Printing ink statistics span product shipments, international trade, formulation inputs, emissions and the financial demand surrounding commercial printing. The figures below range from a 1981 U.S. formulation estimate to 2024 company finances, with geography, measurement type and limitations stated for each period.
Key Printing Ink Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2012, $4,946,147 thousand in U.S. printing-ink manufacturing shipments was reported for NAICS 325910.
- In 2012, $1,503,749 thousand in total U.S. printing-ink exports was reported.
- In 2012, $10,349,987 thousand in U.S. consumption imports of printing inks was reported.
- In 2012, $1,366,648 thousand in U.S. lithographic and offset ink shipments was reported.
- In 2012, $848,390 thousand in U.S. flexographic ink shipments was reported.
- In 2012, $536,987 thousand in U.S. gravure ink shipments was reported.
- In 2012, $1,239,141 thousand in U.S. nonimpact and digital ink shipments was reported.
- In 1981, 1,399 million pounds of U.S. printing-ink raw materials was estimated for formulation.
- In 1981, 489 million pounds of solvents in U.S. ink formulation was estimated.
- In 1981, 325 million pounds of resins in U.S. ink formulation was estimated.
- In 1981, 255 million pounds of pigments in U.S. ink formulation was estimated.
- In the EPA engineering profile, uncontrolled general vehicle cooking emitted an estimated 120 lb of hydrocarbons per ton of product.
- In the same profile, scrubber-controlled general vehicle cooking emitted an estimated 12 lb of hydrocarbons per ton.
- In China, printing-industry VOC emissions reached an estimated 939.8 Gg in 2018.
- In China, printing-industry VOC emissions were an estimated 916.1 Gg in 2019.
- In 2020 field measurements at five Chinese enterprises, solvent-based ink had a VOC factor of 287 g/kg ink.
- In 2020 field measurements at five Chinese enterprises, UV-curing ink had a VOC factor of 22 g/kg ink.
- Ennis reported $420.109 million in net sales for fiscal 2024.
Contents
- U.S. printing ink shipments and trade
- Printing ink statistics by process
- Printing ink formulation data
- VOC emissions and process controls
- China printing ink emissions trends
- Commercial print finances and demand
U.S. Printing Ink Shipments and Trade Statistics
The U.S. Census Manufacturing and International Trade Report for 2012 classified printing inks under NAICS product code 325910. Its product-shipment and trade values are reported in thousands of dollars, so they describe a historical U.S. industry snapshot rather than current global market size.
| 2012 U.S. measure | Value | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing shipments | $4,946,147 thousand | Printing-ink manufacturing shipments |
| Total exports | $1,503,749 thousand | Total export value |
| Domestic exports | $1,043,564 thousand | Domestic export value |
| General imports | $10,224,957 thousand | Goods entering U.S. customs territory |
| Consumption imports | $10,349,987 thousand | Census consumption-import value |
Source: Manufacturing and International Trade Report: 2012. The import figures are values, not domestic consumption volume, and total exports are not limited to ink made domestically.
The same Census table reported $543,074 thousand for printing inks not specified by kind. It also recorded undistributed printing-ink exports of $594,833 thousand, undistributed domestic exports of $520,223 thousand and undistributed general imports of $10,119,531 thousand in 2012; these categories should not be assigned to a particular process.
Printing Ink Statistics by Process: Offset, Flexographic, Gravure and Digital
The 2012 Census shipment categories show how differently defined printing processes appeared in the U.S. product data. Nonimpact and digital are combined in the Census category, so the figure does not isolate digital ink alone.
| U.S. 2012 product category | Shipments | Additional trade value |
|---|---|---|
| Lithographic and offset inks | $1,366,648 thousand | — |
| Letterpress inks | $117,453 thousand | — |
| Gravure inks | $536,987 thousand | — |
| Flexographic inks | $848,390 thousand | — |
| Nonimpact and digital inks | $1,239,141 thousand | $658,794 thousand exports |
| All-other printing inks | $294,454 thousand | — |
Source: Manufacturing and International Trade Report: 2012. The nonimpact-and-digital category also had $284,731 thousand in domestic exports in 2012.
These are Census product shipments, not a ranking of print quality, installed printer base or current adoption. The process labels describe the statistical categories used in the 2012 table, while the residual “all-other” category is not a single technology.
