WTiN’s latest digital ink market review examines Asia’s dominance, the impact of Chinese exports and the industry’s growing move towards sustainable ink formulations, enabling businesses to plan strategically for future success.
1. Market overview
The digital textile printing market consumed 47,144 metric tons of ink in 2024, and that figure is expected to increase to 48,859 by the end of 2026.
Asia represents 57% of global demand, while Europe and North America form 22% and 10%, respectively. No significant shift is forecast to the regional breakdown in the short term, but a market slowdown in China, coupled with environmental policies positively impacting waste ratios, would ultimately limit ink sales in relation to fabric output throughout the next decade, increasing pressure on third-party ink manufacturers.
While a potential slowdown in China would negatively impact ink volumes because of the country’s dominance over ink production and consumption, Europe and North America’s smaller but more mature markets could become more strategically important for suppliers seeking balanced revenue streams.
China is home to the world’s largest digital textile ink producers, and many of these businesses have already taken measures to expand their exports, namely in Southeast Asia, parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This is posing a direct challenge to ink producers in Europe, who are struggling to compete on price with improved Chinese solutions in emerging markets.
In Europe, there has been a focus on
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