Screen Printing Industry Statistics

In 2021, apparel and footwear were the largest category of US merchandise imports printed/graphic related (textile/apparel context) [1]

In the US, 67% of consumers buy customized products when given options (personalization demand, used in promotional products/garments) [2]

88% of consumers believe personalized experiences are appealing (relevant to customized apparel and branded items demand) [3]

80% of shoppers are more likely to purchase when brands offer personalized experiences (drives demand for printed apparel/merch) [4]

Promotional products industry demand is influenced by events and branding; ASI reports industry sales figures (promotional products) [5]

ASI’s 2023 promotional products market sales were $29.8B (Promotional Products Association International / ASI) [6]

PPAI reports 2023 US promo product market sales of $29.0B (yearly research summary) [7]

PPAI 2024 statistics cite that promotional products customers commonly use apparel items (T-shirts) [8]

Etsy reported buyers spent $X on personalized items (personalization demand) [9]

In the US, direct mail still drives measurable response rates; print industry demand for marketing is sustained (context) [10]

BLS indicates manufacturing of printing goods supports consumer goods sectors (job context) [11]

Customization usage in marketing increases; survey results show 91% of marketers use personalization (drives custom print demand) [12]

77% of US consumers are likely to recommend brands that provide good service (drives brand loyalty; printed merch supports) [13]

The average consumer is willing to pay more for brands that provide personalized experiences (willingness-to-pay stat) [14]

Textile printing demand is driven by fashion and sportswear (market report summary) [15]

Fashion personalization is increasing; McKinsey personalization report indicates engagement lift (used in personalized apparel) [16]

Global sportswear market size supports large textile printing demand (screen printing used for sports team uniforms) [17]

Fortune Business Insights forecasts sportswear market to reach $XX by 2028 (market context) [17]

Workwear demand supports industrial screen printing of PPE and uniforms; market report figures (workwear) [18]

Workwear market CAGR and size projections (context) [18]

Event and festival merch sales increase demand for screen-printed tees and posters (industry survey) [19]

Travel and tourism branding uses branded apparel/merch; global tourism arrivals increased to 1.3B (UNWTO) [20]

Global tourism arrivals reached 1.3B in 2023 (UNWTO) [21]

Retail e-commerce growth increases custom print fulfillment (market context) [22]

US retail e-commerce sales were $1.6T in 2023 (US Census) [23]

US online apparel and accessories sales were $X in 2023 (US Census monthly) [24]

US screen printing and related activities revenue was $8.4B in 2023 [25]

The US screen printing industry has grown at an average annual rate of 2.3% from 2018–2023 [25]

The US screen printing industry is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.6% from 2023–2028 [25]

There were 10,356 screen printing establishments in the US in 2023 [25]

Employment in the US screen printing industry was 66,636 in 2023 [25]

The US screen printing industry has an average establishment size of about 6.4 employees per business (66,636 employees / 10,356 establishments, 2023) [25]

The US screen printing industry’s value added was $4.0B in 2023 [25]

The US screen printing industry’s total industry output was $8.4B in 2023 [25]

Screen printing revenue shares by business in the US include apparel, promotional items, industrial graphics, and other uses; the US industry overview reports revenue by end market (specific breakdown varies by year) [25]

IBISWorld lists profit as a percentage of revenue (screen printing industry overview—profit margins) [25]

US screen printing industry exports were not a major component; IBISWorld indicates domestic consumption dominates (export share not emphasized in overview) [25]

The US screen printing industry revenue is driven by downstream industries such as apparel and promotional products, as stated in the industry overview [25]

IBISWorld categorizes screen printing under NAICS 323113 [25]

US screen printing establishments increased from 2018 to 2023 (directional trend reported in industry overview) [25]

US screen printing industry unemployment-adjusted wage pressure affects costs (reported as cost drivers in overview) [25]

Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) reports that member companies include a wide range of printers and service providers within print specialties [26]

The global screen printing market size was valued at $6.1B in 2022 (MarketsandMarkets) [27]

MarketsandMarkets forecasts the global screen printing market to reach $10.2B by 2027 [27]

MarketsandMarkets projects a CAGR of 10.7% for the global screen printing market (2022–2027) [27]

MarketsandMarkets indicates an expected market growth driven by applications in textile printing and industrial printing [27]

MarketsandMarkets identifies polyester as a major substrate category relevant to screen printing [27]

Grand View Research estimates the screen printing market size at $5.21B in 2023 [28]

Grand View Research projects the screen printing market to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2024 to 2030 [28]

Grand View Research forecasts the screen printing market to reach $7.41B by 2030 [28]

The global textile printing market (screen printing is a key method) was estimated at $7.1B in 2023 (Grand View Research) [29]

Grand View Research forecasts the textile printing market to reach $9.7B by 2030 [29]

Direct-to-consumer custom apparel spend increased during pandemic period (context provided by industry research) [30]

Custom t-shirt printing market was forecast to reach $3.0B by 2032 (IMARC Group) [31]

IMARC Group forecasts the custom t-shirt printing market CAGR of 7.5% from 2024 to 2032 [31]

US NAICS 323113 employment (2019) reported by BLS QCEW includes screen printing establishments [32]

US NAICS 323113 annual average wage reported by BLS QCEW for a selected year can be derived (QCEW table maker) [33]

The US screen printing industry is in NAICS 323113 [25]

Screen printing uses mesh screens and inks; industry overview describes process basics (overview) [25]

Photopolymer stencils are used in modern screen making; instructional guidance from Screen Printing Safety and best practices (tech) [34]

OSHA guidance includes that screen printing involves chemical hazards during cleaning and stencil making (process-related) [35]

Typical screen printing curing temperatures for plastisol inks are around 320°F (160°C) in common industry practice (Ink tech spec sheet) [36]

Water-based inks typically require lower curing temperatures than plastisol (per manufacturer data) [37]

Discharge printing uses fabric discharge reactions; discharge method described with chemical agents (method) [38]

Plastisol ink MSDS often lists solids content near ~100% solids (typical in data sheets) [39]

Emulsion shelf life is limited (industry data states ~1 year refrigerated for many emulsions) [40]

Typical mesh counts for apparel screen printing range from 110–200 t/in depending on ink/detail (industry practice) [41]

Over 2-color prints require multi-pass registration; typical accuracy needs within +/- 1mm (industry standard guidance) [42]

High-density screen printing uses emulsion thickness around 2–20 microns depending on mesh and method (process) [43]

Automatic presses increase throughput; press specs show speeds up to e.g., 1,000 impressions/hour (machine brochure) [44]

Hybrid UV curing for inks improves speed; UV LED curing times in milliseconds from manufacturer (e.g., Fusion UV) [45]