Thermal Transfer Label - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

Key Highlights

• It offers ease and reliability for short-life applications and delivers low-cost quality barcodes at reasonable print speeds. These characteristics make thermal transfer technology a choice for transit product identification and tracking labels for parcel distribution and outer case and pallet markings.
• Silver polyester thermal transfer labels and white polyester thermal transfer labels are witnessing high adoption in long-term outdoor durable labels, chemical drum labels, post-solder circuit board making, and part tracking labels.
• Furthermore, the mounting demand for medicines and vaccines in the healthcare industry also facilitated the adoption of thermal transfer labels. They are the best choice for printing information on various products in the food and beverages, healthcare, retail label, tracking, and transportation industries.
• This technology is yet to be studied further for mass production and extended use in the market. Problems, such as insufficient print contrast signal, poor scanning read rates, and dead spots on barcodes, have created some challenges for the market.

Thermal Transfer Label Market Trends

Healthcare is Expected to Register Significant Growth Rate

• Labeling healthcare products is vital, as labels contain information about drugs, their usage, lifetime, formulation, and lot number. Drug labeling is governed by stringent norms and regulations by the respective governments.
• Many labeling players, such as UPM Raflatac and CCL Industries, are providing Labeling for healthcare products. For instance, UPM Raflatac offers labeling for small volume containers, such as syringes, ampoules, IV bottles, cartridges, pens, vials, and test tubes, by robust label adhesives that can be used on any glass or plastic containers. Luminescent adhesive options are the perfect solution for detecting missing labels with a detection inspection system.
• Moreover, companies are investing in research and development activities to diversify their product portfolio. For instance, in May 2021, BIXOLON America Inc., a leading global Mobile, Label, and POS Printer manufacturer, announced the launch of its NEW RFID label printers line-up, the XD5-40tR, a thermal transfer desktop label printer to deal with various types of low and high volume labeling applications such as healthcare.

North America will Hold the Significant Market Share During the Forecast Period

• Label manufacturers in the United States experience most of the demand from the food and beverage segments. According to the estimates, the food and beverage segment accounts for more than half of the labels used in North America.
• According to the FDA, packaged and processed food items must have nutritional labeling that makes labeling important. The Food Safety Modernization Act mandates Consumer packaged goods to be able to, at minimum, identify the immediate supplier and recipient (other than retailers to consumers) of a product to monitor the path of their products.
• Thermal transfer polyester is the best-preferred label material that is used in the market. FLEXcon produces supercalendered kraft release liner made from up to 30% post-consumer waste (PCW). Its THERMLfilm NEXgen line of durable label substrates with several features for UL-compliant labeling applications, including compatibility with many conventional print methods, including UV and emulsion and TTR printability.
• In the ongoing crisis due to pandemics in North America, there has been a rapid rise in the demand for medical equipment, medicines, and vaccines that make the label market more sophisticated with increased adoption of thermal transfer labels as its time to market is lesser than other forms of labels.

Thermal Transfer Label Industry Overview

• In March 2021, Mactac expanded its Lintec labelstock portfolio with retro-reflective films designed for warehouse applications and industrial labeling, enabling long-range barcode scanning. The films are constructed from a polyester material embedded with glass beads that enable long-range barcode scanning from up to 50 ft distance. Retro-reflective films feature long-term indoor durability and up to two years of outdoor durability.

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• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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