Global printing inks market to top US$18bn by 2017

The global market for printing inks is projected to reach US$18.2 billion by the year 2017, driven by the mounting popularity of environmentally-friendly inks, and incessant technology innovations that are opening up newer growth avenues including relatively new markets such as UV and ink jet inks,  according to a new report by research organization Global Industry Analysts (GIA).
 
The research report titled “Printing Inks: A Global Strategic Business Report” notes that the printing inks market is an industry that embodies the strength of the global as well as regional economies, with a high correlation to a country’s GDP.
 
By market, the report states that the US continues to remain the single largest regional market, in terms of volume as well as value sales. The European market is driven by rising sales of UV as well as free radical and cationic inks.
 
And although dominated by the developed economies, emerging trends in developing countries are triggering growth in the global printing inks market. Energy curable ink systems continue to unlock newer applications in the European and Asian markets. Asia-Pacific, particularly China and India, represent the fastest growing printing inks markets. Asia-Pacific is projected to exhibit the fastest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5 percent over the analysis period. Publication and commercial printing is a growing business in Asia, fueled by developing markets such as China and India. Opening up of these economies has ushered in ample opportunities for demand expansion, according to the report.
 
Technological advancements, meanwhile, have revolutionized the inks industry with printing presses making use of faster and highly automated equipment. Environment friendly inks such as vegetable oil-based inks and water-based inks are gaining popularity, given the growing concerns over ecological pollution. Lithographic inks represent the largest segment in the market. Benefits of lithographic printing over other processes exert a positive influence on the lithographic inks market. Digital ink is rapidly gaining popularity with compounded dollar gains grooming the market into a lucrative segment with profitable opportunities. Rotogravure, screen, letterpress and other specialty printing inks represent other rapidly growing segments, which together hold bright prospects for market participants.
 
Digital ink is forecast to register the fastest CAGR of 3.7 percent over the analysis period. Improvement in screen-printing technology, increased usage of computers by companies (both small and large scale) and the establishment of internal graphics departments facilitating professional-quality, in-house printing, have contributed to growing demand for digital inks. Advances in digital printing combined with the tremendous expansion of inkjet printing are likely to spur the digital inks segment.
 
In addition, radiation curing inks and energy-curable ink technology also offer numerous opportunities, thereby pepping up industry growth prospects, the GIA report states.
 
The report analyzes the worldwide markets for printing inks in the following product segments: lithographic flexographic, gravure, letterpress, digital and other inks. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America.
 
Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 252 companies including many key and niche players such as Brancher Company, Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals, DIC Corporation, Sun Chemical, Epple Druckfarben, Flint Group, Huber Group, Hostmann-Steinberg, Micro Inks, INX International Ink Co., Siegwerk Group, Sicpa Holding and Zeller+Gmelin, amongst others.