For the ink and printing industries, Asia-Pacific is the largest region for sales. Virtually every leading multinational ink company has manufacturing operations in the region. 

Leading ink manufacturers report they are seeing strong growth in the region, particularly on the packaging side. Masamichi Sota, president, Packaging & Graphic Business Group, GM, Printing Material Products Division, DIC Corporation, notes that the Asia-Pacific printing and ink market remains robust, particularly in the packaging sector. 

“Following economic stagnation from late 2023 to early 2024, the market has shown signs of a gradual recovery since mid-2024,” adds Sota. “DIC expects significant market growth in China, India, Indonesia and Thailand, and intends to continue focusing on these regions.”

“In Japan, although consumer spending was initially restrained due to rising prices, consumption gradually recovered,” Tsutomu Katayama, GM of the Corporate Communications Department of the Corporate Planning Division at Sakata INX, says. “Expanded sales contributed to an increase in packaging ink volume compared to the previous year. Price revisions in response to rising raw material costs also played a role.

“Currently, we are working on business structure reforms,” Katayama adds. “In Southeast and South Asia, including our key markets of Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand, increased demand led to a strong performance in packaging ink sales, resulting in significant revenue and profit growth. However, in China, sales were sluggish due to the economic downturn.”

“The markets across the Asia Pacific region are faring well and there are strong indications for continued growth in packaging markets,” says Lina Gu, GM China and Southeast Asia for Flint Group.

“The Asia Pacific region has seen solid growth across packaging ink segments, including narrow web, paper & board, and flexible packaging,” Gu adds. “Furthermore, there is a clear shift in technology from solvent-based to water-based inks, along with a transition from gravure to flexo printing processes – especially in flexible packaging and label applications.

“Digital printing continues to grow rapidly,” Gu notes. “Once accounting for just a small percentage of total ink sales in the region, digital printing is increasing across China, and the trend is speeding up. Narrow web hybrid presses that combine flexo and digital technologies are increasingly popular. These systems provide versatility, such as the easy addition of digital elements like barcodes or variable data. Additionally, digital printing in corrugated is gaining traction as converters seek more agile and value-driven production methods.”

hubergroup is seeing significant growth across multiple regions by leveraging local production, sustainable inks, and strategic investments. In China, its Shenzhen mixing station for MGA food-safe inks enables the company to meet rising demand for low-migration, eco-friendly packaging solutions. Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines are expanding rapidly, driven by growth in packaging and labels.

Tariffs have become a key focal point for the global economy, creating uncertainty as to costs and supplies. Katayama says that since U.S. President Donald Trump announced possible tariffs, industries exporting to the United States have been affected. 

“In Vietnam, where the export ratio to the US is higher than in other countries, some of our customers have been impacted, which has affected ink sales volumes,” says Katayama. “Global inflation has caused the prices of goods and services to rise in the Asia region. We are concerned that the impact of tariffs may further dampen consumer activity in each country, potentially affecting ink sales volumes.”

“Tariff uncertainty is impacting economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly as rising trade protectionism disrupts supply chains and drives up costs,” Sota notes. “Asian countries with significant exports to the US are also seeing a slowdown in packaging demand going into 2025.”

China

China is the largest economy in the region, but it has seen slower growth. 

“Triggered by the deterioration of the real estate market, China’s economic recession has been prolonged, leading to a decline in consumption,” Katayama says. “As a result, printing ink sales have remained sluggish. Sales of our packaging and metal can inks also fell below the previous year’s levels. We sold our offset ink business to a Chinese company in which we had a joint investment.”

“The Chinese ink market showed stable growth and performed well in 2024,” says Sota. “We anticipate continued growth in the future.”

hubergroup reports that China’s printing and ink markets remain the largest in Asia but are showing mixed trends. 

“The commercial printing market is expected to grow moderately, with digital printing, especially in packaging and labels, driving growth,” Klaus Nielsen, managing director – international business (APACA) for hubergroup, notes. “The printing inks market valuation was slightly down year-on-year as demand for traditional print continues to shrink. Challenges include volatile raw material costs, stricter environmental regulations pushing for eco-friendly inks, and high investment needs for advanced technologies. However, digital packaging, label printing, sustainable ink solutions, and digital textile printing are strong growth areas, positioning China for steady, single-digit growth as the market shifts away from traditional bulk printing.

