United States Print Label - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

The United States Print Label Market size is estimated at USD 7.13 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 8.34 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 3.19% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Key Highlights

• The COVID pandemic has provided opportunities for digital printing in labeling. Labels are part of the supply chains of necessities. Additionally, they serve as an essential tool for conveying information. Hence, the market has witnessed an increased demand for food, hygiene, pharmaceutical labels, and labeling information related to e-commerce sales. Short runs on a regular and increasing basis have become the norm.The United States label industry played a key role in the initial month of the outbreak. The label converters in the US delivered printed products that were in high demand during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Digital technology has met the multiple requirements of various end-user industries in developing attractive label designs to encourage potential consumers to make purchases. The integration of digital technology with the existing label printing techniques is expected to bring a massive change to all the small-scale and large-scale sectors, improving the overall market.
• Moreover, flexography printing is expected to drive the print label market in the country. With the rise in automation, customers want their products as close to the order time as possible. Faster turnaround times are becoming more vital than ever to meet demand. Flexographic printer with continuous print solutions, more software integrations into the presses and technologies, and durability would meet customer demand in shorter lead times.
• Flexography, a roll-feed high-speed printing technique, is appropriate for most packaging and label applications. The best thing about this flexography is that it makes it possible to print labels on a wide range of products quickly, affordably, and with excellent quality. A flexible printing plate creates a flexographic print by creating a three-dimensional relief of the desired image in rubber or another flexible material. Due to its excellent combination of quality, productivity, and flexibility, flexographic printing has become the most popular print generation in the print label industry.
• Print Labels is crucial in product safety and promotions through flexible packaging attributed to on-demand printing in almost any size or quantity. Advanced flexographic printing techniques enable brand owners to efficiently promote their products and transmit information about them, including their origin, crucial nutritional data, and even crucial tracking data for a product recall.
• Due to the lower cost of flexo printing, its platforms have increasingly entered the market. Creating personalized, limited-run print labeling has also grown more appealing. Flexography is a printing technique that uses a flexible (rather than a solid) plate. It is a newer incarnation of relief printing.
• Enhancing the process of label converting is a continuous and demanding task due to the difficulty in keeping pace with the latest advancements in technology. UV LED curing technology has emerged as a significant breakthrough in various printing processes. It now provides significant advantages for narrow web flexographic printing and overprint varnishing for labels, tags, flexible packaging, and shrink-sleeve packaging applications.
• Apart from enhancing printing performance, UV cured inks are migration-compliant and, hence, ideal for UV flexo food packaging and label applications. Sun Chemical recently launched SolarVerse, a range of highly pigmented, low viscosity, multipurpose UV flexo base concentrates that are ideal for labeling food materials.
• Moreover, paper film stocks tend to be less durable than films, potentially ripping or wrinkling over time if proper care is not taken during the application process. However, labeling about environmental regulation will also hinder the growth of the print label market. If a label remains on an item during recycling, it will hinder the recyclability of the item. For example, when labeled corrugated boxes are recycled, wet strength paper labels do not hinder box recycling, but if the film is used instead of wet strength paper, the label could not have been recycled.

