In a new, long-term forecast to 2030, leading market research institute Smithers predicts alternative futures for print, modelling different possible scenarios.

Among other insights, Smithers' new report, The Future of Print to 2030 (summary available here), makes the following key predictions:

• By 2030 packaging will account for almost two thirds of the global print market
• Publishing will make up nearly 40% of print volume in 2030, but will still be the biggest loser in the market
• As some markets diminish many print suppliers have diversified into new activities, servicing more of their particular customer value chains.

The report also notes that "the 2020 COVID-19-induced sharp drop in print volume is reflected in the consumption of substrates, with the 256.2 million tonnes in 2019 dropping to nearly 229.6 million tonnes in 2020, down by almost 10.4%."

This report is supplemented by a free White Paper presenting three future scenarios: the mild, the probable and the pessimistic.

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