As traditional print media continues its steady decline, the packaging sector is emerging as a vital growth area—offering struggling print businesses a new path to survival and relevance in niche markets.
Once dominated by newspapers, magazines, and brochures, the print industry is shifting its focus to packaging, driven by booming e-commerce and increased emphasis on brand visibility. According to experts, this transformation is reshaping the sector and fueling innovation.
Packaging Printing Surges as Traditional Print Declines
Global commercial print output is declining at an estimated rate of 5% annually, notes Kamal Mohan Chopra, Chairman of the World Print Communication Forum. In contrast, packaging printing is growing at a robust 9–11% globally, with India experiencing an even sharper rise—around 15% per year.
This growth is largely due to the surge in online retail and heightened expectations around branded packaging, which have made packaging printing an essential service for many companies. As a result, the packaging sector has become a lifeline for numerous print firms, helping them stay afloat.
Technology Leads the Transformation
The industry is undergoing a rapid technological transition. Traditional methods like letterpress and offset printing are being replaced by digital and nanographic systems that enable faster, more cost-effective, and higher-quality printing—especially for multicolour corrugated boxes.
Recent exhibitions in China showcased these advancements, where companies demonstrated high-speed multicolour printing that far exceeds the capabilities of older single-colour systems. In addition, artificial intelligence is being integrated into production workflows to enhance efficiency, automate design, and improve precision.
Small Print Businesses Face Growing Pressure
However, this evolution isn’t without challenges. Smaller print companies are struggling to keep up with the pace of change. Rising equipment and raw material costs, along with increasingly stringent quality standards—especially in food and pharmaceutical packaging—are forcing many to either invest heavily or exit the market.
Aneel Singh, a local print shop owner, highlights the difficulty: “To remain competitive, we now need advanced machines and top-tier materials. That’s a big leap for small operators like us.”
The Future of Print Lies in Packaging
As demand for high-quality, compliant packaging continues to grow—fueled by online shopping and tighter regulations—so too does the importance of the print sector’s shift. The industry isn’t vanishing; it’s reinventing itself.
Packaging is no longer just a product—it’s the print industry’s future.
Source: packaging-gateway.com
