The future of digital printing

On one side, traditional printing factories with offset printing machines continuously humming are struggling to transform under the dual pressures of rising costs and inventory accumulation. On the other side, digital printing is rapidly rising with its innovative model of "on-demand production, zero inventory turnover, and instant delivery." The future of the printing industry is no longer a simple "multiple choice question" of left or right, but rather a "mandatory question" concerning survival - no transformation, no survival.

As the printing industry reaches a historic turning point at the "crossroads", we must clearly recognize that digital printing is not merely a technological iteration, but rather a revolutionary transformation of traditional business models. From commercial printing, label manufacturing to packaging design and other diverse scenarios, its on-demand customization, short production cycle, and high printing accuracy perfectly align with the demands of consumption upgrades and supply chain digital transformation.

It is not difficult to predict that the market penetration rate of digital printing will continue to steadily increase, and it is very likely to reshape the entire printing industry pattern in the next five years, giving rise to new industry ecology and competition patterns.

Over the past five years, global printing has stagnated, with market value increasing from $887.9 billion in 2019 to $898 billion in 2024.

But digital printing has become a bright spot in the market. The report pointed out that the value of the digital printing market will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8%, and the output is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% before 2029.

The rise of digital printing is an unstoppable trend. This is not only because of the technological innovation of digital technology, but also because of the profound transformation of the market consumption trend.

Digital printing has become a key competitive edge for the industry. Printers are able to produce small runs of customized products at a lower cost than traditional offset printing.

The core value of digital printing lies not only in 'printing better', but also in 'printing smarter'. Compared to traditional printing, which requires complex processes such as plate making, proofing, and machine adjustment, often taking over 10 days to complete an order, digital printing can directly produce from digital files, even supporting 'one-off printing'. This ultimate flexibility has enabled food, cosmetics, and alcohol industries to leverage digital printing for customized needs.

From an industry perspective, digital printing has greater potential to reconstruct supply chains. Previously, brands needed to plan packaging production months in advance. Now, with demand-driven printing technology from digital printing machines, new product launch cycles have been significantly shortened. Currently, while digital printing won't completely replace offset printing, it's accelerating to become the mainstream choice in high-value-added areas such as packaging, labels, and publishing. The next five years may become a critical period of differentiation in the printing industry. Companies that stick to traditional paths will face severe challenges, while those that embrace digital transformation first will gain the power to define the industry future.

Let's explore the future of digital printing together.

Foshan Zhongke logo Co., LTD（AOYIN）    CEO

VITO Qiu

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