Canon has the largest installed base of high-speed production inkjet printers worldwide, according to IDC. The Canon ColorStream, JetStream, and ProStream continuous-feed lineup is solid, and, along with their VarioPrint i-series of sheetfed presses continue, to dominate the global installed base.

Today, these installations are primarily targeted at commercial print applications, and aside from direct mail, books, and photobooks, most commercial print application volumes are stagnant or declining. Canon isn’t the only press manufacturer, analog or digital, being affected by these market shifts. Coupled with continued consolidation, the market is becoming somewhat limited for press placements—although the decrease in run lengths and turn times does lend itself to placement of highly digitalized analog presses, with both EP and inkjet digital print production providing a modest growth stream.

So where can you continue to grow your revenues when you have an innovative technology base but are servicing a market that is only projected to grow at a CAGR of 1% during the 2022–2027 period? Perhaps packaging? During that same period, global packaging is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3% and food packaging is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2%. While commercial print is important and valued, packaging is essential and will continue to grow for the long term.