The increasing use across manufacturing, retail, logistics and hospitality applications is driving Europe thermal transfer ribbon industry trends. Technological advancements in recent year is a key factor responsible for the growth of this market. End-users are majorly using this technology for their printing needs as it is better than the conventional ones. The thermal transfer ribbons have several properties that make them stand out from others. The labels and tags printed using this tech provide high-quality, weather resistance output, and are also abrasion free.

On account of the development of the eCommerce, healthcare, and retail sector in the region, Europe thermal transfer ribbon industry size is anticipated to exceed USD 950 million by 2028. Below are some of the major trends prevailing in the market:

Healthcare sector influencing the material demand: Europe’s healthcare sector is a major contributor toward the regional thermal transfer ribbon market share, as it is used for printing labels for medicines, blood, milk bank inventory, and much more. It is claimed to be one of the most innovative and promising sectors in the region attributed to the heavy medical expenditure during COVID-19 crisis. Advances in genomics, artificial intelligence, and personalized care are transforming the segment.

In Europe, many medical device companies are leaders in innovation and export their products globally. As the export industry is already quite strong, the healthcare segment is expected to grow significantly.

For instance, the IHI, a partnership between the European Union and Europe’s life science industries makes it a private-public collaboration. The budget for this partnership was nearly USD 2.4 billion for the development of medical technology and pharmaceutical companies, indicating significant expansion of the medical sector over the coming years.

Bluetooth printers bring in demand for thermal transfer ribbons: Printing labels from desktops or smartphones using Bluetooth has become easier. Bluetooth printers have been around for a few years now for fast and on-the-go printing solutions. Even though these printers took a while to get people’s attention, they are now trending across the U.K. and Germany. These devices print on all kinds of surfaces including laminated vinyl, iron-on fabrics, or satin ribbon.

For example, Brothers Mobile Solutions, Inc. has recently launched the new Pocketjet 8 series for on-the-go printing solutions. It is specially designed for professionals who are always traveling like delivery agents, logistics personnel, healthcare workers, and real estate agents. The print quality and speed are claimed to be higher than the previous models.

Technological advancements in the Europe TTR industry: Altech UK Labelling Technologies Ltd., one of the providers of thermal transfer ribbon products, has various machines among which the latest addition is the ALcode with air-blast applicator. It is claimed to be an ideal print solution for bakery goods. The machine is so technologically advanced that the label data can be changed with a click of a button.

Technology has also entered the world of fiber packages as well. For instance, Markem-Imaje, a company delivering to the packaging sector, has launched the Smartlase F250. It is a compact laser printer for fiber that provides high-quality and permanent coding without using ink. The machine is useful for all product identification and packaging companies.

Some of the prominent leaders in the Europe TTR market include Todaytec UK Ltd, ARMOR SAS, EURO Srl, Ricoh Industrie France SAS, LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG, Union Chemicar UK Ltd., Advanced Labelling Systems Ltd., DNP Imagingcomm Europe Corporation, and Cavalier Labels Ltd. With countries like Germany and France witnessing a positive outlook owing to the development of the eCommerce and retail sectors, the market is anticipated to grow in the upcoming years. A continuous expansion of the pharmaceutical sector and medicine sales will ensure strong demand for thermal printing ribbons across pharmacies.