Beyond the Press: The Print Industry Roles You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
Who Said Print Was Dead?
“Print is dead”, a curious statement that I recently came across in the cover letter of a career newspaper print operator. The irony? They’d sent it JDA Print Recruitment, and yes as you can tell from the name, we are a specialist recruiter to the Print Industry. It’s not the first time we’ve heard this from current employees looking to get out, or ex-employees who have moved on. They would be somewhat justified in this statement. Newspaper circulations are declining. Magazines continue towards the full online experience. Print advertising in freefall. The headlines write themselves. But look past traditional print & publishing and a very different story starts to emerge, one of billion-dollar investment, surging demand, and a workforce that is growing, not shrinking.
While some legacy formats fade including printed magazines, and the national catalogue and letterbox distribution sector, which are a shadow of their former glory, the packaging, digital, and on-demand segments are expanding at rates that would make any industry envious.
Here’s the numbers to back it up.
Packaging Print: The Engine Room of Growth
The biggest growth story in Australian print is packaging, and it’s enormous. As e-commerce booms, single-use plastic bans take effect, and brands invest in the ‘unboxing experience,’ demand for printed packaging has never been higher.
AUD $82.8 billion Australia’s packaging printing market (2025) projected to reach AUD $122.5B by 2031
6.8% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) (2025–2031) driven by e-commerce, food, pharma & personal care
AUD $9.3 billion Paper packaging market (2025) growing to AUD $11.4B by 2030
The paper packaging sector is being driven by two forces: Australian legislation banning single-use plastics, which is redirecting significant volume toward paper-based alternatives, and a July 2024 export ban on recovered paper has redirected domestic feedstock back into Australian mills, creating more stable, cost-effective supply for local converters. Evidence of this includes the launch of Mars Bars with a paper wrapper.
Folding cartons are among the fastest-growing sub-segments, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 5.75% through to 2030, as premium food, nutraceutical, and beauty brands compete on shelf presence through high-quality printed packaging.
Capital Pouring in and Creating Jobs
The growth figures aren’t theoretical. Major players are committing capital to Australian manufacturing, and that investment translates directly into employment.
Visy Industries opened its third corrugated cardboard manufacturing plant in Hemmant, Brisbane in October 2023. The AUD $175 million facility, part of Visy’s AUD $2 billion national investment commitment, can produce up to one million boxes per day and was specifically designed to support employment growth in Queensland.
Opal Group (part of Nippon Paper Group) invested over AUD $140 million in a new high-speed regional cardboard packaging manufacturing facility in Barnawartha, Victoria, another major vote of confidence in Australian print manufacturing.
Universal Approach tripled its facility size in early 2025, adding a third Konica Minolta AccurioPress C14000 to support growing volumes across large-format and digital printing.
Several commercial sheetfed printers have made a conscious move to a packaging focus, trading in saddle stitchers and perfect binders for die cutting and folder gluer lines to service the growing folded carton market. Examples here include TC Printing, Immij and Affinity Press, and the $35M purchase of JacPak in late 2023 by the IVE Group, Australia’s largest print group.
These aren’t isolated examples, they reflect a sector-wide upgrade cycle, as businesses invest in automation, inline inspection systems, finishing equipment and digital press capabilities to serve the growing demand for customised, short-run, and on-demand print.
Digital Printing & On-Demand: The Fast Lane
Within print, the digital segment is growing at a pace that rivals technology sectors. As brands move away from bulk print runs and toward personalised, targeted, just-in-time printing, digital press operators are in high demand.
AUD ~$977 million Australia’s digital printing market by 2030 growing at 6.3% CAGR
24.4% Print-on-demand CAGR (2025–2033) one of the fastest-growing segments in the entire market
Print-on-demand is particularly well-suited to Australia’s growing e-commerce ecosystem and creative economy. This approach eliminates inventory waste by printing only when an order is received. It also strongly appeals to sustainability-conscious businesses and consumers, while assisting companies with cash flow management and cost control in this challenging economy.
The installation of the first Canon Colorado wide‑format press at a Kwik Kopy franchise (Knoxfield) showcases how advanced digital print technology is unlocking new, high‑value product opportunities for businesses of every size.
The commercial printing market overall is forecast to grow from AUD $12.5 billion in 2024 to AUD $17.9 billion by 2033, as digital transformation reshapes how printing businesses operate and what services they offer.
Smart & Connected Packaging: Where Print Meets Tech
One of the most exciting growth frontiers sits at the intersection of print and digital technology. Printed packaging is increasingly becoming a digital touchpoint, a physical object that connects consumers to online experiences.
QR & RFID codes, NFC, and variable data printing are being embedded into packaging across food, beverage, pharmaceutical, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer goods sectors to mention a few. These technologies enable:
- Product traceability and anti-counterfeiting (critical in pharma and premium goods)
- Consumer engagement, scanning a package to access recipes, loyalty programs, or sustainability credentials
- Regulatory compliance labelling that can be updated rapidly across short print runs
- Serialised tracking across supply chains
Both Onpack and Orora Beverages have recently invested heavily in digital ‘direct to can’ printing technology providing customers with economic and sustainability benefits, particularly for low volume, quick turnaround, or targeted promotions.
