by Melissa Donovan
Digitally printed wood appears in multiple end use industries, from the more obvious furniture and flooring to promotional pieces, children’s toys, and even smaller home decorations. Based on the Digital Printing on the Global Wood Market Report: Trends, Forecast and Competitive Analysis to 2030 published by research firm Lucintel, the digital printing on the global wood market is expected to reach an estimated $5.9 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 3.1 percent from 2024 to 2030.
Above: O&PM Europa clients print to wood using water-based pigmented inks and a print receptive coating, specifically its F47X-56.
Growth in this segment occurs similarly to other industrial categories. Inkjet provides many of the same advantages here as earlier adopters of the technology experienced. Of note, cost-effective personalization, shorter production runs, and environmentally friendly alternatives.
Ink for Wood
While any type of ink can print to wood, the key to success is whether the ink remains adhered to the surface and the colors appear as intended.
“If you’re looking to produce high-quality, colorfast, durable prints on wood with minimal post-print curing time, then UV-curable inks are a great choice,” recommends Tom Lang, digital applications manager, Inkcups.
Pedro J. Martínez, CEO, Afford Industrial, agrees that UV is preferred. “While there are many factors to consider when printing on wooden objects, UV inks tend to be the most robust solution across the widest range of applications. This is due to their fast curing and high durability.”
“UV inks are ideal for printing directly onto wood because they cure instantly under UV LED light. This process eliminates the need for heat, which could warp, damage, or otherwise alter the surface of the wood. Unlike solvent or dye-sublimation inks, UV inks sit on the surface of the material rather than requiring absorption or transfer, allowing for vibrant, crisp designs with excellent adhesion,” adds Hugo Gonzalez, senior segment specialist, Industrial Printing, Mimaki USA, Inc.
Water-based inks are a consideration, as along as the proper pretreatment is performed. O&PM Europa clients print successfully to wood using water-based pigmented inks and a print receptive coating, specifically its F47X-56, which is rated food safe, according to Durson Acun, director, O&PM Europa.
The type of wood used matters. “Light colored wood appears differently in features like color after printing versus dark colored woods. The porosity of the wood, its ability to absorb fluids like sealers or inks is also a factor. Inks that require time to dry like water-based inks will absorb into the pores of the wood versus UV inks that are ‘pinned’ quickly before they can absorb. This absorption affects the color density and printed surface appearance including gloss,” shares Martínez.
“Porous woods like pine may absorb ink unevenly without proper treatment, whereas denser, sealed, or artificial woods such as oak or MDF provide smoother surfaces for consistent prints. The wood grain and finish can also affect adhesion and the final appearance,” admits Marco Zanella, global business development director – inkjet, INX Europe.
Surface properties influence the printing process, agrees Gonzalez. “Rough or uneven grains can affect image clarity and require sanding or pretreatment for best results. Engineered woods offer more consistent printing surfaces compared to untreated, natural woods.”
“Wood grain—fine versus textured—also appears differently after printing. Wood types commonly used for digital printing include birch, oak, cedar, and maple among others. Composite woods and laminates can also be digitally printed,” continues Martínez.
Also, whether the wood has a varnish finish influences ink adhesion. “Another consideration to bear in mind is varnish. If a wooden item already has a coating or varnish on it prior to printing, that could affect the way in which the ink bonds to the surface,” suggests Lang.
Pre and Post Considerations
Pre- or post-treatment enhances the final print.
“Depending on the wood color, color consistency across the face of the wooden object to be printed, porosity, grain, and durability requirements, it may be necessary to pre- and/or post-treat the printed surface,” says Martínez.
Pretreatment can make the type of wood chosen less of a factor, according to Gonzalez. “Pretreatments such as sanding or applying a clear coat/primer create a smoother and less absorbent surface, ensuring optimal ink adhesion, color vibrancy, and curing consistency.”
The application can also determine whether to pretreat. “For simple applications like printing a bar code on lumber to be sold at your local hardware store, no pre- or post-treatment is required. Most fast drying ink types will provide sufficient character resolution and durability,” shares Martínez.
Surface preparation is a consideration. While Lang says wood does not require any pretreatment, some work needs to be done to the surface prior to print to ensure a successful application. “Ideally, you need a smooth surface. That means it needs to be clean of any dust or dirt before printing and, if it’s rough, as may be the case with some raw wood items—you may need to consider some kind of sanding first.”
