中文A new drupa insights report delivers an unexpectedly upbeat signal for the print industry: 69 percent of print buyers surveyed expect the share of print in their communications and media mix to increase over the next twelve months. Far from signalling a retreat to old communication models, the finding points to a more deliberate allocation of roles across channels, with print deployed where physical presence, precise targeting and tactile quality create distinctive value.
The report argues that print is being repositioned rather than revived. Buyers are not abandoning digital; they are assigning print a specific, high-value job in the mix — direct mail that gets opened, packaging that performs on shelf, labels that carry compliance and brand story, and collateral that feels considered. That intentionality is the difference between print as a legacy default and print as a chosen, accountable medium.
Alongside shifting expectations, the report notes that the demands placed on print service providers are changing. Customers want faster response times, flexible run lengths, personalization and, increasingly, digital and sustainable production processes. These requirements are especially influential in labels and packaging, where they are shaping purchasing decisions, production strategies and procurement. As a result, technology is increasingly judged by the tangible value it creates across the value chain rather than by specification sheets alone.
For labels and packaging, the implication is significant. Brand owners are consolidating spend with suppliers who can deliver versioned, personalized and sustainable output at speed, and who can prove the value of each investment. That rewards converters who have modernized workflows, adopted digital and hybrid presses, and built credible sustainability credentials. It also raises the bar for printers still reliant on long, undifferentiated runs.
The personalization and sustainability expectations are not separate trends. Versioned labelling and variable-data packaging satisfy both: they let brands tailor messages to segments while reducing overproduction and waste, and they align with circularity goals when paired with recyclable substrates. Print’s tactile and precise-targeting strengths become the justification for keeping it in the mix even as digital channels proliferate.
For drupa itself, the report is also a positioning exercise ahead of future editions, framing the show as the place where these buyer expectations and the technologies that meet them converge. The link to the full report invites deeper reading on how print markets are in transition and where the new growth opportunities lie.
The headline number — nearly seven in ten buyers expecting print’s share to rise — should be read with nuance. It reflects a strategic revaluation of print’s role, not a wholesale rebound of legacy volumes. The printers who benefit will be those who treat print as a precision instrument in an omnichannel plan, investing in the flexibility, personalization and sustainability that buyers now explicitly reward.
Source: https://www.printcan.com/news/2026/20261007697.shtml
The 69 percent figure should be read as a strategic revaluation rather than a volume rebound. Buyers are not abandoning digital channels; they are assigning print a specific, high-value role where physical presence, precise targeting and tactile quality create distinctive impact — direct mail that gets opened, packaging that performs on shelf, labels that carry compliance and brand story. That intentionality is what separates print-as-chosen-medium from print-as-legacy-default.
The report’s observation that buyer expectations are shifting — faster response, flexible run lengths, personalization and sustainable production — lands hardest in labels and packaging, where those demands are already reshaping purchasing, production strategy and procurement. Technology is increasingly judged by the tangible value it creates across the value chain rather than by specification sheets, which rewards converters who have modernised workflows and built credible sustainability credentials.
Personalization and sustainability are not separate trends here. Versioned labelling and variable-data packaging satisfy both: they let brands tailor messages to segments while reducing overproduction and waste, and they align with circularity goals when paired with recyclable substrates. Print’s tactile and precise-targeting strengths become the justification for keeping it in the mix even as digital channels proliferate.
For drupa, the report is also positioning ahead of future editions, framing the show as where these expectations and the technologies that meet them converge. The practical takeaway for print service providers is unambiguous: treat print as a precision instrument within an omnichannel plan, and invest in the flexibility, personalization and sustainability that buyers now explicitly reward. The printers who do will capture the growth the survey hints at; those who don’t will watch print’s share rise everywhere except in their own order books.
The survey also implies a reallocation of capital within print businesses. If buyers reward flexibility, then investments in digital and hybrid presses, automated finishing and workflow analytics are no longer discretionary upgrades but the price of admission to growth accounts. Equally, the emphasis on sustainability means environmental credentials — recyclable substrates, lower-waste production, verified emissions data — are becoming qualification criteria in procurement, not nice-to-haves. Print service providers that can document both agility and sustainability will be the ones the 69 percent of optimistic buyers turn to as they rebalance their media mix.
