Diversification Is the Printing Industry’s Growth Engine

Traditional printing markets are shrinking as a result of an increase in online technologies. Consumer demands are changing as well, with mass customization and even personalization coming to the forefront. Sustainability demands are being driven by customer preference, and governmental regulation is creating new shifts in consuming and producing print and packaging. The introduction of new inkjet and hybrid technologies and the growth of bespoke products will help address these challenges. A recent visit to PRINTING United Expo showed how many unique and innovative products could be created using printing technologies.

The Consumer Rules!

If you are keeping up with the news, some would think that the sky was falling. However, according to the October IMF report, while the tariff turmoil of 2025 resulted in a decline in growth rate from 2024, economic growth projections seem to be stabilizing with global growth rates increasing for 2026. This includes modest growth projected in the U.S. and higher rates in emerging markets. The growth of the middle class is driving this, with spending anticipated to grow from $35 trillion in 2025 to $64 trillion or about one-third of the global economy by 2030.

Undoubtedly, the pandemic had some "forced effect" and has prompted a surge of new activities. It is projected that 25% of global consumers are purchasing online, and an astonishing 85% are trying a new shopping behavior in response to economic pressures, store closings, and changing priorities. This general change in behavior has also been reflected in a shattering of brand loyalties, fostering the creation of new businesses, many who will both create and buy print products.

This is all occurring in a backdrop where most consumers are increasingly aware of environmental conditions, with their concerns about sustainability rising in response to extreme weather and impacts of climate change. Roughly 64% of people now express high levels of concern about sustainability, and more than half report their worries have grown in recent years. Environmental awareness is influencing purchasing decisions, with approximately three-quarters of consumers saying that environmental impact affects what they buy, with Generation Z and Millennials leading the charge. Consumer demand for sustainable products and ethical business practices has intensified, especially in 2025. With 66% of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable brands, and around 57% changing their purchasing behavior to support eco-friendliness, according to sevecleanseas.com.

Availability of skilled labor may be the biggest driver in forcing many to look at business strategies and production changes. Between the post-pandemic "Great Resignation" and rising labor costs, finding and training skilled offset and even flexo press operators is becoming a challenge. Add to this, that “we are faced with an inescapable demographic cliff heading our way in 2026, when 500,000 fewer first-time workers are entering the work force (thanks to a steep decline in births since the 2008 economic recession),” according to the BLS and IT Strategies analyst Marco Boer.

During this period, while all of these exciting developments, adoption, and growth have been occurring, time hasn’t stood still. All of these issues along with changes in consumer behavior are creating a demand for personalized, targeted experiences.

As a result, the markets, have been evolving and will continue to individually and collectively stimulate adoption and new development, much of which will be facilitated by digital print and, more specifically, inkjet.

Defense Process in Shrinking Print Market

In a shrinking print market, you need to look for strategies that include market share acquisition, consolidation, and convergence with other print markets. Successful trends include doing more with less, connected processes, shorter runs and bespoke/hybrid solutions.

Automation and integrated supply chains offer longer term solutions to address each of these issues. Digital print, and especially production inkjet are poised to be an integral part of that solution. Automation and the modular nature of inkjet imaging technology, provides opportunities to address existing markets, new markets and segmentation. Interestingly, even newer state-of-the-art offset and flexo press technologies have evolved to address many of these shifting requirements. As the middle class continues to grow globally, especially in emerging markets, there is and will continue to be an increase in segmented product packaging as well as print communication resulting in shorter runs.

The modularity of inkjet imaging technology is also enabling many new bespoke print and manufacturing solutions. Some of this is being used in packaging and industrial production lines. One of the more recent areas of industrial growth is the use of inkjet in decor, textile, and garment production. The modular design mentality is also finding its way into the development of workflows, printing systems and platforms, which enables the print service provider to configure their press purchase based on their application requirements. Historically, there have been different platforms for different printing applications. We can expect that there will continue to be many evolutionary changes to production inkjet development and use going forward.

Diversification Opportunities

Ultimately, the opportunities that are afforded by production inkjet technology, combined with the vast changes in the marketplace, demand that we all educate each other on how to live and work in this new landscape.

Personalization and mass customization is not only for direct mail, you can see it in packaging, signage, apparel design and many other areas. When you look at the positive affect it has on sustainability and cost by the better targeting of markets and reducing inventories, there is no wonder why we are seeing increased growth rates. The evolution of intelligent automation technology and increased digitalization facilitates it, with a longer term prospect for the continued integration and adoption of AI.

So, how do you look for diversification opportunities? Many would suggest just moving to the larger markets, which is why everyone seems to be looking at packaging. However, you really need to balance growth against your inherent skills, customer base, and the level of competition in those fields. IT Strategies developed a visual that can be used as a guide to better understand levels of opportunity and attractiveness. The visual below plots projected application growth rates against the estimated existing number of sites producing that work.

Furthermore, finding areas tin which to diversify that have synergies with your current business will make the business extension easier. Those synergies can include types software used, alike substrates and handling, finishing and importantly go-to-market. If you build it, will they come?

Another key determining factor is understanding the difference between printed products, which are usually predefined with a level of constrained design, and printing services which are usually ad hoc design and require variable production techniques. Many of the B2C companies are based on the former, and compared with printing services usually result in lower margins.

In Closing

Print and packaging technologies and processes are changing to support the shifting market demands. Much of this is moving service providers to rethink their current methods and offerings. Convergence between print segments, driven by technology, consumer trends, and sustainability, offers growth opportunities despite shrinking traditional markets. Success requires automation, collaboration, hybrid solutions, and strategic adaptation.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.