Digital Textile Printing Inks Market

Market Overview

The global digital textile printing inks market size was valued at USD 1390 million in 2021 and is estimated to reach an expected value of USD 3793 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period (2022 – 2030).

The ink specifically designed for apparel, textile, household, and display applications is digital textile printing ink. Digitally printed clothing has higher picture quality, vivid color, and durability. Additionally, digitally printed clothing is becoming increasingly popular in India due to an increase in the promotion of personalized clothing items like t-shirts on social media platforms, which encourages the use of digital textile inks for clothing applications. The demand for opulent home textile items is rising in Asia-developing Pacific countries, which is expected to increase the market for digital textile inks.

Market Dynamics

Global Digital Textile Printing Inks Market Drivers

Increase in Demand for 3D Printing Technology

The manufacturing, medicinal, industrial, and socio-cultural sectors all promote 3D printing the instant, making it a profitable commercial technology. T-shirts, shoes, and gowns that are 3D printed are being experimented with by fashion designers. In addition, various companies are printing consumer-grade custom-fit eyewear. Thus, advancements in 3D printing technology and an increase in the use of digital textile printing inks in 3D printing are anticipated to fuel global market growth in the near future.

Advancements in Printing Methods

Numerous textile printing techniques, including direct print, discharge print, pigment print, resist print, and specialty print, have developed to meet the rising need for digital textile printing on a global scale. Thanks to the invention of dye-sublimation printers, it is now possible to heat press-print textile material directly with low-energy sublimation inks and high-energy dispersion inks. Moreover, an increase in investments in R&D activities to develop novel methods of digital textile printing coupled with a rise in per capita disposable incomes, especially in developing economies such as India, China, Indonesia, Russia, and Poland, accelerate the demand for digital textile printing inks, thereby contributing toward the growth of the global market.

Global Digital Textile Printing Inks Market Restraint

High Initial Cost

Developing economies in transition face issues related to finance, owing to the limited availability of skilled professionals and high-tech equipment. In addition, factors such as increased raw material costs and higher equipment costs act as challenges to the market. Moreover, UV curable inks are expensive owing to the higher initial capital cost than conventional printing technologies. Furthermore, the price of raw materials such as acrylic acid and TiO2is a significant cause of concern for UV ink manufacturers, owing to their fluctuating availability. The high cost of UV-curable ink further restricts its adoption for printing. Thus, all these factors collectively hamper the growth of the market.

Global Digital Textile Printing Inks Market Opportunities

Technology Advancements

Manufacturers are concentrating on reducing the cost of UV-curable inks in the years to come. Manufacturers are introducing advanced technologies such as H-UV, LE-UV, and LED-UV, which are expected to drive market growth for UV LED inks. However, these technologies have a high initial cost, owing to the difficulty in identifying new raw materials for formulation. On the contrary, the UV curable inks segment is anticipated to grow considerably, owing to advancements in technology and various advantages over conventional printing technologies. Such research and development provide immense potential for market growth.

Regional Analysis

Region-wise, the global digital textile printing inks market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

Europe accounted for the largest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% during the forecast period. Europe is analyzed across the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the rest of Europe. Italy, Spain, and France are the major European textile manufacturing countries. Europe garnered the highest market share in 2021, volume, and revenue and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the analysis period. This is attributed the presence of key players and well-established textile and apparel industries in the region.

Asia-Pacific is the second largest region. It is estimated to reach an expected value of USD 995 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.6% Asia-Pacific is analyzed China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific Surge in demand for printed household textiles in countries like India and China is anticipated to contribute toward the market growth. Additionally, the change in consumer preference from plain garments to printed garments in the region, especially in countries such as India, boosts the demand for digital textile printing ink. Asia-Pacific is one of the largest textile markets, owing to significant textile players in countries such as China, India, and South Korea.

North America is the third largest region. In North America, the sportswear and fashion industries witness the demand for digital textile printing ink. The garments manufacturers in the U.S. are significantly dependent on the Asia-Pacific countries for textile raw materials such as yarn, fabrics, and some essential chemicals, which significantly contributes to the market's growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global digital textile printing inks market is segmented into ink type, application, and region.

Depending on the type, the global digital textile printing ink market is classified into reactive, acid, direct disperse, sublimation, and pigment.

The sublimation segment accounted for the largest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.4% during the forecast period. Sublimation ink is produced from a process known as the dye-sublimation printing process. In this process, heat and pressure are utilized in such a way that the phase of the ink directly gets converted into a gas without first liquefying it. The ink becomes a significant part of the printed product and does not fade, making it highly dependable and durable. The sublimation ink segment garnered the highest share in 2021 in volume and revenue. This is attributed to the fact that this ink is increasingly used in textile and signage applications, owing to its resistance to damage and colorfastness. This ink is used on various textile substrates such as polyester, acetate rayon, and acrylics, which fuels its adoption globally, thereby augmenting the market's growth.