This convergence is creating entirely new roles that blend print trade skills with digital expertise, a genuine growth story for the workforce.
Employment: Where the Jobs Are Growing
The print industry remains one of Australia’s largest manufacturing sectors by employment. According to National Industry Insights, over 27,000 people are employed across more than 6,500 businesses in printing and graphic arts nationwide.
Within that workforce, the growth is concentrated in roles that sit at the intersection of print and digital:
- Graphic and Web Designers and Illustrators: projected 14% employment growth
- Large-format print operators: demand growing with signage, events, and retail display sectors
- Digital press technicians: surging demand as businesses upgrade from offset to digital equipment
- Packaging design and production roles: driven by brand investment and e-commerce growth
- Account managers and client services in print: active job listings on SEEK describe businesses on a ‘steady growth curve’
The packaging services industry, which sits alongside direct printing, has grown its business count at a CAGR of 0.4% between 2020 and 2025. That sector’s overall revenue has grown at a CAGR of 4.0% over the same period, reaching an estimated AUD $3.6 billion in 2025.
Roles in technical print production, automation management, and sustainability compliance are increasingly sought-after as the industry upgrades its infrastructure and responds to regulatory requirements around recycled content and carbon-neutral printing.
Sustainability: A Competitive Advantage, Not Just a Burden
Environmental standards are reshaping competitive dynamics in Australian printing. Rather than simply adding cost, sustainability certification is becoming a key differentiator that attracts enterprise clients.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and ISO 14001 certifications are gaining traction across the sector. Businesses investing in vegetable-based inks, waterless technology, recycled substrates, and closed-loop recycling systems are winning contracts with retailers, FMCG brands, and government clients who have embedded sustainability requirements into their procurement decisions.
The recently relaunched VMA Sustainable Green Print program offers the printing industry a targeted environmental certification program alternative to an ISO accreditation, that not only meets the environmental certification requirements of most government and council tenders, but is achievable by small business.
Australia has set strong goals for packaging by 2025, which include a requirement for 60% recycled content in paper packaging. This is helping to boost investment in local recycled paper facilities and is creating ongoing demand for print suppliers that meet these standards.
So is Print Really Dead?
The print industry’s decline narrative is real, but it applies to a specific, shrinking part of the sector. For businesses and workers in packaging, digital printing, on-demand services, and smart-connected packaging, the story is one of growth, investment, and genuine opportunity. JDA can certainly confirm this, as evidenced in the rise of our ‘digital’ placements over the last 2 years and the sharp decline in offset print opportunities (both web and sheetfed).
With billions of dollars being committed to Australian print manufacturing, a workforce skill premium emerging in digital and sustainability roles, and e-commerce continuing to drive packaging demand, the industry’s most dynamic chapter may well be the one it’s currently writing.
Sources
[1] IBISWorld (2025). Printing in Australia Industry Analysis. ibisworld.com/australia/industry/printing/166/
[2] IBISWorld (2025). Packaging Services in Australia Industry Analysis. ibisworld.com/australia/industry/packaging-services/575/
[3] IMARC Group (2025). Australia Commercial Printing Market 2033. imarcgroup.com/australia-commercial-printing-market
[4] Mordor Intelligence (2025). Australia Paper Packaging Market Size & Share Analysis. mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/australia-paper-packaging-market
[5] Grand View Research / Horizon Databook (2025). Australia Print On Demand Market Size & Outlook, 2033. grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/print-on-demand-market/australia
[6] Grand View Research / Horizon Databook (2025). Australia Digital Printing Market Size & Outlook, 2024–2030. grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/digital-printing-market/australia
[7] Mobility Foresights (2025). Australia Packaging Printing Market Size and Forecasts 2031. mobilityforesights.com/product/australia-packaging-printing-market
[8] Expert Market Research (2024). Australia Paper and Paperboard Packaging Market Size 2035. expertmarketresearch.com/reports/australia-paper-and-paperboard-packaging-market
[9] InkStation Blog (2024). Printer Industry Trends Australia 2021–2022. inkstation.com.au/blog/printer-industry-trends-australia-2021-2022/
[10] SEEK (2025). Printing Packaging Jobs in Australia. seek.com.au
[11] ABC (2022). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-28/mars-wrigley-sustainable-packaging-chocolate-bars/101694810
[12] IVE Group Limited (2023). IVE Enters Fibre-Based Packaging Sector With Strategic Acquisition of JacPak. ASX Announcement / IVE Group. 25 October 2023. ivegroup.com.au/news/ive-enters-fibre-based-packaging-sector-with-strategic-acquisition-of-jacpak
[13] PKN Packaging News. Immij Drives Packaging Business with Innovation. packagingnews.com.au/converting-and-printing/immij-drives-packaging-business-with-innovation
[14] Print21. Affinity Print Buys Cain Colour for UV Capability. print21.com.au/news/affinity-print-buys-cain-colour-for-uv-capability
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