This is the second year I have attended SmithersPira Digital Print Week, and it did not disappoint. For anyone in the packaging or textiles industries that is looking to take advantage of the analog-to-digital transformations that are underway in these segments, the conferences provide great content, respected speakers, and good opportunities for attendees to network with peers as well as speak with suppliers to the industry who sponsor these events.

The week started with a workshop presented by SmithersPira’s Sean Smyth that provided an overview of the labels and packaging markets and the adoption rate for digital printing technologies. He pointed out that the global packaging market was $860 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2023, with a CAGR of 2.9%, pointing out that less than half of the value of all packaging is actually printed, with transit and industrial packaging actually representing the largest component of the market. In terms of printed packaging, food packaging dominates the market. Today, 3.8% of the value of all printed packaging is printed digitally, with an anticipated 12% growth rate over the next five years.

In labels, there has been more adoption of digital printing, with an estimated 25% of labels printed digitally, expected to grow to 30% by 2024. Some 15 billion square meters of labels are digitally printed per year, with a value of $13.5 billion.