Printing Ink Formulation Statistics: Solvents, Resins, Oils and Pigments
An EPA source estimated U.S. printing-ink raw-material consumption at 1,399 million pounds in 1981. This is a historical estimate for ink manufacture, not a current production measure or a measure of ink used at the press.
| 1981 estimated formulation material | Million lb | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Solvents | 489 | Ink-formulation materials |
| Hydrocarbon solvents | 298 | Component of solvents |
| Oxygenated solvents | 120 | Component of solvents |
| Water | 68 | Formulation material |
| Resins | 325 | Formulation material |
| Mineral and drying oils | 295 | Formulation material |
| Pigments | 255 | Includes carbon black, organic and inorganic pigments, and extenders |
| Additives | 35 | Formulation material |
Source: EPCRA Section 313 Data Quality Inspection Manual. The components are an EPA historical estimate and should not be treated as a contemporary recipe for every ink type.
The EPA source separately states that press-side solvent dilution required an additional 75–100% of solvent for the relevant concentrated inks. That statement applies to specified concentrated flexographic and gravure inks, not to every printing ink or every press configuration.
Printing Ink VOC Emissions Statistics and Process Controls
EPA AP-42 provides engineering estimates for specified printing-ink varnish-cooking configurations. The values below are emission factors in pounds of hydrocarbons per ton of product, not a current census or measured fleet average.
| Vehicle-cooking configuration | Uncontrolled | Scrubber-controlled |
|---|---|---|
| General vehicle | 120 lb/ton | 12 lb/ton |
| Oil vehicle | 40 lb/ton | 4 lb/ton |
| Oleoresinous vehicle | 150 lb/ton | 15 lb/ton |
| Alkyd | 160 lb/ton | 16 lb/ton |
Source: AP-42, Chapter 6.7: Printing Ink Manufacturing. EPA states that cooking-phase emissions can be reduced by more than 90% with scrubbers or condensers followed by afterburners.
The control comparison is configuration-specific. It should not be read as a guarantee for every plant, because actual emissions depend on materials, operating conditions and the control system represented by the engineering profile.
China Printing Ink Emissions Trends, Materials and Regional Results
China’s printing-industry estimates distinguish process-based inventories from field-measured material factors. In the 2010–2019 inventory series, VOC emissions reached 939.8 Gg in 2018, the series maximum, and were 916.1 Gg in 2019.
The same 2019 study estimated ozone formation potential at 1,834.5 Gg for China’s printing industry. Ozone formation potential is modeled; it is not an ambient ozone concentration.
Source: Improved emission factors and speciation to characterize VOC emissions in the printing industry in China. These are process-based inventory estimates rather than direct continuous measurements.
A separate field study covered five packaging and printing enterprises in China and reported material-specific VOC factors from field measurements:
| Material | VOC emission factor | Measurement scope |
|---|---|---|
| Solvent-based ink | 287 g VOC/kg ink | Five-enterprise field study |
| Water-based ink | 117 g VOC/kg ink | Five-enterprise field study |
| Soybean-oil ink | 44 g VOC/kg ink | Five-enterprise field study |
| UV-curing ink | 22 g VOC/kg ink | Five-enterprise field study |
| Solvent-based adhesive | 420 g VOC/kg adhesive | Packaging comparator, not ink |
Source: Characterizing VOCs emissions of five packaging and printing enterprises in China and the emission reduction potential of this industry. The study’s 2020 packaging-and-printing inventory estimated 634.32 Gg of VOC emissions for China; the five-enterprise sample is limited and its factors are not universal product guarantees.
The adhesive result is included only as a clearly labeled comparator. It is not an ink statistic and should not be substituted for the ink factors.
Commercial Printing Financial Statistics Linked to Ink Demand
Commercial-printer finances provide context for print demand, but they do not measure ink sales or ink consumption. Ennis, Inc.’s fiscal years ended February 29, 2024, February 28, 2023 and February 28, 2022 offer one company-specific series.
| Ennis fiscal year | Net sales |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $420.109 million |
| 2023 | $431.837 million |
| 2022 | $400.014 million |
Source: Ennis, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year ended February 29, 2024. Ennis reported a fiscal-2024 net-sales decrease of $11.7 million, or 2.7%, from fiscal 2023, while fiscal-2023 net sales grew 8% from fiscal 2022.
For fiscal 2024, Ennis reported cost of goods sold of $294.767 million, gross profit of $125.342 million, or 29.8% of sales, and income from operations of $56.459 million, or 13.4% of net sales. These are company-level financial measures, not ink costs.
The filing attributed the main fiscal-2024 decline to a $32.9 million volume-demand decrease, partly offset by acquisitions. At February 29, 2024, firm-order backlog was approximately $33.7 million, and no single customer accounted for as much as 5% of consolidated net sales or accounts receivable.
Those disclosures help frame the commercial-print environment around ink demand: they show one public printer’s sales, margins, demand movement and backlog, while leaving the separate ink market unmeasured.