US demand to grow 7% annually through 2007
Demand for specialty printing consumables in the US is forecast to rise seven percent per year to more than $15 billion in 2007. Much of this growth can be attributed to the rapid adoption of digital printing processes over alternative printing technologies.
In addition, favorable gains will be attributable to the printing and packaging industry moving to highervalue consumables to solve environmental and performance issues.
Market trends
- greater penetration of digital still cameras will drive rapid gains for specialty digital paper such as glossy and matte types.
- increased use of laser printers in the consumer market will increase demand for toner cartridges and thus drive growth in aggregate specialty consumables market value since toner costs more per pound than traditional digital inks.
- the large installed base of laser printers in the office segment, as well as the significant installed base of inkjet printers in the consumer segment, will continue to provide gains for both toner and digital ink in replacement cartridges and refill kits.
- digital presses will continue to displace traditional printing equipment (e.g., gravure, flexographic and lithographic) in commercial printing, which boosts overall market value as digital ink costs more per pound than inks used in conventional printing presses.
- synthetic print media will continue to benefit from its water-resistant and tearresistant properties, especially in major applications such as outdoor posters or banners, and various retail tags and labels.
- UV-cured ink demand will be driven by environmental benefits, such as low volatile organic compound emissions, and also by these inksf ability to reduce overhead costs due to their rapid curing time.
- growth in specialty inks will be driven by their ability to enhance the security of a document (e.g., reduce counterfeiting or identity theft) or provide visual aspects that differentiate the end product from others (e.g., glow-in-thedark or a change in ink color when subjected to heat).
Growth restraints
While specialty printing consumables demand will benefit from all of these factors, as well as several others, gains will be limited, particularly in the industrial market. Restraining gains will be such factors as a continued decline in the number of printing and publishing establishments, which reduces the potential market for specialty consumables. In addition, continued pressures from end users to reduce their consumables expenditures, which makes the enforcement of price increases difficult for all consumable types, will further hinder growth.
Study coverage
Details on these and other key findings are featured in a new Freedonia study, Specialty Printing Consumables. This study provides historical data for the years 1992, 1997 and 2002, plus forecasts for 2007 and 2012. Demand is given in pounds and current US dollars for major product types and markets of specialty printing consumables.
In addition, market share data are given for major suppliers, along with an overview of competitive strategies, recent mergers and acquisitions activity, regulatory issues and the macroeconomy. Profiles are also provided for leading manufacturers and suppliers of specialty printing consumables in the US marketplace.
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