The reactive segment is the second largest. Reactive ink is an ideal choice for linen, rayon, and nylon. These fabrics are ideal for reactive ink, as they prevent design distortion. When the reactive ink is applied to the pretreated fabric, the dye forms a chemical bond with the cellulose in that fabric. This chemical bond gives a superior color appearance and enhanced washability. The reactive ink segment garnered the second highest share in volume and revenue due to the benefits of reactive ink, such as its superior quality of colors, specifically on textile substrates such as cotton, linen, and silk, and its high wash fastness. In addition, it is one of the versatile inks, as it is used for printing on a diverse range of substrates such as natural fibers, silk, and wool.

The acid segment is the third largest. Acid ink requires pretreated fabric for fixation. It is directly printed onto the fabric and is subsequently steamed to set the ink. This post-processing heating aids in permanently fixing the colors on the fabric. The dyes in the acid ink form an electrostatic bond with different materials, such as silk, wool, and nylon. This type of bond formation imparts enhanced color brilliance. Acid inks impart color brilliance even on materials that do not retain colors. Apart from wool and silk, acid inks are used for printing swim costumes, which are fabricated using Lycra. In addition, acid inks have high resistance to chlorine and salt water. As these inks are used for designing swimming costumes, the property of tolerance against salt water and chlorine will prevent the spreading of colors on the fabric. Furthermore, these types of inks are adopted for fashion and apparel applications, owing to their light fastness, which aids in preventing the change of shade or darkening under the impact of light. All such factors drive segment growth.

By application, the global digital textile printing inks market is fragmented into clothing/garments, household, technical textiles, and display & others.

The clothing/garments segment accounted for the largest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period. Digitally printed garments include t-shirts, uniforms, towels, bandanas, and others. Digital textile printing has eased manufacturers to make digital sampling and has the advantage of changing designs before finalizing or mass production. In addition, the fashion industry is going through a transition where the demand is for customization or customized products. The textile industry is integrating digital printers to produce more innovative products.

The need for digitally printed garments is increasing significantly from small-scale end users such as musicians, small fashion labels, universities, and charitable organizations. These small sectors demand printed textiles ranging from t-shirts for fundraising campaigns and tote bags. Moreover, digitally printed t-shirts are witnessing increased popularity in India, owing to the rise in promotional activities of on-demand customized t-shirts on social media platforms, which correspondingly fuels the adoption of digital textile inks.

The household segment is the second largest. Household textiles include draperies &curtains, bed &table linens, printed designer cushions, and others. Interior design firms and magazines are boosting the trend of high-quality home textile products in developed regions such as Europe and North America. Moreover, the demand for luxurious household textile products is increasing in developing economies of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, which, in turn, is anticipated to augment the adoption of digital textile ink. Furthermore, an increase in demand for household textiles from the hospitality sector in the countries such as India, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Egypt contributes to the market's growth.

Recent Developments

• September 2022 - BASF, for the first time, offers neopentyl glycol (NPG) and propionic acid (PA) with a cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint (PCF)1 of zero2. Produced at BASF's Ludwigshafen Verbund site, in Germany, the products are available globally as "NPG ZeroPCF" and "PA ZeroPCF." BASF achieves zero PCF for NPG and PA by using renewable raw materials in its unique Verbund production system via its biomass balance (BMB) approach. For NPG, BASF additionally uses renewable energy for production.
• September 2022 - The novel dehydration catalyst CircleStarTM from BASF is designed to treat renewable feedstocks. A 99.5% selectivity is achieved for the ethanol-to-ethylene (E2E) conversion by the unique star-shaped catalyst. CircleStarTM helps to reduce the carbon footprint in the bio-ethylene value chain for products ranging from jet fuel to plastics by more than 10% while maintaining the same performance by operating at a temperature that is more than 25°C lower than conventional processes.
• July 2022– Dover Fueling Solutions ("DFS"), a part of Dover (NYSE: DOV) and a leading global provider of advanced customer-focused technologies, services, and solutions in the fuel and convenience retail industries, today announced the launch of its new technologically-advanced dispenser for hydrogen and its first-ever four-nozzle Wayne Helix™ compressed natural gas ("CNG") fuel dispenser in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region.
• July 2022 – Dover Fueling Solutions ("DFS"), a part of Dover (NYSE: DOV) and a leading global provider of advanced customer-focused technologies, services, and solutions in the fuel and convenience retail industries, announced the launch of multiple fuel dispenser models, a new point-of-sale (POS) system and a next-generation automatic tank gauge (ATG) console.