“hubergroup has built a focused and competitive presence in China, to deliver globally consistent quality to meet the needs of China’s fast-growing food packaging sector,” adds Nielsen. “With regulatory standards tightening and consumer expectations rising for safe, sustainable, and low-migration inks, hubergroup is well-positioned through its expertise in eco-friendly solutions, including recyclable materials, renewable resources, and low-VOC technologies. 

“However, the company faces challenges from aggressive domestic competitors, price-sensitive markets, and volatile raw material costs, making innovation and regulatory leadership essential for sustaining growth and differentiation in China’s rapidly evolving printing and ink landscape,” Nielsen concludes.

Yip’s Ink & Chemicals (Zhejiang) Limited, Yip’s Chemical Holdings Limited’s ink subsidiary, is the largest domestic ink manufacturer in China. In 2024, Yip’s Chemical has consolidated sales of US$407.39 million (HKD3.16 billion), with Yip’s Ink & Chemical reporting sales of US$175.81 million (HKD 1.36 billion), up 13% from 2023.

Wing So, corporate communications & sustainability manager at Yip’s Chemical Holdings Limited, notes that Yip’s Chemical’s inks business is the market leader in China, especially in the food packaging inks sector. 

“With growing demand for food packaging inks in densely populated countries, we see strong potential for expansion,” Wing added. “Similar growth trends have emerged in several Southeast Asian regions, reinforcing our strategy to extend our business internationally. To support this vision, the inks business’s management team has been actively engaging with potential customers across Southeast Asia.”

India

India is the home to the second-largest economy in the region, and it is a stronghold for hubergroup, which is strongly positioned in packaging, labels, and sustainable ink solutions. 

With large-scale manufacturing facilities in Vapi, Daman, and Silvassa, the company produces both finished inks and critical raw materials like resins and pigments, reducing import dependence and mitigating cost volatility, which remains a key industry challenge. In 2023, hubergroup India reported revenues of around ₹2,793 crore ($315 million), with nearly 50% of production exported, establishing India as a strategic hub for its global operations.

In April 2025, the Murugappa family’s MAVCO Investments and Avenue Capital acquired hubergroup, signaling strong investor confidence in its growth potential, while the company is also seeking additional funding to scale operations and acquire assets from its parent company. 

In May 2025, hubergroup inaugurated India’s first dedicated Direct Food Contact (DFC) ink facility at Silvassa for its MGA CONTACT series, reinforcing its leadership in food-safe, regulatory-compliant inks amid rising safety and sustainability demands in food packaging. Additionally, its HYDRO-i water-based and solvent-free sustainable ink technologies cater to the increasing shift toward eco-friendly printing solutions. With this combination of innovation, local integration, and strategic investments, hubergroup is well positioned to capitalize on India’s USD $1.5–$1.8 billion ink market, which is growing at 4-5% annually, maintaining a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving landscape.

“India’s printing and ink markets are experiencing CAGR of 4-5%, driven largely by the packaging and labels sector, which has become the backbone of the industry amid declining demand for traditional print media like newspapers and brochures,” says Amit Dammani, SVP – India sales for hubergroup. “The printing inks and the commercial printing market are projected to further expand. Rising demand from FMCG, e-commerce, and food & beverage industries is fueling this growth, alongside the adoption of modern technologies such as digital, flexographic, and UV/EB printing. 

“However, the industry faces challenges including volatile raw material costs, a shortage of skilled labor, outdated machinery among smaller players, and increasing regulatory pressure for eco-friendly inks and sustainable practices,” Dammani reports. “Looking ahead, the most promising opportunities lie in flexible packaging, specialty printing, digital printing technologies, and the development of sustainable, water-based ink solutions, positioning India as one of the fastest growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region for packaging consumption.”

Upal Roy, managing director India, Africa & Middle East for Flint Group, notes that India continues to demonstrate steady growth across all ink and printing segments. 

“The packaging market remains particularly strong, while print media grows at a small rate. Within packaging, the narrow web label sector is expanding even more rapidly, driven by increasing demand and evolving brand requirements,” Roy says.

