Digital Printing vs. Traditional Printing: Who Will Dominate the Future Packaging Market?
The global packaging market is expected to exceed 1.2 trillion US dollars, and printing technology, as the core link of the packaging industry chain, is facing an unprecedented change: digital printing is soaring at an annual growth rate of 12%, while traditional printing is still firmly in the "basic disk" with a market share of 65%. In this game between technology and market, who can seize the future? We provide in-depth analysis from the four dimensions of technology, cost, environmental protection and consumer trends.
1. Technology iteration: the "flexible revolution" of digital printing VS the "scale barrier" of traditional printing
The breakthrough benefits of digital printing have moved from the lab to large-scale applications. The high-speed digital press has a resolution of more than 1200 dpi and an AI-driven color management system to accurately register complex patterns in less than 0.5 seconds. For example, Shanda Printing has introduced digital printing equipment such as the Durst Tau 510 RSCi digital label printing machine, with a printing speed of up to 100 m/min, and one machine can produce up to 50,000 labels per day, which not only greatly increases the digital label printing capacity, but also provides more diversified and personalized printing services. This "short-term quick reaction" ability has completely subverted the traditional business model of printing with a minimum order of 100,000.
However, the scale effect of traditional printing is still its moat. Taking gravure printing as an example, the daily production capacity of a single equipment can reach 2 million square meters, and the unit cost is as low as 0.03 yuan/square (only 1/5 of digital printing). For FMCG giants such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever, which have an annual demand of more than 10 billion pieces of daily chemical packaging, traditional printing is still the only economical choice.
The key point of the technical game: digital printing needs to break through the "double limit" of speed and cost, while traditional printing needs to be upgraded to intelligence (such as the AI printing machine fault self-test system launched by Heidelberg).
2. Environmental pressure: Can the "zero inventory" of digital printing beat the "circular economy" of traditional printing?
According to Deloitte's 2024 report, 73% of global consumers are willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly packaging. Under this trend, the "zero waste" model of digital printing has become a trump card. Its plate-making-free, print-on-demand feature reduces material loss from 15% to less than 3% compared to traditional printing.
But traditional printers are fighting back with circular technology. For example, Tetra Pak's "water-based ink + biodegradable film" solution has increased the recycling rate of traditional printed packaging from 60% to 92%. In addition, traditional printing giants such as RRD are building regional centralized printing centers to reduce unit energy consumption through large-scale production.
The essence of environmental competition: digital printing is better than "process carbon reduction", traditional printing is stronger than "result regeneration", and the difference in the path of the two will coexist for a long time.
3. Consumer trends: personalization VS brand consistency, who is more in line with future needs?
Gen Z accounts for 58% of the global packaging market increment, and they pursue a "unique" consumer experience. Digital printing is opening up new markets with Variable Data Printing (VDP) technology, such as Johnnie Walker's "Name Customised Whisky Bottle", which has increased unit prices by 30% and sales by 25%;
However, traditional printing is still irreplaceable in terms of brand consistency. For example, Apple's color error in the iPhone box is limited to ΔE≤1.5 (indistinguishable by the naked eye), which can only be achieved by offset printing technology. McDonald's packaging printing in 50,000 stores around the world must also ensure that the red color of the hamburger box is completely uniform around the world through traditional processes.
Differentiation of the consumer market: the field of high-end customization belongs to digital printing, and the mass standardization market is still dominated by traditional printing.
4. Cost account: Who can find a balance between "scale" and "flexibility"?
According to McKinsey, the break-even point for digital printing has dropped from 5,000 to 2,000. For small and medium-sized brands, the start-up costs of digital printing (no platemaking fees, low inventory) are absolutely attractive. For example, Glossier, an emerging DTC (direct-to-consumer) brand, uses digital printing to quickly iterate 20 new packages per month, reducing marketing costs by 35%.
However, traditional printing still has an overwhelming advantage in ultra-large orders:
A mineral water brand with an annual output of 1 billion bottles, if digital printing is adopted, the total cost will increase by 230 million yuan;
Traditional printing enterprises can compress the transportation cost to 1/3 of digital printing through the "satellite factory" model (such as ORG's layout of 28 production bases across the country).
Cost competition conclusion: the two are not a substitution relationship, but dynamically complement each other according to the order level.
Future prospects: 2028 may be the current "three-seven divide", but it is by no means life or death
According to Smithers' forecast, by 2028, the proportion of digital printing in the packaging market will rise from 18% in 2024 to 35%, but traditional printing will still maintain more than 50% share. The real winner will be the "hybrid print" model:
Nestle has piloted the combination of "digital printing label + traditional printing outer box", saving 17% of costs;
HP's "Digital + Flexo" inline device enables seamless switching between small batches and large orders on a single machine.
The future of the packaging market is not an either/or war, but an evolution of technological symbiosis. Whether it is the "fast" of digital printing or the "stability" of traditional printing, we must finally answer a question: how to find the optimal solution between fragmented demand and large-scale efficiency. The answer to this game may be hidden in the details of the packaging of a certain brand's explosive brand in 2025.