Industry In-Depth Report | Label Printing Industry In 2025: Digitalization, Intelligence, And Green Transformation Drive A New Landscape

The global market is expanding rapidly, with digitalization becoming a core driver. According to the latest market research report, the global label printing market has grown from approximately US$48.89 billion in 2024 to an estimated US$52.11 billion in 2025, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 6.6%. By 2029, the market is expected to exceed US$70.5 billion, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 7.9%.

Analysts believe that the expansion of e-commerce, demand for personalized packaging, pursuit of brand premiums, and traceability and compliance requirements are driving the continued vigorous development of the industry.

The Chinese market is a growth driver, accelerating digitalization efforts.

China's packaging printing industry is growing at approximately 4% annually, with packaging and labeling now accounting for nearly 50% of the printing industry, making it one of the market's major growth sectors. At the 2025 China Print exhibition in Beijing, HEIDELBERG showcased its Jetfire 50 high-end industrial inkjet printer, utilizing Prinect Touch Free software to enable hybrid printing process integration and digital control. The Chinese market is clearly showing a trend toward digital transformation, with leading companies continuously investing in intelligent and cloud-connected systems to enhance production flexibility and efficiency.

Technology Trends and Industry Innovation

Digital printing and personalization are driving a surge in demand for short-run customization and variable data printing (such as QR codes, serial numbers, and custom graphics).

Automation and cloud platform collaboration, such as the cloud-based printing solution launched by Loftware and SATO, simplifies template management and client control, significantly improving supply chain printing efficiency and cross-factory collaboration flexibility.

Smart manufacturing is moving towards Industry 4.0. At the Sino-Label 2025 exhibition in Guangzhou, a "Digital Factory Demonstration Zone" integrating equipment connectivity, software collaboration, and cloud management was showcased, showcasing intelligent and visualized label production processes.

Leading companies showcased digital and hybrid solutions at the exhibition.

HEIDELBERG and Gallus jointly launched a new generation of digital label printing equipment at Labelexpo Europe 2025, covering solutions for multiple scenarios, from short-run, high-efficiency to flexible hybrid processes. These solutions enable manufacturers to quickly respond to market demands and improve production capacity and quality.

Domino also debuted its N410 LED digital labeler for small and medium-sized converters at Labelexpo Barcelona, as well as a hybrid printing line integrating the N730i/N610i printing systems, deeply integrating digital printing with post-processing.

Industry Drivers and Development Challenges

While overall commercial printing in the printing industry has declined by approximately 5% annually, the packaging and labeling sectors have maintained growth of 9%-11%, with the Indian market experiencing even higher growth of 15%. The global market shift is primarily driven by commercial printing towards packaging printing.

At the same time, environmental and regulatory factors are driving the trend toward recyclable, low-carbon, and food-grade safe label materials. Small and medium-sized printing companies urgently need to adopt digital equipment and automated processes to remain competitive; otherwise, they will struggle to adapt to the challenges of high costs and technical barriers.

Looking Ahead: The integration of sustainability and intelligence will shape the new ecosystem trends in label printing. Key dynamics and impacts include continued digitalization. The proportion of digital label printing will continue to rise over the next five years, driving market structural innovation. Green production and material upgrades will be mainstream, with water-based inks, bio-based materials, and environmentally friendly processes becoming mainstream. Smart factories will popularize automated production lines, cloud-based management, and AI-powered scheduling to improve efficiency and promote flexible hybrid production models. The integration of digital and traditional printing will provide diverse production solutions at various scales. The digital printing market is expected to exceed tens of millions of US dollars by 2029, further driving the industry towards intelligence, customization, and sustainability. The key to the competitiveness of label printing companies in the future will depend on their ability to adopt technology, their flexible production layout, and their commitment to green innovation.