United States Print Label Market Trends

Pressure-sensitive Labels Accounts for the Largest Market Share

• Pressure-sensitive labels (PSL) consist of five individual layers, such as liner, release coat, adhesive, face stock, and topcoat, and are analogous to a high-tech sticker. A PSL can use paper, film, and foil as its primary label materials and can be used with a wide range of inks to produce sharp and bright colors.
• The PSL is one of the most widely used forms of label applicator, as it does not require any heat, solvent, or water to activate; it only takes light or moderate pressure to apply it to a product surface. According to the Resource Label Group and all subsidiaries, PSLs constitute more than 80% of all labels in the market.
• In a highly competitive market like the traditional world of beer labeling, one of the most important factors in making a label stand out from the crowd and the competition is having a unique look and feel. For this reason, traditional wet glue labels are quickly being replaced by pressure-sensitive labels or sleeves because of the various embellishment possibilities and the superior appearance.
• The traditional beer labeling world prefers wet glue labels because they are very cost-effective, especially for large-scale, long-lasting jobs. On the other hand, with more decoration, a label that stands out on a crowded shelf is more likely to be noticed. A concrete and effective alternative to wet glue labels is pressure-sensitive labels. Pressure-sensitive labels offer better adhesive properties and more decoration options on a reverse-printed mirror solution with metallic effects in advancements. This is why players operating in United States, focus on catering to the changing market needs.
• Pressure pressure-sensitive labels are used in the food and drink, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, personal care, and construction industries. Depending on the application, different adhesives may make pressure-sensitive labels permanent or reusable.The vendors serving these industries are working on the front line to continue producing and supplying label materials for critical consumer and healthcare products. However, the raw material prices are rising, coupled with increased competition and evolving printing and decorating technologies.

Beverage is Expected to Account For Significant Market Share

• The beverage is one of the primary end-user industries for the US print label market, owing to the high rate of adoption of innovative label and packaging in the beverage sectors and the growing market for the health drinks segment.
• Sales of significant beverage categories is expected to cross USD 170 billion by 2024. Although the consumption of some beverage segments in the country was affected during the pandemic, the scope of many segments expanded due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Furthermore, the country is home to some of the largest carbonated beverage companies, along with a strong market for energy drinks, which are increasingly adopting new packaging techniques to attract customers. These companies are also printing their ingredients on their labels, as health-related concerns are growing among US consumers, expanding the scope of printing. Also, these ingredients may vary between brands and specific energy drink products.
• With the growing wine market, the need for labeling is becoming crucial. Most of the wine labels use paper label look or no label look with film label. In addition, labels need to be designed to withstand the environment in which they are shipped, stored, and used. Therefore, the growing number of wineries in the country will also expand label printing and manufacturing.
• As sustainability becomes more of a presence in the labeling supply chain, there will be an increased use of recycled and recyclable materials. Top material choices will include PET, bioplastic, and thicker reusable glass. As sustainability becomes more critical in the labeling supply chain, they will likely see increased use of recyclable label materials. In addition, Avery Dennison promotes several technologies for sustainability, including its CleanFlake adhesive technology for PET bottle recycling, ClearCut Adhesive technology, and a variety of paper and film face stocks for beverage labeling applications.
• The beverage's container also dictates the subsequent adhesive choice. According to research, glass containers require a different adhesive than plastic containers. Paper and polypropylene are the two most common materials used for beverage labels, while most employ polypropylene substrates. The growing expansion of the beverage industry in the country as well as the launch of upgraded labels for beverages in the market boosted the market demand in the country.
• Further, the US vendors invest in collaboration and acquisition strategies to enrich their label solutions and increase brand awareness. For instance, US-based Fort Dearborn Company acquired Walle Corporation, a leading supplier of cut & stack, roll-fed, and shrink sleeve labels. This acquisition helped the company grow more in the printed label solutions in the US, primarily for the food, beverage, and household products segments.

United States Print Label Industry Overview

The United States print label market is moderately concentrated, owing to the presence of many large and small players in the market operating in the domestic and international market. Players are adopting key strategies, such as product innovation, strategic partnerships, expansions, and mergers and acquisitions. Some of the key developments in the market are:

• In March 2023: Taylor, a United States-based graphic communications company, announced the opening of its new label manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico. The most recent opening would further aid the business in meeting the growing demand for long-lasting labels from industrial firms in Mexico.
• In October 2023: All4Labels moved to a new larger facility in Mexico City and is in the process of installing a host of new technologies as part of an impressive expansion plan to grow its presence in Mexico and the United States. The five new printing lines, focused on pressure-sensitive labels and shrink sleeves, will treble production capacity at the site, according to Almirall, while space remains for further press installations in the future

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