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That is one of the key finding in Smithers reports in its
The Future of Digital Printing to 2035. It states digital print will make up 22.5% of the global value of all print and printed packaging by value in 2035, with the equivalent of a little over 2.83 trillion A4 prints produced. 

The latest findings builds on Smithers’
The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2029 that expected the inkjet market to reach 2.29 trillion A4 prints or equivalent by that time.

This growth is being driven by the combination of the fall in overall print volumes and shorter run lengths that result in digital inkjet production being more cost effective than analogue printing.

Five sectors of growth

That will continue predicts Smithers and five sectors will increase production volumes using the technology.

They are books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues and directories:

  1. Books The digital book printing market, valued at $8.3 billion in 2020, will reach just under $26.0 billion by 2035, up by more than 213% in value and 325% in print volume. Inkjet technology will dominate for a number of reasons including increased use in book jacket and cover printing on sheetfed machines, on demand production enabling book publishers to manage inventory levels reducing the risk of unsold copies, and highly streamlined production due to developments in book finishing technology.
  2. Magazines While the overall printed magazine sector is in decline with volumes falling and titles becoming increasingly specialised resulting in shorter run lengths, there is growth in digital printing. From $2.9 billion in 2025 the market’s value is expected to rise to $7.5 billion in 2035, the equivalent of 49.4 billion A4 prints.

  3. Newspapers Digital print represents a small niche within this sector that has seen readership decline over many years. At $190 million globally in 2025, digital print newspaper output is forecast to reach $230 million in 2035 and Smithers states it will be solely inkjet printing.

  4. Catalogues The global market for digitally printed catalogues is valued at $707 million in 2025 and forecast to achieve $854 million in 2035. The demand for higher value catalogues that are much more tailored to the different customer segments and lead to higher follow on sales is driving rising demand for digital print in this sector. As such the capability of full personalisation is being explored to boost customer spend and inkjet will take a higher share.

  5. Directories The digital print market is valued at $721 million in 2025 and is forecast to decline but volume will grow as more inkjet text sections are printed. Directories remain a relatively small part of the market and by 2035 the directory will be more of a promotional item than a traditional directory.

Also growing its use of inkjet production will be advertising print - The market is valued at $56.3 billion in 2025 and will grow to $63.3 billion in 2035. This will be led by single pass colour inkjet printers taking an increasing share of the direct mail market away from toner overprint litho shells. There will also be steady growth in printing brochures and pamphlets digitally. However, direct mail volumes will be impacted by rising mailing costs that significantly increase the costs of campaigns.

Another sector to keep an eye on is digital photobooks. It is predicted to grow from $9.5 billion in 2020 to $12.4 billion in 2035 in value and from the equivalent of 34.8 billion A4 prints to just over 52.0 billion in 15 years. Inkjet is increasing its share with specialist inkjet photo printers and high quality sheetfed presses are taking some share from electrophotography. High speed web presses capable of good quality on coated paper stocks are already handling some yearbooks and representing a potential alternative for high volume photobook producers.

Future shaping trends and influences

All these markets are in themselves impacted by changing trends and pressures on demand. Economics, both macro and micro, influence organisational and individual expenditure.  

The industry has been managing the after effects of the major disruption of the pandemic and inflation as well as energy and transport price hikes. More specific to print was the rising costs of consumables, such as paper, plates and inks, between 2021 and 2023. These have since abated but helped boost digital print as a provider of cost effective short runs.

Wage increases for production, sales, and administration staff, will have an ongoing effect. Print providers are finding it difficult to recruit and retain skilled staff, leading many companies to invest in automation systems and robotics. This trend will increase in the next decade benefiting digital print systems as they are usually easier to automate, particularly when linking to finishing.

This is especially pertinent as The World Economic Forum’s
‘Future of Jobs Report 2025’ forecasts that Printing and Related Trades Workers will be one of the fastest declining employment sectors between 2025 and 2030 - 2 million jobs are set to disappear, accounting for 20% of direct employees in 2025.

Demographics also defines demand for print and packaging. Print volumes are determined by population numbers and age ranges. Smithers predicted greater use of targeted communications, with more designs and lower runs lengths, well suited to digital print.

How consumers perceive the impact of print and packaging on the environment is growing in importance as sustainability drives choice for more and more consumers globally. Brands and retailers will look for more ways to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. Legislation will increasingly focus on environmental protection and climate change.

The good news for digital production is that it benefits from some inherent sustainability advantages. Unlike analogue methods there are no plates or cylinders with the associated chemistry and water usage. There is no press makeready, eliminating wastage. Digital presses are also more likely to run smaller quantities, reducing the potential for waste throughout the supply chain resulting from unsold copies or redundant stock.

Transitioning with technology

Smithers says supporting the steady progress being made in the adoption of digital inkjet print, as the analogue to digital transition continues, is the work of manufacturers. They are successfully focused on making the transition to digital frictionless and delivering ever greater efficiency at lower overall cost to analogue supply chains.

For Konica Minolta its flagship inkjet technology is the AccurioJet series that has an emphasis on productivity and is designed to minimize downtime. It uses inline sensors and a spectrophotometer to automatically monitor printing conditions to ensure perfect image quality and print stability on a variety of substrates.

With a future shaped by robust and sustained growth, digital print production will continue to thrive, driven by technological innovation, shifting market demands, and increasing pressure for cost efficiency and environmental responsibility.  As print volumes decline and shorter run lengths become the norm, digital print - particularly inkjet - is uniquely positioned to meet the changing market demands.

Talk to Konica Minolta experts to explore which of the five growth sectors could deliver future defining results for your operation.

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