Digital printing is gaining momentum in the corrugated packaging market!
In recent years, digital printing has made new breakthroughs in numerous printing segments, with packaging being the largest market of opportunity. At the moment, digital printing in the labeling and narrow booklet printing business has occupied about 20% of the global market share, and corrugated paper printing may become the next important development area for digital printing in the packaging market.
According to incomplete estimates, the size of the global corrugated packaging market is currently about US$250 billion and is expected to reach US$270 billion by 2025, while digital printing accounts for only a very small part of its total printing volume. However, some of the world's leading inkjet equipment suppliers have indicated that they have already captured a certain market share in the corrugated packaging sector and will continue to make an effort in the next step; many packaging and printing companies have also indicated that they are continuously introducing new digital printing equipment.
Advantages of Digital Printing for Corrugated Packaging
1. High Efficiency in Short-run Printing
The advantages of digital printing in the field of corrugated packaging printing are manifold, the most widely known of which is its ability to efficiently complete short-run printing tasks.Compared to traditional printing methods, digital printing requires no plate making, which greatly shortens the printing cycle and reduces costs.This enables printers to hand over short-run printing orders to digital printing, thus freeing up offset printing equipment and space for longer-run orders.
At present, the global corrugated packaging industry is facing challenges in terms of insufficient production capacity, unstable supply chains, tight product delivery schedules and sustainability needs, and digital printing offers solutions to all these challenges.
2. Personalisation and Customisation
The retail landscape is changing as technology evolves. E-commerce continues to influence the way consumers shop and the way brands promote their products, a shift that also presents opportunities for digital printing and packaging production.
Digital printing offers the benefits of a high degree of personalisation and customisation, as well as the ability to print with variable data.Brands can customise unique packaging patterns and styles to meet specific consumer needs, enhancing product appeal and market competitiveness.At the same time, brands can more flexibly launch regional or special editions of corrugated packaging to meet the needs of different markets.
3. Reduce Inventory and Costs
Through print-on-demand, brands and printing companies can greatly reduce inventory costs.Companies can print according to actual demand, avoiding waste and cost increases caused by overproduction.In addition, digital printing technology can also help printing companies in the peak season to quickly respond to market demand and improve market responsiveness.
The Future of Digital Printing in the Corrugated Packaging Market
Overall, the market share of digital printing in the field of corrugated packaging is growing rapidly. Although its current share of the total printing volume is very low, digital printing has great potential for future development in this field as digital printing technology continues to make breakthroughs in such areas as quality and efficiency.
The application of digital printing in the field of corrugated printing will become more and more widespread.In addition to corrugated boxes, which are often associated with corrugated cartons, they also include food trays, large packaging boxes, e-commerce solutions and bulk display stands (POP).
Mike DeAngelo, president of the Independent Corrugated Box Association of America, said that in the corrugated packaging industry, digital printing has become the choice of more and more printing companies, both in terms of digital printing technology and market opportunities.
In addition, digital printing will become more cost-competitive for long runs as the quality of printing on inkjet and toner presses improves, providing more options for packaging printers.At drupa 2024, many suppliers debuted new equipment for printing corrugated board, folding cartons, flexible packaging and labels.Examples include high-speed digital presses for folding carton printing, single-pass inkjet presses for corrugated board, and narrow-width toner and inkjet presses.
Although digital printing and packaging will account for only 1.1 per cent of the global market share in 2024, Smithers predicts that it will grow further at a CAGR of 12.8 per cent over the next five years.
However, there are both opportunities and challenges.Many suppliers and printers say that while digital printing technology is evolving rapidly, there are still challenges in the wider application space, due to the fact that many brands have yet to find a way to successfully sell digitally printed products.This requires brands, printers and suppliers to work together to unleash the creativity and possibilities of digital printing technology to create more market opportunities.
