Printing inks refer to a paste or liquid that are used to color surfaces, like cardboards, books and magazines, newspapers, and ceramic tiles, to produce design, text, and images. These inks contain dyes or pigments that are mixed with water, oil, or solvents, which form paste or liquid. Moreover, with the growing environmental consciousness, the printing industry is increasingly adopting eco-friendly inks, such as UV-cured and water-based, as these products enhance the efficiency and decrease the harmful effects of toxic and inorganic materials used in conventional printing inks.

Owing to the multiple applications of printing inks and advantages of environment-friendly inks, their consumption has notably increased in end-use industries such as packaging, publication, printing, and food and beverages. In recent years, the usage of these inks has surged in the packaging industry, especially in India, the U.S., and China, due to their applications in flexible materials, tags and labels, and metal cans. These factors assist the printing inks market to grow by 4.7% during 2017–2023, and its value will increase from $17,537.4 million in 2016 to $23,881.9 million by 2023.

Moreover, increasing adoption of digital printers and inkjet printers, rising penetration of UV-cure and water-based printing inks, and escalating consumption of textile inks will popularize the printing inks in future. On account of the surging demand for these pastes or liquids, manufacturers are investing hefty amounts in research and development (R&D) of these products. Market players are developing innovative and new solutions to cater to the customers’ requirements. For instance, companies such as Siegwerk Buedingen and Nitro Quimica have invested heavily on R&D to improve their offerings in the packaging industry.

Geographically, North America consumes the highest volume of printing inks, wherein the U.S. is larger contributor to the regional printing inks market. Whereas, Germany, Turkey, and Brazil were the largest consumers in the European, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin American regions, respectively. Furthermore, China and India are expected to propel the utilization of the printing products in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The usage of these items will increase in these nations, due to their applications in the decorative printing, publication and commercial printing, and packaging industries.

Therefore, the rising focus on bio-based products and the expanding packaging industry will proliferate the consumption of new and improved printing inks in the coming years.