drupa insights Examines Print Growth and Packaging Expansion

09 October 2026: drupa insights has outlined opportunities for printers to expand into packaging and other markets in an announcement dated 6 October 2026. Published online by Messe Düsseldorf in Germany, the update draws on buyer expectations and research on diversification, while warning that new equipment alone does not make expansion commercially viable.

The analysis builds on the drupa insights platform launch. Its research partner, Alliance Insights, is the research division of PRINTING United Alliance. The platform replaces the annual Global Trends Report with regularly updated analysis.

What drupa insights says about print demand

According to the official drupa announcement, 69% of surveyed print buyers expect print’s share of their communications and media mix to increase over the following twelve months. This measures expectations, not confirmed spending growth. The public release does not specify the buyer survey’s sample size, geography or fieldwork dates.

drupa attributes the interest to print’s physical presence, precise targeting and tactile qualities. It also reports demand for faster responses, flexible run lengths, personalisation and digital or more sustainable production, particularly in labels and packaging.

Packaging leads the documented expansion cases

A separate 2025 Alliance Insights survey covered 339 North American print service providers. Of those respondents, 83% reported serving at least one segment outside their core business. The result describes that survey group, not the global printing industry.

Alliance Insights supplemented the survey with documented business developments in Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa. Packaging emerged as the strongest cross-market expansion area among those cases, especially in Asia and South America. These examples do not establish representative regional market shares or growth rates.

For businesses considering that move, screen printing for packaging illustrates how an existing process can add selected decorative or functional layers alongside other printing methods. Suitability still depends on the substrate, ink and end use.

Technology needs a workable business case

Nathan Safran, Vice President, Research at Alliance Insights, cautioned: “Expansion alone, however, is not a strategy.” His assessment centres on matching customer demand and economic potential with a company’s capabilities.

The analysis identifies automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and integrated workflows as possible support for greater product variety and shorter runs. Related coverage of Asanti 8 workflow automation offers a practical example of software designed to organise complex print jobs. Such tools can support production, but the drupa analysis stresses that companies also need market knowledge and organisational readiness.

Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies, said the platform provides context for industry developments and their effects on business models. It forms part of the LEARN cluster ahead of drupa 2028, scheduled for 09-17 May 2028 at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre in Germany.

FAQs

What does convergence mean in printing?

Convergence means print service providers crossing traditional segment boundaries by adding applications or serving markets beyond their core business. It does not, by itself, prove that the expansion is profitable.

How can readers access drupa insights?

The official drupa insights platform offers access through a separate, free registration. An existing Messe Düsseldorf account or previous drupa registration is not sufficient.