Custom Printing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Printing Technique, Printing Design (Graphic Design, Artwork), By Application, By End-use, By Commercial Enterprise Size, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Market Overview

The global custom printing market size was valued at USD 31,688.4 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2% from 2023 to 2030. The rising demand for producing customized clothing such as t-shirts, jerseys, and sweatshirts; and promotional material such as banners, posters, and signage is expected to drive the growth. The major factors driving the growth include the increasing use of customized t-shirts as an advertising and branding tool by companies and the rising preference of people toward wearing fashionable custom-printed clothes.

Moreover, the increasing need from businesses and enterprises for advertising materials such as banners, posters, brochures, pamphlets, and business cards is driving the demand for custom printing services. Increasing technological proliferation such as faster presses and new color & toner technology allows better production capabilities and superior quality, thus boosting the demand for custom printing.

With a rising disposable income of consumers worldwide, spending on trendy & customized clothing as well as accessories has surged significantly in the last few years. Furthermore, the target market is poised for unprecedented growth in the coming years owing to the rising trend of wearing custom-designed jerseys and t-shirts with unique designs and logos of sports teams. Thus, the growing popularity of sports is also expected to contribute to the rise in demand for custom-printed t-shirts worldwide.

Although custom printing has turned out to be one of the most inspiring & innovative methods, offering multiple benefits to various industries and sectors, there exist a few factors hindering the growth of the market. Limitations of the machinery and complexity of designs are among the factors hampering the growth. Moreover, the high initial investment is one of the major restraints owing to the costlier material prices, lack of materials availability, and higher prices of custom printers. Furthermore, high customization with detailed designs, coupled with high equipment costs and input materials results in an overall increase in product costs.

COVID-19 Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic created major disruptions in numerous businesses globally. Industries have been largely impacted by the pandemic in three ways: reduced profitability, direct impact on production and demand, and depletion of financial reserves and cash flows. The pandemic disrupted supply chains in the early stages (first and second quarters of 2020), which also affected the custom printing businesses. The disrupted supply chains resulted in delays in the procurement of raw materials for custom printing and delayed supply of finished custom products to the customers.

The custom printing industry suffered considerable losses during the first few quarters of FY 2020 and started recovering steadily owing to the rise in online shopping. While lockdowns across countries significantly hampered offline sales, they led to an increase in online shopping. As a result, outlets and brand retailers saw a decrease in consumer footfall and apparel demand and e-commerce businesses saw a surge in demand for custom-printed products such as t-shirts and masks.

The growing need for signage related to social distancing and COVID-19 protocols, including floor decals, banners, window signs, and yard signs, positively impacted the market. The demand for custom face masks also grew during the pandemic and many companies stepped up to cater to this demand through new services and product offerings.

Printing Technique Insights

The screen-printing segment accounted for the largest revenue share of about 54.3% in 2022 and is expected to dominate during the forecast period. Screen printing is a popular printing process. It can be used not only for producing eye-catching canvases, posters, and artwork but also for printing onto fabrics and textiles.

Screen printing begins with the creation of a stencil on a mesh screen. Ink is then applied to imprint the design on the surface below. Paper and textiles are the most common surfaces used for screen printing. However, metal, wood, and plastics can be used as a surface for screen printing.

Digital printing is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period. Digital printing is gaining popularity as it is less labor-intensive and allows producing multiple designs in small batches.

Continued advances, such as on-demand printing, coupled with a significant push toward environmental and sustainable operations by incorporating the use of safer chemicals and mild solvents than those used in conventional technologies are playing a niche role in driving the growth of the segment. The shift toward green solutions and cost-effective production is also expected to open new opportunities for the growth of the segment.

Printing Design Insights

The graphic design segment held the largest revenue share of about 56.0% in 2022 and is expected to dominate during the forecast period. Graphic design incorporates graphical and textual components on various products such as notebooks, posters, glass, home décor, ceramics, stickers, paper bags, and t-shirts.

Graphic design helps in communicating information in an easy-to-understand manner, for instance, through infographics. As such, graphic design can play a vital role in branding and advertising. While a graphic design can be printed on notebooks, posters, glass, ceramics, stickers, paper bags, and t-shirts, among other surfaces, it can also be hosted on websites, thereby helping organizations in building their brand and reputation.

The artwork segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period. Artwork can be performed on a variety of materials, such as wood walls, textiles, t-shirts, and ceramics. The artwork segment also covers custom artwork developed by individuals to be printed on a particular material or a product. Consumers looking forward to printing their designs or having a clear idea of the desired print can be considered prospective buyers of artwork. However, the artwork is a time-consuming process and is often more expensive as compared to graphic design, which can particularly restrain the growth of the segment.

Application Insights

The clothing segment held the largest revenue share of about 36.5% in 2022 and is expected to dominate during the forecast period. The clothing segment includes t-shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts & hoodies, and other custom-printed clothing. Custom-designed apparel/clothing such as t-shirts are increasingly being used by companies as a branding strategy to gain recognition for the company’s products.

These branding techniques are used by most companies, especially startups, to gain the attention of their prospective customers and increase their brand visibility. Therefore, the growing use of custom-printed clothing as a branding tool is expected to be a major contributor to segment growth over the forecast period in the custom apparel market and in the overall custom printing market.

