Ceresana analyses the global market for printing inks

According to a new market study by Ceresana, the global market for printing inks, which includes toners for electrophotography, will increase its volume to about US$25.7bn until 2023. In 2011, it had been at a level of less than US$20bn. However, not all manufacturers can benefit from this growth. The printing industry is undergoing some radical changes: While traditional businesses decline, online printing plants are seeing a rapid ascent; traditional printing processes are replaced increasingly by digital publishing processes.

Indians still favour hard copies

In large parts of Western Europe and North America, digitisation has already advanced; circulations of newspapers, magazines, and books partly decrease significantly. However, there are some regions of the world where increasing numbers of newspapers are printed. India is one of these exceptions: Ceresana forecasts that the demand for inks for newspapers in this country will increase bymore than 9%/yr in the upcoming eight years. Yet, publication printing will decrease everywhere on the long term.

Packaging printing is gaining importance for manufacturers of printing inks. There is no digital replacement for packaging. Demand even increases: The labelling obligations become stricter; internet increases demand for shipping packaging. In the case of North America, Ceresana expects demand for printing inks for packaging to grow by 1.7%/yr until 2023. We expect conductive printing inks to gain importance for intelligent packaging and printed electronics in the upcoming years.

The requirements for printing plants increase constantly. There is a trend towards smaller circulations, a higher number of printing orders and personalised contents in an ever shorter time, which favours digital printing that does not need printing plates. Digital printing systems can fully demonstrate their strengths in the case of job printing of advertising inserts and other occasional printed materials. Digital production also starts to prevail in label printing, in other packaging applications, as well as in book and newspaper printing. Currently, especially inkjet printing systems account for high growth rates.

Printing greener

Growing environmental awareness leads to an increased promotion of development of UV and other radiation curing printing inks. Demand for these new products develops very dynamically, which is a disadvantage for conventional inks based on solvents. This leads to a reduction of contamination caused by volatile organic compounds and enhances characteristics such as higher stability and/or heat resistance, improved cleaning properties and reduced flammability. Sales of UV-curing printing inks will presumably rise by 13%/yr. Printing inks based on water are gaining market shares as well.

The study in brief:

Chapter 1 provides a presentation and analysis of the global market for printing inks, including forecasts up to 2023. Revenues development, as well as production and consumption volumes are analysed for each individual region.
Chapter 2 examines the 17 largest countries of the market in more detail. Data on demand, revenues, production, import and export of printing inks is provided. Demand is split by the printing processes offset, gravure, flexography, digital printing and other printing processes and is analysed in detail. Furthermore, demand is split by six application areas.
Chapter 3 analyses the application areas of printing inks in particular on a country and regional basis: newspapers, magazines, books, commercial printing, packaging, as well as other applications.
In chapter 4 demand for printing inks split by printing processes is given. Data on demand development is analysed for thesix world regions Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.
Chapter 5 provides profiles of the largest manufacturers of printing inks – clearly arranged according to contact details, turnover, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. Detailed profiles of 93 manufacturers, such as Agfa Graphics N.V, Altana AG, Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co., Ltd, DIC Corporation, Flint Group SA, Huber Group, Quad/Graphics, Inc., Sakata Inx Corporation, Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA, and TOYO INK SC Holdings Co., Ltd., are provided.

http://www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/printing-inks-world/