Digital textile printing has expanded quickly over the past decade, but growth is no longer spread evenly. Europe's share of the market has fallen as new machines go increasingly to South and Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Overview
Title: What will drive the next investment cycle in digital textile printing?
Date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Duration: 49 minutes
Summary
Digital textile printing has expanded quickly over the past decade, but growth is no longer spread evenly. Europe's share of the market has fallen as new machines go increasingly to South and Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Demand explains only part of that shift. Conflict and trade disputes are changing where brands buy their fabric, high energy costs are squeezing European printers and tighter environmental rules are changing which inks and processes make sense. Competition on price has intensified at the same time. With so much equipment already in use, suppliers face a harder question than before: where will the next wave of investment come from, and what will set it off?
Joseph Link, lead market analyst and senior editor for digital textiles at WTiN, will use the latest data from WTiN's Digital Textile Market Tracker to look for answers. For the first time, that data links the number of printers in use with the amount of fabric they print and the ink and paper they consume, broken down by region, country and hardware and consumable specifications. The session will show where the market is growing, which end uses are gaining ground and how demand for different inks is changing. It will then weigh up how these pressures are likely to shape investment over the next few years, closing with what this means for hardware and consumables suppliers deciding where to focus next.
Speaker: Joseph Link, WTiN
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