Printing Services in the UK - Market Size, Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecasts (2025-2029)

Printing Services in the UK industry analysis

The rapid growth of digital content has sharply reduced demand for traditional print advertising, driving businesses to prioritise digital campaigns. This shift has significantly cut printing industry revenue. In newspaper printing, the migration of readers to online platforms has led to a steep decline in revenue and demand for print editions. While digital printing lowers operational costs, profit margin remains thin because consumers often expect free access to news. Most printing services try to offset print losses by introducing subscriptions and online-only features, but these strategies rarely recover lost income. Major international tech companies, like Google and Meta, now dominate news distribution, further weakening the position of local printers. Additionally, readers now have greater choice and access to free or low-cost news, increasing buyer power and intensifying competition among printers for audience and revenue. Printing services are adapting to falling newspaper sales by focusing on digital platforms and reducing print editions to a weekly schedule. Revenue is forecast to decrease at a compound annual rate of 1.1% over the five years through 2025 to €78.4 billion, including an estimated drop of 3.3% in 2025, while the average profit margin is expected to be 12.2%.

Trends and Insights

• The digital content surge suppresses traditional printing services. This trend is accelerating the decline of traditional print advertising and fuelling demand for innovative printed packaging due to the rise in online shopping.
• Traditional print advertising is declining due to digital growth. Industries like real estate still find value in direct mail and printed materials for targeted advertising.
• Printing services thrive by focusing on specific markets. Smaller printing services find profit in niches, which helps them survive against bigger competitors. This approach lets them offer products that bigger printers may ignore or overlook.