New Study Analyzes Emerging Printing Technologies
According to a new PRIMIR study, the emerging technologies and applications with the most direct impact on the commercial printing industry are security printing, barcodes, 3D printing and nanotechnology. The research report, "Emerging Printing Technologies & Applications," presents an overview of these and other technologies, emphasizing the applicability of these emerging fields to printers to better understand which could be commercially viable.
Security printing, according to the report, is changing due to the increasing sophistication of criminals and number of threats—and burgeoning use in brand protection. The most important changes in security printing involve automation and techniques for brand protection that are not easily duplicated. The most significant advances in security printing are in the areas of biometrics, unique and difficult-to-reproduce inks, advanced substrates, and 2D barcoding.
The study noted that offset, gravure, screen, inkjet and flexography are being used to manufacture electronic circuits. The commercial printing of complete circuits remains elusive, but has achieved some success in the laboratory and in pilot scale operations. Today, forecasters expect that in 10 years, the printed electronics market may grow to approximately $20 billion.