The packaging segment is expected to experience the highest CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period. The packaging segment comprises labels, stickers, boxes, paper bags, and other packaging products. Packaging is utilized as an informative and protective layering for moving and storing products. Packaging includes the process of labeling the packages with electronic, graphical, or written representations.

It is utilized by various industries and sectors, such as education, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, to create brand awareness, address the list of ingredients of medicines, and provide product information. The growth of the segment can also be attributed to the emerging trend of aesthetic packaging with the incorporation of innovative shapes, colors, and textures, among others, in packaging.

Commercial Enterprise Size Insights

Large enterprises accounted for the largest market share of 54.7% in 2022. Customized products can play a significant role in the promotion and brand-building of businesses of all sizes. Despite the paradigm shift toward digital marketing, conventional ways of brand promotion remain popular among businesses, and large enterprises are not an exception to that. Large enterprises have adequate budgets to spend on custom-printed products, such as pens, travel mugs, notebooks, calendars, backpacks, hats, and t-shirts, which can be used to retain customers, reward loyal customers, and acquire new customers.

The medium enterprises segment is expected to experience the highest CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period. Enterprises tend to have different and unique marketing and advertising needs depending on their respective requirements and budgets. Medium enterprises majorly focus on custom-printed drinkware, staff name tags, t-shirts, and other items, such as lanyards, magnets, and postcards, for promotion and marketing.

Having realized that custom-printed products can potentially help companies in promoting their brand and increasing their customer base, custom printing providers are working with their clients on an individual basis to design and produce custom-printed materials meeting their specific requirements and budgets.

End-use Insights

The commercial segment accounted for about 72.5% of the revenue share in 2022. Commercial end-users of custom printing include enterprises, corporations, and businesses opting for custom printing for marketing and advertising purposes. Businesses often utilize custom printing services for printing brochures, pamphlets, flyers, booklets, manuals, and business cards, among other items considered vital for business growth. Businesses of all sizes rely heavily on custom printing for effective marketing and advertising. Custom printing can also help in augmenting sales and in improving brand awareness without incurring any significant costs.

Apart from low-cost marketing, custom printing can also help businesses in instant brand recognition and building customer loyalty. Key market players are offering custom printing solutions designed to help businesses and institutions with better and more effective marketing. For instance, Canva assisted Zapiet, a store delivery, pickup, and shipping firm, in scaling its branding and marketing during the e-commerce boom in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The personal segment is expected to experience the highest CAGR of 11.3% during the forecast period. The personal segment covers individual users opting for custom printing services to produce custom-printed notebooks, t-shirts, textiles, glass, ceramics, and home décor accessories, among other items.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific accounted for the major market revenue share of 38.8% in 2022 and is estimated to expand at a significant CAGR from 2023 to 2030. The growth is attributed to the growing popularity of fashionable apparel among the young population. Moreover, with a large population of young people and a positive growth outlook for the apparel industry, several startups offering personalized printed clothing and other customized accessories have emerged in India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. Furthermore, advancements in technologies and rising demand for custom printed products are driving market growth.

The growth of the target market in Europe can be attributed to advancements and developments in printing technologies achieved by custom printing providers and manufacturers such as Spreadshirt, Vistaprint, and Printify, Inc. demand for custom t-shirts witnessed a considerable spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shoppers looked for contactless ways of shopping and adopted e-commerce channels for purchasing comfortable and affordable fashionable loungewear in various styles and fits.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

To broaden their product offering, industry participants utilize a variety of inorganic and organic growth tactics, such as partnership & collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and product development. For instance, in November 2021, Printful Inc. announced a partnership with Vexels. Vexels provides design solutions for print-on-demand purposes. The partnership involved the integration of pre-selected designs into Printful Inc.’s design-making tool. Some prominent players in the global custom printing market include:

• CafePress

• MOO Inc.

• Vistaprint

• GotPrint

• Zazzle Inc.

• PsPrint

• UPrinting.com

• Shutterfly Inc.

• Overnight Prints

• Canva

• 4imprint Inc.

• CustomInk, LLC

Custom Printing Market Report Scope

Global Custom Printing Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global custom printing market report based on printing technique, printing design, application, end-use, commercial enterprise size, and region:

• Printing Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Screen Printing

  • Digital Printing

  • Plot Printing

  • Others

• Printing Design Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Graphic Design

  • Artwork

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Clothing

    • T-Shirts

    • Jerseys

    • Sweatshirts and Hoodies

    • Others

  • Business Cards

    • Standard

    • Premium

  • Marketing Material

    • Banners

    • Signage

    • Poster

    • Others

      • Brochures & Booklets

      • Catalogues

      • Flyers & Pamphlets

      • Menus

      • Others

  • Packaging

    • Labels

    • Stickers

    • Boxes

    • Paper Bags

    • Others

  • Stationery

    • Letterheads

    • Notebooks

    • Envelopes

    • Others

  • Others

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Commercial

  • Personal

• Commercial Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Micro Enterprises

  • Small Enterprises

  • Medium Enterprises

  • Large Enterprises

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • France

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East & Africa