Barcode Label Printer Market Analysis

Global Barcode Label Printer Market Overview:

Barcode Label Printer Market Size was valued at USD 2.74 billion in 2023. The Barcode Label Printer market is projected to grow from USD 3.89 Billion in 2024 to USD 4.14 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% during the forecast period (2024 - 2032). Increased mobile printer use and demand for packaged goods are the key market drivers enhancing the market growth.

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Barcode Label Printer Market Trends

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  The rising adoption of barcodes in manufacturing is driving market growth.

  
  

Although after the economic crisis of 2008 growth of the manufacturing sector has slowed down, it has continued to grow steadily at a slower pace. Several manufacturers worldwide are incorporating automation and streamlining the manufacturing process to reduce wastage and enhance output efficiency. This, in turn, adoption of barcodes has increased significantly, as each product or part in the assembly is assigned a barcode signed and recorded repeatedly at each workstation. As a result, this provides information on the progress of the product. This, in turn, has reduced production time significantly in the manufacturing process, thereby driving the demand for barcode printers. For instance, various automotive manufacturing companies, including Hyundai, Ford, Volkswagen, Bajaj Auto, etc., use a quick response (QR) code, a specific matrix barcode, or a 2D code. It is readable by QR barcode readers or camera phones. This factor drives the Market CAGR in the forecast period.

Additionally, Barcode printers, also called specialty printers, print barcode tags, receipts, and labels to be directly printed on or attached to physical objects. They are generally used to label cartons and receipts and label retail, medical, and food items with European Article Numbers (EANs) or Universal Product Codes (UPCs) before shipment. Moreover, the increased adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) which extends numerous advantages over barcodes, is expected to hinder the industry's growth. Aggressive investments by the government to encourage the industry incumbents to adopt the latest technologies, including barcode technology, bode well for market growth. Barcode technology is increasingly used for robotics, which means the continued implementation of robots across various industries and industry verticals translates into a growing demand for barcode printers. For instance, as per the statistics provided by the International Federation of Robotics (FIR), almost 21,700 industrial robots have been deployed across the industrial sector in the U.K. Several manufacturing entities are adopting modern technologies to rake in various benefits, such as simplified workflows, reduced prices, and increased quality assurance, thereby driving the adoption of barcode printers across the globe. Market players are responding to the situation by introducing innovative solutions in line with the evolving demands from the incumbents of various end-use industries and industry verticals. Moreover, the growing demand for packaged food in countries such as China and India is particularly expected to fuel Barcode Label Printer market revenue.

Barcode Label Printer Market Segment Insights:

Barcode Label Printer Product Type Insights

Based on product type, the Barcode Label Printer Market segmentation includes industrial printers, desktop printers, and portable printers. The industrial printer segment dominated the market; industrial barcode printers are specialized computer printers that print high-quality, long-lasting barcodes onto labels, tags, packages, and other items. They tend to be rugged and reliable, often deployed in demanding environments, such as warehouses, manufacturing plants, and retail stores. They are also easy to use as the printing process is usually automated to facilitate faster turnaround times.

Figure1: Barcode Label Printer Market, by Product Type, 2022 & 2032 (USD billion)

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Barcode Label Printer Technology Insights

Based on Technology, the Barcode Label Printer Market segmentation includes direct thermal, thermal transfer, ink jet, laser printing, and dot matrix. The thermal transfer segment dominated the market; thermal Transfer is a process of printing that uses heat to transfer ink onto a substrate. The process involves using a thermal printhead to heat a thin layer of wax-based or resin-based ink on a transfer ribbon. A heat source, such as an infrared heating element, is used to heat the ribbon and melt the wax-based ink onto the label or substrate.

When the heated ink touches the paper, it melts and transfers the image onto the substrate. Thermal Transfer is commonly used in barcode printers to create barcodes on labels, tags, tickets, and other products efficiently and cost-effectively, requiring minimal maintenance. It is a relatively fast process and can produce clear, high-quality barcodes resistant to abrasion, chemicals, water, and fading.

Barcode Label Printer Regional Insights

By Region, the study provides market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The North American barcode label printer market will dominate this market due to well-developed infrastructure and spending a large amount on extensive research and development base, which makes the Region the top revenue contributor in the barcode printers industry during the projected period.

Further, the major countries studied in the market report are The U.S., Canada, German, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 2: Barcode Label Printer Market SHARE BY REGION 2022 (%)

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Europe's Barcode Label Printer market accounts for the second-largest market share due to the unabated growth of the retail and e-commerce industries in line. The growing preference for online shopping will drive the demand for barcode printers. Further, the German Barcode Label Printer market held the largest market share, and the UK Barcode Label Printer market was the fastest-growing market in the European Region.

The Asia-Pacific Barcode Label Printer Market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2023 to 2032. This is because the Region is adopting modern printing technologies to rake in various benefits, such as simplified workflows, reduced prices, and increased quality assurance, thereby driving the adoption of barcode printers. Moreover, China’s Barcode Label Printer market held the largest market share, and the Indian Barcode Label Printer market was the fastest-growing market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Barcode label printer Key Market Players& Competitive Insights

Leading market players are investing heavily in research and development to expand their product lines, which will help the barcode label printer market grow even more. Market participants are also undertaking various strategic activities to expand their global footprint, with important market developments including new product launches, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, higher investments, and collaboration with other organizations. The barcode label printer industry must offer cost-effective items to expand and survive in a more competitive and rising market climate.

