Digital Printing Enables Converters to Capitalize on Rapid Change in the Flexible Packaging Market
Written by Roi Liraz, HP Indigo Head of Labels & Packaging and Nilly Peltz, HP Indigo Flexible Packaging Market Development
Flexible Packaging is the Fastest-Growing Segment in the Print Industry
Flexible packaging has become one of the most dynamic and strategic segments of the global print industry. Driven by daily demand for food, beverages, household products, and consumer goods, it continues to outpace many other print segments. Market forecasts point to 4.6% CAGR growth through 2030, reflecting a fundamental shift in how brands package, protect, and promote their products [1].
Brand owners are accelerating the transition from rigid to flexible packaging formats. Lightweight structures, lower material consumption, improved logistic efficiency, and sustainability objectives are driving broad adoption of the flexible option across multiple product categories. Pouches, in particular, have become the fastest-growing application (>5-6% CAGR in 2025-2030) [2], supported by increasing demand for convenience foods, e-commerce packaging, and on-the-go consumption.
Market Trends are Redefining Packaging Requirements
Several long-term changes are shaping what brands expect from packaging and what converters must deliver: sustainability regulations, for one, are accelerating the move toward recyclable mono-material structures and paper-based alternatives. At the same time, e-commerce is growing rapidly and currently accounts for about 20% of total flexible packaging sales [3], increasing the need for smart packaging and more agile, shorter product lifecycles.
Consumers increasingly expect greater variety, personalization, SKU proliferation, and faster product launches, while brands seek to reduce inventory, lower waste, and improve operational efficiency. In parallel, converters are transforming manufacturing processes through automation and artificial intelligence, which enable more efficient production environments and support the growing demand for shorter runs.
As a result, the industry is undergoing a sharp shift toward short and ultra-short runs, where agility, time-to-market, and cost efficiency have become critical competitive differentiators.
“With HP Indigo 200K, we produce what the customer wants, when they want it, across multiple SKUs, with no stock burden. And that’s what’s fueling our growth” [HP Indigo customer Andrew Mansfield, Managing Director, Harkwell, UK]
Digital Printing is Becoming Essential to the Manufacturing Production Mix
These market dynamics are accelerating the shift to digital printing across the flexible packaging value chain. Once viewed primarily as a niche solution, digital printing is increasingly becoming a strategic manufacturing capability for converters and brands who need to react faster, manage complexity more efficiently, and support a growing number of short-run applications.
The growth trajectory reflects this shift. Digital printing for the flexible packaging market is projected to grow three times faster than the broader flexible packaging market [4], driven by demand for cost efficiency, personalization, multiple SKUs, mixed applications, and on-demand production.
HP Indigo
The HP Indigo Flexible Packaging portfolio offers high print quality and broad substrate availability, enabling converters to enter premium applications
HP Indigo: Leading the Digital Printing Transformation
Having pioneered the digital printing industry, HP Indigo recognized the potential of digital technology solutions for the flexible packaging market. Industry and company-reported sources indicate that HP Indigo holds more than 90% of the digital flexible packaging market [5], backed by a broad installed base and years of field-proven production experience.
This leadership is built on decades of innovation and the ability to translate LEP technology into real production and business value. HP Indigo enables converters to reshape the future of flexible packaging by growing with on-demand production, best-in-class print quality, and wide application versatility. At the same time, it provides faster response to change, supply chain and inventory optimization, food packaging regulatory adaptability, and waste reduction.
The HP Indigo Flexible Packaging portfolio offers high print quality and broad substrate availability, enabling converters to enter premium applications and help brands stand out on increasingly competitive shelves. In high-mix production environments, HP Indigo improves profitability by making shorter runs and more complex job mixes economically viable, supported by automation, color consistency, and streamlined workflows.
From Agility to Scalable Growth
One of digital production’s greatest advantages is fast time-to-market. HP Indigo’s digital flexible packaging printing enables converters to move from design to finished packaging in hours instead of weeks, while reducing inventory risk and building a more responsive supply chain.
Through solutions such as the HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factory, converters can implement end-to-end digital production workflows that transform packaging manufacturing from a traditional process into a highly agile, data-driven operation.
“Our mission is to simplify the journey for fast‑growing brands, giving them the agility, creativity, and support they need to scale” [HP Indigo 200K customer Jean Baptiste Raimondi, Director of Marketing, Rootree, Canada]
As flexible packaging continues its evolution toward a more sustainable, consumer-centric, and demand-driven future, digital printing is becoming an essential manufacturing technology. By combining proven market leadership, high-quality digital production, short-run economics, and end-to-end workflow agility, HP Indigo gives converters a practical path to align with the most important trends shaping the future of flexible packaging.
HP Indigo 200K Digital Press at LOUPE Americas 2026
Visitors to LOUPE Americas 2026 will be able to see live demonstrations of the HP Indigo 200K Digital Press alongside the HP Indigo 6K+ Digital Press, at the HP booth.
Building on HP Indigo's proven flexible packaging printing expertise, including exceptional print quality, broad media versatility, sustainability benefits, and support for short runs and versioning, the HP Indigo 200K also offers additional growth opportunities for label converters through the optional add-on slitter.
This innovation allows converters to adapt from mid-web to narrow-web production and easily switch between labels and flexible packaging, creating a unique Labels-to-Flexible Packaging advantage while maximizing press utilization.
In addition, visitors will be able see the HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factory demonstration, presented together with ABG, showcasing a complete end-to-end workflow from file to finished pouch and highlighting how converters can profitably enter or expand in the fast-growing digital flexible packaging market.
Sources:
[1] The Future of Global Flexible Packaging to 2030 – Smithers: https://www.smithers.com/services/market-reports/packaging/the-future-of-global-flexible-packaging-to-2030
[2] Stand-Up Pouches - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031) – Research and Markets: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5239383/stand-up-pouches-market-share-analysis
[3] Packaging News : https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/events/london-packaging-week-2025/london-packaging-week-e-commerce-sustainability-reshaping-1-4-trillion-packaging-market-15-10-2025
[4] GII Global Information: https://www.giiresearch.com/report/moi2072630-digital-printing-flexible-packaging-market-share.html
[5] IDC, CQ1 2026