Printed Products Market in Russia in 2023

In the past three years, the Russian printed products market faced a number of serious challenges, such as the disruption of logistic chains as a result of the pandemic, exit of major industry players from the market, and shift in the needs of the professional target audience.

However, some market players say that 2022 was a successful year for them, as the crisis experienced by some companies opened the path of development for others. Below, we provide an overview of the printed products and printing industry market, its current state and development prospects.

Printed Products Market: What? Where? When?

In 2022, the size of the Russian printed products market was comparable to the 2021 estimate — around 540 billion roubles. In terms of types of services, the largest share is attributed to packaging production (26%) and printing of various tags and labels (22%). Around 17% of the market share is taken up by production of reading materials (books, newspapers, magazines). It can be explained by a drop in popularity of printed publications due to the increased use of the Internet and e-books.

The trends in printing technology demand distribution are also worth noting. In the recent years, the offset industry has become an absolute leader after strengthening its position in the packaging segment substantially, but at the same time, it suffered a decline in the commercial printed products segment. The geopolitical difficulties followed by sanctions had a clear impact on the Russian printed products market. A large part of components for production of printed materials (paper, inks, cardboard), as well as expendables and spares for printing equipment, ended up in the sanction lists resulting in dwindling supply. On top of that, the issue of supply of offset ink and equipment spare parts has not been solved yet. All spare parts are assigned their unique numbers enabling tracing of any part's destination.

The companies which had replenished their components' and parts' stocks in advance, and those which managed to find new supply options on short notice, were the winners. This allowed the market players to slightly gain on the product manufacturers, who have been exerting serious pressure on the market in the recent years. However, small-time customers suffered as the prices of the printing industry services increased substantially.

How did the exit of a number of companies in the food and alcoholic beverages, cosmetic products, clothing and footwear segments from the Russian market or suspension of their activities in Russia affect the printed products market? The answer is simple: it had little to no effect whatsoever. The reality is that products in several categories (food, alcohol, cosmetics, clothing) were being imported to Russia already packaged. In addition, some companies just handed management over to their Russian colleagues and changed some brand names, keeping the volume of job orders in the printing industry at the same level. The only players who really suffered were the publishers releasing Russian versions of foreign magazines and books by foreign authors translated into Russian.

Forecast and trends

What can the printed products market expect by the end of this year and further on? Obviously, it is difficult to make predictions in the environment of persisting uncertainty. But we can highlight several trends which will be defining the market situation in the next 4 to 8 months.

1. The revenue of packaging manufacturers will probably stay at the current level or increase by 3 to 5%. However, no significant growth should be expected, as the materials and equipment parts are becoming more expensive.
2. Companies working with publishing houses may face decreased demand, and a revenue drop as a result. And they have virtually no dumping options available, as the prime cost of printing is increasing, forcing companies to reduce their marginality.
3. The share of digital printing will be increasing. In the environment of competition for clients/buyers, the printing industry customers are interested in creating flashy and attractive printed products, banners, etc. Digital printing enables creation of vivid images attracting attention to a store or brand.
4. State customers may increase their ordering volumes. It can be attributed to the necessity of printing new teaching/training materials for schools, colleges and universities, as well as various documentation (templates, forms, etc.).
5. The staffing issue is one of the market challenges that is bound to manifest itself sooner or later. Starting from 2022, engineers and technicians are leaving the industry attracted by higher salaries in the military-industrial complex. Therefore, market players have to think about ways and methods of retaining highly qualified personnel.

Great opportunities provided by participation in the Printech Exhibition

In the current environment, it is important not only to understand the current development trends of various markets, but also to actively promote your company as a reliable manufacturer, supplier or partner. Participation in Printech — International Exhibition of Equipment, Technologies and Materials for Printing and Advertising Production — will help solve these issues. For more than 8 years, Printech has been one of the most effective platforms for equipment manufacturers and suppliers to meet new customers, find new partners, expand their sales geography and improve their skills at activities involving the leading experts of the industry.

Participation in the Exhibition will help any market player with accomplishment of their business goals.

The Exhibition participants are the leading Russian and foreign manufacturers and suppliers of equipment and materials for printing, post-processing, and fabrication of advertising structures.

Printech is visited by specialists of printing works, advertising and manufacturing companies, copy shops, label and packaging manufacturers, fabric and food processing industries, and souvenir gifts manufacturers.

In summer of 2023, more than 2,500 professionals visited the Exhibition participants’ stands, which is by 37 % more than in 2022. This is in addition to 30,000 visitors of the RosUpack Exhibition, who express their interest, e.g., in printing equipment used in packaging industry.

Show your company's equipment, technologies and materials at the 9th Printech International Exhibition taking place on June 18–21, 2024 (Moscow, Crocus Expo IEC, Pavilion 3).