Screen, inkjet markets grow

Screen and digital printing have reached a combined value of 81.7 billion USD in industrial print applications in 2025, representing 58.8 percent of the global market by value and 75.1 percent by volume, according to new research from Smithers.

The market report, The Future of Screen vs Digital Printing to 2030, tracks the outlook for both processes and finds that while demand for screen printing is diminishing in graphics, packaging and label print, new value is being unlocked in functional and industrial print applications, including textiles, promotional items, automotive and electronics, despite increased competition from inkjet.

Across 2025-2030, overall demand for digital print in both conventional and industrial applications will increase, with combined value rising from 194.3 billion USD in 2025 to 244.6 billion USD in 2030, a 4.7 percent compound annual growth rate. Screen print value in these markets will increase from 63.8 billion USD in 2025 to 79.3 billion USD in 2030, a 4.4 percent CAGR.

The ability to deposit precisely controlled volumes of complex fluids accurately makes screen the preferred technology for many industrial and functional print products, especially for textiles, printed electronics and direct-to-object printing of promotional items. This will support further market growth with a 5.5 percent CAGR to 2030.

Screen will maintain a presence in packaging, used for opaque coatings and embellishments on packaging and labelstocks. Across 2025-2030, innovation will include the evolution of digital screen exposure to improve productivity, lower costs and reduce the need for skilled labor, though much R&D will continue on different high-viscosity fluids to operate with rotary screen print lines.

Digital print, especially inkjet, is a focus for OEMs across the print industry, including those that have formerly specialized in analog production. Investment is being made to lower the cost of ownership, enhance automation and connectivity, improve productivity and raise production throughput.

For functional and industrial printing, inkjet is already widely used to print ceramics, and new systems are offering an alternative to screen in other segments, including direct-to-garment printing. This sector is being stimulated by the arrival of more specialized printheads that can jet a diverse range of fluids, opening up segments such as batteries for electric vehicles and biomedical and automotive applications, poised for the fastest expansion to 2030.

Other major applications for digital printing are in packaging, labels and graphics work, worth 166.9 billion USD in 2025. Smithers forecasts a 4.2 percent CAGR through 2030, increasing market value to 204.8 billion USD, with the fastest growth in packaging, followed by labels, as demand for graphics print slows.