Screen Printing Inks Market - Forecast(2023 - 2028)

Screen Printing Inks Market Overview

Screen Printing Inks Market size is estimated to reach US$1.7 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2022-2027. Screen printing is a printing technique that utilizes mesh for applying ink on the substrates with the help of a stencil plate. This printing technique unlike lithography and etching is not done under pressure, is easy to undertake, and provides long-lasting prints. Screen printing inks are of various types like plastisol ink, discharge ink, water solvent ink, and UV cured ink. Such inks through screen printing techniques are extensively used to apply color on printing surfaces like plastic, metal, wood, paper, fabric and are used in end-user industries like packaging, automotive, textile, electronics. The factors such as the increase in clothing and apparel demand, significant growth in the e-commerce sector, growing consumption for automotive, and rapid increase in output of packaging material are driving the growth of screen printing inks market. However, a volatile organic compound in some screen printing inks like solvent-based ink can cause health issues like lungs, kidney failure, and also cause air pollution. The stringent government regulation on VOC emission can restrict the use of solvent-based inks which can hamper the growth of the screen printing inks industry.

COVID-19 Impact

COVID-19 left a negative impact on the major end-users of screen printing inks like textile, automotive, packaging, and paper. The measures such as consequential lockdown, social distancing, quarantining, restrictions on the movement of people and imports & exports, caused a lack of availability of workforce and raw materials in factories, which disrupted the functioning of these sectors. Hence, this led to a decrease in sales and productivity in these sectors. For instance, as per the 2021 report of the Confederation of European Paper Industries, the production of graphical grades in newsprint and commercial printing declined 19% in 2020. Also, as per European Union reports the production and retail sales of apparel & clothing items in Q3 of 2020 for EU countries dropped by 15% & 9.4% for clothing and 7% & 9.7% for textiles. Moreover, as per the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturing, in 2020 there was a 16% global decline in vehicles production. Screen printing is used in the textile sector for fabric printing, in the automobile sector for interior decoration, and in the paper sector for commercial print in newspapers and magazines. The decrease in productivity and consumption of items in these sectors on account of COVID restrictions led to a decrease in demand for screen printing inks in them, which negatively impacted the growth screen printing inks industry.

Report Coverage

The report: “Screen Printing Inks Market Report – Forecast (2022 – 2027)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Screen Printing Inks Industry

By Product – Plastisol Ink, Water-based Ink, Discharge Ink, UV-cured Ink, Solvent-based Ink, Expanding Ink
By Substrates – Paper, Metal, Glass, Wood, Fabrics (Polyester, Silk, Cotton), Plastics (Corrugated Plastics, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Vinyl, Others), Films
By End User – Packaging (Flexible Packaging, Metal Cans, Corrugated Container, Folding Cartons, Others), Paper & Publication (Newspaper, Magazines, Catalogues, Others), Adhesives & Sealings, Automotive (Dashboard Panel, Car windows, Door Panels), Textile, Paints & Coatings, Electronics, Medical, Others
By Geography - North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherland, Spain, Russia, Belgium, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, Africa)

Key Takeaways

• Asia-Pacific dominates the screen printing inks market, as the region consists of major end-users i.e., textile, automotive, paper, a plastic sectors in countries like China, India, Japan which are major users of screen printing inks like discharge ink and plastisol ink.
• Screen printing is more vicious than lithography, as it gives higher quality and more durable prints that are needed for a longer period and can be used on different materials like wood, textiles, glass, electronics. 
• Advancements in the screen printing process like a computer to screen printing or CTS which allows design adjustment and screen placement correctly and efficiently will provide growth opportunities to the screen printing inks industry. 

Screen Printing Inks Market Segment Analysis – By Substrate

The fabric held a significant share in the screen printing inks market in 2021, with a share of over 35%. Screen printing ink compared to standard ink, are more vicious and can print on a wide range of fabrics ranging from synthetic fabrics like polyester to natural fabrics like cotton, silk. Polyester fabrics have high applicability in automotive sectors while cotton, silk are major fabrics for textile. For instance, as per Statistics Canada, in 2021, the export of clothing, apparel and textile products in Canada was US$367.9 million in November showing an increase of 11% compared to October. Also, as per European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the production and registration of passenger cars in the EU increased by 53.4% in 2021 with strong volume seen in Spain, France, Germany. Polyester fabric is used for the interior in automotive and natural fibers like cotton, silk are major textile fabrics. The rapid development and increase in productivity in these sectors will lead to more usage of polyester and cotton-like fabrics in them, resulting in high demand for screen printing inks like discharge ink and UV-cured ink to be used on such fabrics for printing and decoration. Hence, this will positively impact the growth of the screen printing ink industry.