Depending on the wood, preprinting with a layer of white ink is suggested. “When printing onto wood, we typically advise decorators to first print a layer of white ink, both to smooth out any depressions in the surface and to improve overall ink adhesion. However, if you’re printing to a cleanly finished wooden surface such as a holiday ornament or toy, for example, that white layer may not be necessary if you want to retain the wood texture as part of the graphic,” explains Lang.
Regarding post treatment, certain processes enhance the printed graphic. “Varnishes provide more durability to the print or application. While some inks are highly scratch resistant, they too will be damaged if the wood surface is scratched. Wood is a very rigid material, but some types of wood if left untreated, have a lower scratch resistance than ink. Post treatment also offers an opportunity to affect the final look of the application by providing matte or gloss overlays,” says Gonzalez.
“Post treatments such as a protective coating enhance durability, offer scratch resistance, and lengthen longevity—especially for applications exposed to wear and tear,” notes Zanella.
Market Verticals
Those using inkjet printing to decorate wood-type items yield final product placed in many different verticals and applications. Toys, furniture, and décor manufacturers are some of the current active participants.
Afford’s inks are used in a range of wood decorating applications. Martínez provides examples in the promotional products segment like plaques and wall art. It also participates in the industrial printing segment with inks for wood product marking and coding. Afford inks are used to decorate wood for home décor and signage.
Based on Inkcups’ experience, Lang has seen customers using UV inkjet printers to print directly on small home décor items such as photo frames, signs, coasters, and holiday ornaments, as well as toys such as puzzles and building blocks.
“INX ink sets are used in markets like furniture, toys, flooring, and decorative panels. Applications include custom furniture designs, branding for wooden toys, detailed flooring patterns, and creative wall panels. These markets leverage digital printing for personalization, shorter production runs, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional methods,” says Zanella.
Mimaki customers create “applications including custom nameplates, holiday ornaments, message plaques—such as baby announcements, beer taps, toys, fine art, etc.,” adds Gonzalez.
Depending on the vertical, there are certain guidelines. In the U.S. printed toys are subject to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which is a U.S. law that establishes safety standards for children’s products. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website provides information on how to obtain CPSIA certification.
Mutoh America, Inc. recently announced that three of its ink lines—US-11, UH-21, and MP-31—are now compliant with U.S. toy safety regulations, including the CPSIA and California Proposition 65.
“These specific inks represent our commitment to safety, innovation, and market adaptability,” said Brian Phipps, president, Mutoh. “By ensuring our inks meet these standards, we’re opening up new possibilities for clients serving industries where safety and compliance are paramount.”
Understanding Advantages
Verticals like toy, furniture, and even flooring are at the beginning of understanding the true advantages of printing directly to wood using inkjet.
“Currently, awareness varies by sector. Larger manufacturers often recognize the advantages of digital printing, including flexibility, reduced waste, and customization. However, smaller players may perceive high initial investments as a barrier. As technology becomes more cost effective and case studies showcase return on investment, we expect broader adoption in these verticals, especially with sustainability becoming a stronger market driver,” shares Zanella.
Accelerating direct printing to wood, in Lang’s mind, is the continued interest in sustainability. “Many brands look to promotional items made from sustainable plywood or bamboo to help boost their eco-credentials, but the growing demand for customizability, short runs, and print on demand in this market means that those who are already geared up to directly decorate these items on demand will be best placed to capitalize on the opportunity.”
Many already recognize the benefits of digital decoration, like “shorter production runs of custom prints, personalization, DTO printing, and instant order fulfillment,” says Martínez. The same advantages have led to “significant digital conversion in other business segments such as garment printing. These same dynamics will continue to influence the adoption of digital decoration of wood.”
“Digital printing directly to wood offers the same benefits as printing to other surfaces, including lower or non-existent start-up/makeready costs, improved productivity, easy ability to customize, and mass DTO printing capability using jigs,” says Gonzalez.
“Awareness of the possibilities of DTO printing is certainly on the rise, but as in so many market verticals, the print industry needs to drive this awareness by experimenting with the technology to both discover and show off how much more it can do than just enabling short runs and speeding up production times,” admits Lang.
Acun believes “companies are trying these new techniques, but not really understanding the benefits like customizing per piece, flexibility, easy access to the technology, and enhanced color.”
Enhance the Product
Printing directly to wood is becoming easier as technology changes and UV ink compositions advance. Depending on the type of wood as well as its surface characteristics, UV LED is a preferred process to decorate this porous material. To further enhance the finished product, pre- and post-treatment options might be required. When done correctly, may verticals like toy and gift industries benefit from inkjet printing.
Apr2025, Industrial Print Magazine
