printing in functional and industrial applications is expected to accelerate further, reaching a CAGR of 5.5% by 2030.

At the same time, screen printing still occupies an irreplaceable place in the field of packaging, mainly used for opaque coating and decoration of packaging and label materials.

Technological innovation: inkjet specialization and screen efficiency improvement

The competition and development of both are inseparable from the technological innovation behind them:

Inkjet printing: fluid jetting, seize the new blue ocean

In the world of functional and industrial printing, the advantages of inkjet printing are rapidly becoming apparent. It has been widely used in ceramic printing, and new systems are beginning to offer a superior alternative to screen printing in other areas, including garment direct injection.

The key to driving the development of inkjet printing is the emergence of specialized printheads capable of spraying various fluids. This allows inkjet technology to be applied to a wide range of industrial feedstocks instead of being limited to inks, opening up lucrative emerging market segments such as EV battery manufacturing, biomedical, and automotive applications. These high-value application areas are expected to experience the fastest growth until 2030.

Screen printing: efficiency upgrades and research and development of high-viscosity fluids

In the face of the challenges of digital printing, the screen printing field is also actively seeking innovation to improve competitiveness. Between 2025 and 2030, screen printing will see several technological innovations, including advancements in digital exposure technology. These advancements aim to improve production efficiency, reduce overall costs, and reduce reliance on skilled labor.

Nevertheless, much of the R&D effort for screen printing will focus on a variety of high-viscosity fluids used in rotating screen printing lines to further solidify its core strengths in special coatings and precision deposition.

Smithers' report clearly paints a picture of the future printing market: digital printing is rapidly expanding in mainstream applications and emerging industries with its flexibility and efficiency, while screen printing is reinventing and growing in functional and high-value industrial applications with its unique process advantages. These two technologies seek to coexist in competition, and together they are driving the global printing market towards a total industrial printing market value of $81.7 billion, heralding the arrival of a new era of more diversified and technology-driven printing.