Printing Ink and Toner Market Report

There is demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products across various sectors which creates plenty of opportunities in the market of printing ink and toner. As environmental concerns grow, manufacturers are pushed to produce the environment friendly solutions, which is driven by the need to reduce pollutants such as VOCs from the traditional inks. Companies are responding to the factor by developing the products with low-VOC compounds. For instance, in February 2022, Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels headquartered in Germany, announced the launch of its, Mineral Oil Free Ink, range in the Indian market. Additionally, the water-based inks which are less harmful are growing in popularity across different parts of the world. For instance, in March 2024, Fujifilm Group announced the development of a new technology, AQUAFUZE inkjet ink technology, which combines water-based and UV curable ink for wide format inkjet printing applications. The push for sustainability is also evident in the rise of biodegradable inks and recycling programs for toner cartridges, addressing concerns about waste and resource efficiency. Moreover, some studies have suggested that long-term exposure to certain chemicals found in printer toner, such as heavy metals like lead and cadmium, may be potentially harmful to humans. But the amount of these chemicals in printer toner is usually very low.

Strict regulatory compliance and environmental concern can be the substantial factors that might hamper the growth of the printing ink and toner. These inks and toners contain substances which are harmful for the humans as well as environment such as products with volatile organic compounds (VOC) and more. Consequently, there are strict regulatory compliance that revolve around printing inks and toners. For instance, in December 2021, the 21st Ordinance amending the Consumer Goods Ordinance was published in the German Federal Official Journal and entered into force. The aim of the Ordinance is to protect consumers’ health by regulating the migration of potentially hazardous substances into foodstuff. It regulates printing inks with intentional and foreseeable direct and indirect food contact through a positive list of substances and respective migration limits. Similarly, according to laws of European Union, as part of good manufacturing practice, it is not recommended to put printed surfaces, whether or not they are overlaid with a transparent coating, in direct contact with foodstuffs. Printed surfaces of a material, such as paper and cardboard, plastic and more, marked with printing ink. This does not apply to decorations that are a structural part of the materials, having been bonded or embedded within them, for instance, by a thermal “baking” process so as to form one single layer. Or stopping the use of printing inks, on condition that these components have no technological role in the packaged foodstuff.

Additionally, environmental concern is another pivotal factor that might cause the growth of printing inks and toners to hinder as printers cause lots of waste. For instance, in Europe, it is estimated that a staggering 60 to 70% of all ink and toner cartridges end up in landfills or are incinerated after a single use. A further 10-15% is collected and processed by companies, and the rest is refilled or remanufactured. Of the cartridges returned to manufacturers, less than 3% are reused, and while around 75% of the materials are recycled into new products, a number of producers reportedly incinerate the majority of their returned cartridges. Moreover, printing industry not only cause waste but the substance such as VOC also cause significant damage to humans and environment. There are mineral oil-based inks which have earned disrepute globally for their bad toxicological profile with several research studies confirming the migration of mineral oils into the food. The uptake of specific mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) is seen as a potential health hazard, as some saturated mineral oils (MOSH) may accumulate in human tissue while some aromatic mineral oils (MOAH) may even cause cancer. Overall, the harmful impact of printing inks and toners on humans and environment can obstruct the growth of printing ink and toner market.

Technological advancements that took place in recent years have more or less affected every industry positively as scope for innovations and developments is broadened. The printing ink and toner market has also seen significant developments in the market. For instance, in May 2024, DuPont, to commemorate 35 years of delivering innovation and being a global leader in digital inkjet inks with its Artistri ink products, announced the launch of its PN 1000 ink series at Drupa 2024 in Wilmington, U.S. The product series is a set of low viscosity water-based pigment inkjet inks for commercial printing formulated with proprietary DuPont technology and compatible with industry standard drying technologies. This ink set is suitable for book, direct mail and transactional printing applications and prints a rich black alongside delivering a large colour gamut with minimal to no drying, allowing printers to achieve higher speeds to be more productive.

Additionally, in August 2024, Splashjet announced an addition to the Splashjet family, introducing the compatible ink for the Canon IPF Pro and GP Series Large Format Printers. The product gives photographers, designers and print professionals the tools to maintain the highest print quality while significantly reducing costs. Similarly, in January 2024, Mito Colour Imaging Co., Ltd. announced the launch of its patented toner cartridges for HP 116/117/118/119 series printers which are compatible in different regions of North America, Latin America, Europe, Russia, CIS, Middle East, Africa, China, and Asia (except China). Similarly, in May 2024, Murabu, after an eight-year break, announced the launch of its innovative high-performance ink for digital container printing, a BPA-free screen-printing ink for brilliant, long-lasting glass decorations and a water-based textile ink for high-quality, textile transfers at Drupa 2024 in Wilmington, U.S.

Similarly, in June 2023, DuPont Artistri, a global leader in digital inkjet inks with over 30 years of innovation, highlighted the colour of what’s next in digital textile printing with the launch of Artistri P1600 direct-to-film (DTF) pigment inks at ITMA 2023, held in Milan, Italy. Similarly, in January 2024, Ten-print launched remanufactured toner cartridges for use in HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201, MFP 4301 Series printers, and Canon imageCLASS MF751 LBP673, i-SENSYS MF752 Series printers. There are companies that cope with battle of innovation by investments, partnerships, collaborations and mergers and acquisitions. For instance, in January 2024, ALTANA entered into an agreement to acquire the Silberline Group, a specialist in effect pigments that had sales of US$ 80 million in 2022. ALTANA wants to expand ECKART Division, most notably in North America and Asia.

Additionally, in July 2023, IN Groupe, a French-headquartered global specialist in identity and secured digital services, announced that it had agreed to acquire 100% of the shares of Gleitsmann Security Inks GmbH (GSI) from hubergroup Deutschland GmbH. GSI is a leading global manufacturer of high security printing inks and associated auxiliaries. Similarly, in March 2023, Toyo Ink SC Holdings, the fifth-largest ink manufacturer globally with US$ 1.21 billion in sales in 2022, acquired Thai Eurocoat Ltd., top manufacturer of external coatings for non-printed cans in the Thai canned food market. Similarly, in August 2023, Domino Printing Sciences (Domino) has boosted its digital printing inks capacity with a Euro 6.6 million upgrade to its Liverpool manufacturing plant. The investment builds on Domino’s existing 16,000m2 facility in Liverpool and reflects Domino’s commitment to growing its digital printing solutions division.

Asia Pacific dominates the market of printing ink and toner owing to industrialization which led to flourishing of packaging, advertising, and publishing industries. With countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and India, Asia Pacific is a major manufacturer as well as consumer of printers, in turn becoming the largest market of inks and toners. The region has seen significant rise in ecommerce industry which demands packaging leading to rise in printing industry. The growing focus on technological innovation in China and Japan has led manufacturers and consumers to adopt new technologies of digital and flexographic printing. The European printing ink and toner market is characterized by a focus on sustainability and innovation. The region, with its stringent environmental regulations, has seen increased demand for eco-friendly inks, including water-based and UV curable inks. Germany, the UK and France are key markets due to their strong manufacturing bases and advanced technological infrastructure. North American region is characterized by high adoption rates of digital printing technologies and advanced ink formulations. The US market benefits from significant investments in research and development, leading to innovations in printing technology and eco-friendly inks.