Hybrid & Heroic: Press Platforms of Tomorrow Are Here Today

BOHEMIA, NY–Tremendous development is in the cards. Sales are surging. Hybrid printing is transforming the packaging universe. Intense competition prevails.

North America, specifically the U.S., is the dominant force in the global marketplace. Recent launches of hybrid systems with enhanced capabilities—speed, accuracy, flexibility and versatility—are promoting further adoption. Continuation of the frenetic pace is forecast.

Industry analysts, including Research Market Futures, Markets & Markets, Grand View Research and Verified Market Research, as well as government economists hailing from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Small Business Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, are continually reporting out emerging trends.

Trade associations, like Printing Industries of America, the European Printing Industry Association, and of course, Flexographic Technical Association, are monitoring developments carefully. 

Consensus maintains that packaging is the dominant application; paper is the preferred substrate; inkjet technology is the prevailing force.

Rocketing Revenues
Some forecasters boldly project revenues to soar by $40+ billion in the next decade, citing compound annual growth rates ranging from just under 7 percent to slightly better than 11 percent for different timespans.

Others are more conservative, limiting revenue projections to equipment and materials rather than output. Assessments from those pundits on the value of hybrid print equipment point to a $6 billion market at press time. CAGR forecasts fluctuate between 12.3 and 13.2 percent.

For example:

• Research Market Futures places hybrid print revenues at $47 billion today, $72 billion in 2032 and $87 billion in 2035
• Verified Market Research reports smaller but significant escalation in value, positioning revenues at $22 billion in 2025, $46 billion in 2032, and if trendlines hold steady, $70 billion—some 20 percent less than Research Market Futures—in 2035
• Grand View Research estimates that expenditures for hybrid printing equipment and materials sits at $5.8 billon in 2025, will increase at ~12 percent CAGR, and top $10 billion by 2030
• Markets & Markets assessment, while covering a shorter period than Grand View Research’s is highly optimistic, anticipating 13.2 percent CAGR for equipment and materials over the course of the next three years, with sales rising from $7 billion to $10.2 billion

Economists’ Evaluations
Government watchdogs weigh in and report the following findings:

• US Census Bureau Annual Business Survey indicates that firms that engage in hybrid printing technology see a 23 percent increase in client retention. Additionally, it places, investment in hybrid printing technology as growing by 18 percent year-to-year, with small or medium-sized operations leading the way at 23.4 percent
• Latest available figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce point to a 34 percent rise in customized print product orders across e-commerce platforms in a single year
• US Small Business Administration claims small firms that utilize hybrid printing technology for customized items typically see a 45 percent boost in recurring customer rates. Documentation also reveals companies deploying hybrid printing technologies for customization see an average revenue increase of 15.8 percent in print-related services, then cites impressive growth in retail packaging (22.3%)
• Environmental Protection Agency sustainability measurements certify that hybrid printing technologies minimize waste by up to 27 percent compared to standard methods

Demographic analysis extends from the government to the private sector—both here in the US and internationally:

• Statistics from the European Printing Industry Association reveal that 67 percent of print service providers invest in hybrid printing capabilities expressly to fulfill customized requests
• A comprehensive survey by the Printing Industries of America maintains, organizations that offer personalized printing services generally realize an average revenue increase of 31 percent, compared to 12 percent for standard printing

Summaries of recent accounts from four major industry analysts continue the story and are presented in FLEXO’s March 2025 edition.

Editor’s Note: FORUM 2025 steps beyond traditional flexographic printing and delves into how the modern-day pressroom deploys analog, digital and hybrid technologies side-by-side on the production floor. Quality, consistency, repeatability must match with no noticeable differences observed between processes. In reality, the same job, can be printed on a different platform on a different day. Several sessions are dedicated to a thorough review of all that is transpiring.

 First up, Tuesday morning, May 5, HP leads the general session and printer panel discussion, “Flexo, Digital, Hybrid—Each Has Its Place,” covering strategic directions and essential elements. Later that day, a separate breakout discussion will focus on hybrid technology addressing both narrow web and mid-to-wide web applications.

 Wednesday morning will bring an in-depth analysis on “Unleashing the Potential of Digital Print.” Also that day, is the not-to-be missed presentation, “Digitialization Nation: How Automation and Robotics are Rewriting Package Printing’s Future.”