Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Key Print Trends in Packaging to 2028

Published November 7, 2018

Smithers Pira shares its recent research that looks at the future of packaging to 2028, quantifying the overall market by packaging type and identifying the major emerging drivers of packaging market growth.

Inkjet Printing Builds Towards $100 Billion Market

Published September 18, 2018

Value in the world inkjet market will rise at 9.4% across the next five years according to the latest market report The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2023 from Smithers Pira. As the worldwide print market transforms, shifts in buyer demands—short runs, versioned and personalized products—and higher quality are aligning with the capabilities of inkjet. This is making it a key focus for technology developers. Smithers’ analysis shows that across the next five years inkjet will grow, both by deepening its penetration into existing markets, and exploiting new emergent market opportunities.

Food Packaging Printing Set to Evolve From 2018–2023

Published August 14, 2018

New research from Smithers Pira highlights the future growth potential and technical challenges for printing food packaging, and how these will be realized against a backdrop of tighter focus on safety and environmental performance.

Twenty Technical Innovations Set to Transform Packaging into a Sustainable Industry

Published July 17, 2018

Smithers Pira presents the highlights of its latest study, identifying the top 20 technical innovations that will underpin a greener and more sustainable future for packaging.

Technology and the Changing Face of Flexographic Printing for Packaging

Published June 12, 2018

Technological advances and market trends are forever changing the face of flexographic printing. Smithers Pira values the global flexo print market in 2013 at $147 billion, with a forecast for 2.3% CAGR. Key to this growth are packaging-related industries including corrugated board packaging, flexible packaging, bags and sacks, and others.

Intelligent Packaging Creates New Markets for Print Industry

Published May 15, 2018

In 2018, the combined active and intelligent packaging market value is projected to reach $5.68 billion and will continue to present new value-adding options in the future according to the latest market analysis from Smithers Pira. Read on for more highlights of Smithers Pira’s latest report.

E-commerce Is a $20 Billion Market for Corrugated Packaging—and Growing Fast

Published May 1, 2018

New research from Smithers Pira points to major growth for corrugated in serving the fast-developing e-commerce packaging markets. Read on for more detail.

Retail, Transportation, and Manufacturing Central to Hot Future of Thermal Print Supply

Published March 20, 2018

New Smithers Pira Research forecasts strong growth for thermal printing, identifying retail, transport, and manufacturing as the top three applications for thermal printing equipment and supplies. Read on for an overview of the thermal printing market from 2018 to 2023.

Fashion Fabrics Present Boom Opportunity For Digital Printers

Published March 20, 2017

Leveraging inkjet technology into the textile industry is presenting an increasingly compelling opportunity for mainstream print equipment and consumable suppliers, according to the latest research from Smithers Pira.

High Hopes for High Demand in High-Barrier Pouches

Published February 28, 2017

It’s not just digital printing technology that is affecting packaging, The way that we are packaging is changing as well. For example, have you noticed how many different kinds of food and beverage items are now available in non-rigid containers? Advances in materials and processes for high-barrier pouches mean that wine (for example) no longer has to come only in bottles.

Insight: Four Key Trends Shaping the Industrial Packaging Market

Published August 1, 2016

Making packages more recyclable, lighter, shapelier, and safer will be the principal drivers for the industrial packaging market through to 2020.

Packaging Material Moving Towards a $1 Trillion Milestone in 2020

Published July 19, 2016

The demand for packaging is growing everywhere, but the growth is far from being uniform or monolithic. As always, consumer trends and preferences dictate which packaging formats will gain the most market share.

Four Key Trends Driving Flexible Packaging

Published September 29, 2015

The advantages of flexible films—economy, versatility, convenience, and bio-adaptability—will make flexible packaging one of the most opportune growth markets in packaging over the next several years.

Flexographic Printing: Five Critical Steps Forward

Published December 2, 2014

The good news is that flexographic printing for labels and packaging has resisted economic downturns and competition from digital while becoming a higher-quality, more efficient production method in its own right. The better news is that continuing technical improvements are carrying flexo toward still higher levels of performance.

The Top Three Functional Additives in the Plastic Packaging Market

Published November 4, 2014

Functional additives help plastic packages do a better job of protecting their contents. Of the many different kinds of functional additives, the most widely used are those that remove unwanted oxygen, block UV and IR radiation, and eliminate or reduce static.

Insight: Key Trends Driving Bioplastics for Packaging

Published September 16, 2014

Bioplastics—plastics made partly or wholly from renewable raw materials such as cellulose, vegetable oils, and other natural substances—are deepening their reach into packaging for food and other consumer products. Behind their rise are distinct economic and market forces driving global demand for alternatives to fossil-fuel based plastics.

Five Key Trends Driving Growth in Folding Cartons

Published September 2, 2014

The growth of the folding carton market is being driven by a complex of forces, some obvious, others unexpected. The Smithers Pira research organization identifies the ones it believes will raise global folding carton volume to $180 billion a few years from now.

Articles by Smithers