Manufacturing locally to minimize operational costs is one of the key business tactics manufacturers use in the global Barcode Label Printer industry to benefit clients and increase the market sector. The Barcode Label Printer industry has offered some of the most significant advantages in recent years. Major players in the Barcode Label Printer market, including Avery Dennison Corporation (US), Dascom Holdings Ltd (China), OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd (Japan), Printronix Auto Id Inc. (US), TSC Auto Id Technology Co., Ltd (Taiwan), Apogee Industries Inc. (US), Sato Holdings Corporation (Japan), Honeywell International Inc. (US), Zebra Technologies Corporation (US), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Japan), Canon Inc. (Japan), and Fujitsu Ltd (Japan)., and others, are attempting to increase market demand by investing in research and development operations.

Honeywell International Inc. is a publicly traded American multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions. Honey well launched its IMPACT series of barcode printers under the "Make in India" initiative. The four-inch desktop barcode printer is built for light-duty label printing requirements, and it supports thermal transfer/direct thermal printing, thereby enabling printing at 127mm/sec. IMPACT by Honeywell is a brand established specifically to cater to the growing mid-segment market in India.

Brother Mobile Solutions, Inc. is a division of the $7 billion multinational Brother Group, a brand known worldwide for quality and excellence, with leading-edge printing and labeling solutions and lifetime customer support. Brother Mobile Solutions announced expanding the Brother Titan Industrial Printer series with five enhanced four-inch industrial barcode label printers featuring internal rewinders for an increased use range. Built with metal, the portfolio includes an increased ribbon capacity, dual Wi-Fi/Bluetooth option, and PLC integration. The augmented range delivers clear barcode labels up to 600 dpi1 at speeds nearing 14 ips2.

Key Companies in the barcode label printer market include

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  Avery Dennison Corporation (US)

  
  


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  Dascom Holdings Ltd (China)

  
  


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  OKI Electric Industry Co. Ltd (Japan)

  
  


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  Printronix Auto Id Inc. (US)

  
  


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  TSC Auto Id Technology Co. Ltd (Taiwan)

  
  


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  Apogee Industries Inc. (US)

  
  


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  Sato Holdings Corporation (Japan)

  
  


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  Honeywell International Inc. (US)

  
  


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  Zebra Technologies Corporation (US)

  
  


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  Toshiba Tec Corporation (Japan)

  
  


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  Canon Inc. (Japan)

  
  

Barcode label printer Industry Developments

In September 2024, DNP inaugurated two types of new thermal transfer ink ribbons around the globe in September 2024. With respect to the printing of barcodes and 2D codes on tags and labels, R380 is said to be more resistant to alcohol. The V670, on the other hand, has proven to supersede all in the printing of food packaging materials, plastic and paper for date and production number applications.

In April 2023, Barcodes, Inc. entered into a strategic partnership with SVT Robotics to facilitate the rollout of its new AMR portfolio in warehouses and manufacturing sites. The objective of this partnership is to make the deployment of automation and robotics integration less complex and less time-consuming for quicker return on investment (ROI) and less dependency on manpower. SVT Robotics' low-code interface allows the fast adoption of different robots and automation elements.

In April 2023, Toshiba released the BC400P industrial colour label printer. The combination of high printing speed, high quality, and great durability made the product a perfect fit for customers who wished to make their color labels on demand. Toshiba is seasoned in printing, having spent over 20 years providing color solutions for their workspace solutions clientele and now brings this knowledge and experience to industrial labeling clients.

In June 2022, TSC Auto ID Technology Co. Ltd. debuted its Alpha-30R 3-inch performance mobile barcode label printer. This printer is offered in a basic as well as a premium version and is characterized by a rugged design, adequate media capacity, and an IP54 rating for water and dust protection. Specifically, the basic model is able to print at rates of up to 5 ips, while the premium model can print at rates of up to 6 ips, and this makes it versatile for different styles of receipt and label printing, whether for indoor or outdoor applications.

In 2021, brought the launch of the ZSB Series printer by Zebra Technologies Corporation which was the answer for the compact wireless label printer targeting SOHO markets. The ZSB Series's user-friendly interface, professional-looking label designer, environmental-friendly label cartridges, and app software allow users to seamlessly tailor transparent barcode labels and print them, thereby simplifying the daily operations of small entrepreneurs and business owners.

December 2021: Honeywell launched its IMPACT series of barcode printers under the "Make in India" initiative. The four-inch desktop barcode printer is built for light-duty label printing requirements, and it supports thermal transfer/direct thermal printing, thereby enabling printing at 127mm/sec. IMPACT by Honeywell is a brand established specifically to cater to the growing mid-segment market in India.

March 2021: Brother Mobile Solutions announced the expansion of the Brother Titan Industrial Printer series with five enhanced four-inch industrial barcode label printers featuring internal rewinders for an increased use range. Built with metal, the portfolio includes an increased ribbon capacity, dual Wi-Fi/Bluetooth option, and PLC integration. The augmented range delivers clear barcode labels up to 600 dpi1 at speeds nearing 14 ips2.

Barcode Label Printer Market Segmentation:

Barcode label printer Product Type Outlook

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  Industrial Printer

  
  


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  Desktop Printer

  
  


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  Portable Printer

  
  

Barcode label printer Technology Outlook

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  Direct Thermal

  
  


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  Thermal Transfer

  
  


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  Ink-Jet

  
  


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  Laser Printing

  
  


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  Dot Matrix

  
  

Barcode label printer Regional Outlook

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  North America

  
  

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  US

  
  


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  Canada

  
  

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  Europe

  
  

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  Germany

  
  


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  France

  
  


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  UK

  
  


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  Italy

  
  


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  Spain

  
  


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  Rest of Europe

  
  

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  Asia-Pacific

  
  

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  China

  
  


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  Japan

  
  


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  India

  
  


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  Australia

  
  


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  South Korea

  
  


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  Australia

  
  


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  Rest of Asia-Pacific

  
  

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  Rest of the World

  
  

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  Middle East

  
  


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  Africa

  
  


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  Latin America