“We anticipate steady growth in the Indian ink market between 2024 and 2030, notably in the packaging and commercial printing sectors, where demand is robust,” says DIC’s Sota. “To stabilize supply, maintain high quality and continue delivering innovative solutions, we’re making needed investments to enhance capacity. As the market expands, we’re positioned to support our customers by providing both reliability and added value.”

Sakata INX’s Katayama says that although India’s economic growth is showing signs of slowing, it still maintains a high growth rate and consumer activity remains strong. 

“This has led to increased demand for packaging inks, and our company achieved a year-on-year sales volume growth of over 10%,” Katayama says. “Ink for information media also grew beyond the previous year, although not to its peak levels.”

Other Growth Areas

Outside of India and China, some of the South East Asian countries are growing rapidly. “Southeast and South Asia as a whole are showing steady growth, with Vietnam particularly standing out,” Katayama says. “Packaging-related ink sales have continued to grow by more than 10% annually over the past few years. In response to strong sales, we built a new gravure ink production plant in Hanoi. We are also planning additional equipment expansions to support further sales growth.

“In February 2024, we established SAKATA INX Asia Holdings SDN. BHD., as a company overseeing local subsidiaries in Southeast and South Asia,” Katayama adds. “To promote globally integrated management, we are formulating regional strategies that transcend national frameworks in areas such as procurement, technology, production, and sales. At the same time, we are strengthening governance systems based on sustainability management, including ESG, BCP, and safety measures. Our goal is to maximize profits through enhanced collaboration across the group.”

“Southeast Asia is showing strong momentum, with Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam emerging as high-growth markets,” Gu says. “This trend also applies to packaging converters, many of whom are diversifying production footprints to Southeast Asia and the Middle East in response to global uncertainty and evolving tariff structures.”

“The Asia-Pacific printing and ink markets saw steady but uneven growth over the past year, with the region’s commercial printing market largely being driven by packaging and labels for e-commerce, FMCG, and food industries,” says Nielsen. “Traditional print areas like newspapers and magazines continued to decline as digital media took over. The industry faced challenges, including volatile raw material costs, supply chain disruptions, and the high investment needed for advanced technologies like digital and UV printing. Stricter environmental regulations are also pushing the shift toward sustainable, eco-friendly inks and recyclable packaging. 

“Despite these hurdles, India and Southeast Asia are emerging as consistent growth markets, with India’s printing inks market expanding at a CAGR of 4-5%, while countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia are also seeing rising demand,” Nielsen observes. “China remains the largest market by scale, especially in packaging and digital production. Looking ahead, packaging, sustainable printing solutions, and digital, short-run customization offer the most promising opportunities for growth, even as the industry navigates cost pressures and the decline of traditional print segments.”

New Facilities in the Asia-Pacific Region

To help meet increasing demand, ink companies are adding new manufacturing operations in the region.

“DIC launched a new plant in Saika, Gujarat, India, expanding the production of environmentally friendly, toluene-free liquid inks,” Sota notes. “DIC is also constructing a new plant in Dongguan, China, to create a greener, more efficient facility that better meets demand throughout China.”

“As a major investment, we built a new plant in the Philippines to increase the production of packaging inks and relocated operations from the previous facility,” says Katayama. “We also expanded production facilities for packaging inks in India and Vietnam. In Japan, we partially renovated our core factory.”

hubergroup recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art production facility in Silvassa, India, in May 2025. 

“This facility is dedicated to manufacturing Direct Food Contact (DFC) inks, specifically the MGA CONTACT series, which comply with stringent international safety standards,” adds Dammani. “The site is entirely separated from other production areas to ensure the highest levels of safety, sustainability, and innovation in food packaging.”

Flint Group continues to invest in increased capacity across the Asia Pacific region.

“Flint Group is currently expanding its motherplant facility in Guangzhou, China, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2026,” says Gu. “This site plays a vital role in manufacturing packaging inks in China, focusing on water-based inks for paper & board applications and solvent-based inks for flexible packaging. It also functions as a blending center for narrow web products.”

“In November 2024, the company expanded its manufacturing capacity in Savli, India, with a new facility supporting the growing paper & board and narrow web sectors,” Roy adds. “Furthermore, Flint Group is opening a new water-based blending facility in Pune, near Mumbai, focused on the expanding Indian paper & board market. These investments reflect Flint Group’s confidence in the continued growth of packaging markets across the Asia Pacific region.”