Screen Printing Inks Market Segment Analysis – By Product

Textile held a significant share in the screen printing inks market in 2021, with a share of over 30%. Printing inks like water-based ink and discharge ink has high applicability in textile fabrics like cotton, linen, polyester, silk, and other synthetic fibers, as it provides a softer feel on fabrics once it dries out. Screen printing ink in the textile and clothing sector besides printing garments is also used for custom coloring of clothing and textile products. The increase in disposable income, rapid urbanization, and improvement in the standard of living has led to an increase in the consumption of textile and clothing items, increasing their productivity. For instance, as per the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis, the output of textile manufacturing in the US in 2019 was US$18.79 billion which was 23.8% more from 2009. Also, as per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the spending on fashion items majorly including clothing and apparel increased up to 62.48% in the second quarter of 2021 in the US. Such an increase in the manufacturing and consumption of textile and clothing items will lead to more usage of screen-printing inks for textile printing and custom coloring of clothing items like T-shirts. Hence, this will have a positive impact on the growth of the screen printing inks industry.

Screen Printing Inks Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

Asia-Pacific held the largest share in the screen printing inks market in 2021, with a share of over 45%. The region consists of major end-users of screen printing inks like textiles, automotive, plastic, paints & coatings, in major countries like China, India, Japan, etc. with China being the largest textile as well automotive producer. The economic development in these nations has led to an increase in the industrial output of these sectors. For instance, as per the 2021 report of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association on global vehicle production, China produced 32% of 74 million cars manufactured worldwide with Japan & Korea producing 16%. Moreover, as per the Ministry of Textiles, total cloth production in India was increased by 9% during April-Jan 2020, and cloth production in the decentralized sector was increased by 9% in 2020. Such an increase in productivity of the textile and automotive sector in China and India will increase the demand for screen printing inks to be used for textile and automotive fabrics, thereby increasing the growth rate of the screen printing inks industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

Screen Printing Inks Market Drivers

Increased in E-commerce Sales

In today's world, as per the current trends prevailing in the packaging industry, the big brands tend to segment their products based on printed packaging. The lockdown imposed during COVID increased the number of online buyers, especially for food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals products. Hence such a rise in online shopping volume led to an increase in labeling & packaging for the online ordered items which ultimately increased usage of printing inks like discharge ink for labeling product details on packaged items. For instance, as per the 2020 report of the U.S Department of Commerce, the e-commerce sales in 2020 grew by 30% compared to 2019 and as per U.S Census Bureau 2020 report, the food and beverage e-commerce sales increased by 11.7% in the fourth quarter of 2020. Hence with such an increase in e-commerce sales, the demand for screen printing inks used for labeling and packaging will also increase, thereby having a positive impact on the growth of the screen printing inks industry. 

Growing Production of Automotive

The automotive sector places high demands for printing inks for the automotive interiors. Hence, it is for this reason that screen printing plays a key feature for printing car windows, dashboards, door panels, and interior decoration using fabrics and emulsions & capillary films. An increase in purchase capacity, improvement in living standards, and rapid urbanization have led to an increase in the demand for new automotive vehicles, thereby increasing their production volume. For instance, as per the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturing, the global production volume of vehicles increased to 57 million in 2021 from 52 million in 2020. Also, as per the November 2021 report of the Europe Automobile Manufacturer Association, the new passenger car registration in the first ten months of 2021 increased up to 2.2% with an increase shown in European Union markets like Italy showed 12.7%, Spain showed 5.6% and France showed 3.1%. Such an increase in automobile production on account of high demand will increase the usage of screen printers for printing on automotive interiors, resulting in more usage of screen printing inks like UV-cured ink.

Screen Printing Inks Market Challenges

Stringent Government Regulations on VOC Emission

Screen printing inks like solvent-based inks contain volatile organic compounds like alcohol and ester that cause health problems like throat infection, damage to the liver, kidneys, and also it causes pollution. Hence, to reduce the VOC emissions and pollution caused by such orienting inks, certain regulations are established by government organizations. For instance, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations of US, Environment Protection Agency deals with EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment from VOC emission. Hence such regulations can lead to less usage of solvent-based printing ink, which can harm the growth of the screen printing inks industry.

Screen Printing Inks Industry Outlook

The companies to develop a strong regional presence and strengthen their market position, continuously engage in mergers and acquisitions. In screen printing inks market report, the Screen printing inks top 10 companies are:

1. DIC Corporation
2. Flint Group
3. Sakata Inx
4. Huber Group
5. Yip Chemical
6. Tokyo Ink Co. Ltd
7. Nazdar Ink Technologies
8. Marabu Group
9. Fujifilm Specialty Ink System Ltd
10. Kolorcure

Recent Developments

• In 2021, Flint Group launched its ONE CODE solvent-based ink and coating range in Europe. Hence with the launch of such a product, the company will be able to bring ultimate print flexibility and efficiency in flexible packaging. 
• In 2020, Marabu Group launched its pioneering Maqua Pad MAP Ink, which is a premium quality solution and the world’s first water-based pad printing ink suitable for textile and toy printing 
• In 2021, Huber Group acquired Alden & OTT Printing Ink company. Hence such acquisition will help Huber Group to expand its customer base in Midwest and Northeast without any interruptions.

Relevant Reports

Flexographic Ink Market - Forecast (2021 - 2026)

Report Code: CMR 0385

UV Cured Printing Inks Market – Forecast (2021 – 2026)

Report Code: CMR 90632

Packaging Ink Market – Forecast (2022 - 2027)

Report Code – CMR 1163

For more Chemicals and Materials Market reports, please click here