2026 Top International Ink Companies Report
The ink industry has been facing numerous pressures this decade. First, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed how companies operated. After a short period of stability, albeit at higher costs, the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency brought with it a wide range of tariffs, with the possibility of more to come. The past year has seen further challenges, as the 2026 war between the U.S., Israel and Iran led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Estimates report that at least 20% of the world’s crude oil is shipped through the strait. As a result, the price of crude oil rose from approximately $70 per barrel to $120/barrel at its height. This, in turn, heavily impacts the cost and availability of petroleum-based chemicals, some of which are used for ink formulations. While prices have come down after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties, prices at the pump have yet to return to pre-war levels. Meanwhile, the changing printing industry, particularly on the publication/commercial side, has created a permanent shift on the ink side. That shift is leading to changes among ink manufacturers. Interestingly, two of the top 12 largest international ink producers have rebranded their companies with an eye on the expanding packaging sector. Flint Group has rebranded its company as Flint Group Packaging Solutions, although it is continuing to maintain its publication ink side. Wikoff Color has rebranded itself as Wikoff, with an emphasis on advanced coatings and digital technologies. Advanced inks and coatings, or functional inks and coatings, are a significant growth area in the industry. Printers and their customers are looking at ways to improve the circularity of their products, and inks and coatings have a role to play there. In this year’s Top International Ink Companies Report , leading ink executives offer their insights into the market. Industry leaders report they are anticipating further growth this year, particularly on the packaging and digital portions of the market, but are closely monitoring the conflict in the Middle East. Hopefully, these concerns will be settled in the near future. David Savastano Ink World Contributing Editor dsavastano@rodmanmedia.com Top International Companies RANK COMPANY LOCATION SALES 1 DIC Corporation (Including Sun Chemical Corporation) 3 Chome-7 Nihonbashi, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-8233, Japan $3.5 Billion 2 Sakata INX Corp. Urbannet Midosuji Building 7F and 8F, 4-2-13 Awajimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, Japan 550-0002 $1.7 Billion 3 Flint Group Packaging Solutions 26b, Boulevard Royal L-2449 Luxembourg Luxembourg $1.6 Billion 4 Siegwerk Alfred-Keller-Strasse 55 53721 Siegburg, Germany $1.5 Billion 5 artience Co., Ltd 2-1, Kyobashi 2-chome Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-8377 Japan $1.1 Billion 6 hubergroup Sonnenstraße 1 85551 Kirchheim-Heimstetten Germany $873 Million 7 FUJIFILM 850 Central Ave. Hanover Park, IL 60133 $600 Million 8 SICPA Holding SA Avenue de Florissant 41 1008 Prilly, Switzerland $400 Million 9 ALTANA AG Abelstraße 43 46483 Wesel, Germany $400 Million 10 T&K TOKA Co. Ltd 283-1, Chikumazawa, Miyoshi-Machi, Iruma-Gun Saitama, Japan, 354-8577 $300 Million 11 Kao APS 2-1-3 Bunka Sumida-ku, Tokyo 131-8501 Japan $300 Million 12 Wikoff 1886 Merritt Road Fort Mill, SC 29715 $200 Million 13 Nazdar 8501 Hedge Lane Terrace Shawnee, KS 66227-3290 $200 Million 14 EFI 6453 Kaiser Drive Fremont, CA 94555 $200 Million 15 Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals 7-6 Bakurocho 1-chome Nihonbashi, Chuo-Ku Tokyo 103-8383 Japan $193 Million 16 Yip’s Chemical 27/F., Fortis Tower, 77-79 Gloucester Road Wanchai, Hong Kong $170 Million 17 DuPont 4020 Stirrup Creek Drive, Suite 211 Durham, NC 27703 $170 Million 18 Sanchez SA de CV Talisman # 306 México City, Mexico $153.7 Million 19 Marabu GmbH & Co. KG Asperger Straße 4 71732 Tamm Germany $150 Million 20 HP Inc 1501 Page Mill Road Palo Alto, CA 94304 $150 Million 21 UFlex A – 107 - 108, Sector - IV, Noida 201301 (U.P.), India $140 Million 22 INKBANK GROUP INC. Room 101, Building C, Hejing Industrial Zone Hi-Tech Park, Zhancheng Community, Fuhai Street Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China $115 Million 23 CRT, a Division of Quad Graphics 1900 W Sumner St, Hartford, WI 53027, USA $110 Million 24 Zeller+Gmelin GmbH Schlossstrasse 20 73329 Eislingen, Germany $100 Million 25 Tokyo Printing Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd Oriente 171 #367 1-12-4 Oji, Kita-ku Tokyo 114-0002, Japan $100 Million 26 DEERS i/(Daihan Ink Co., Ltd.) 54-11 Dongpyeon-ro, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea $90 Million 27 Central Ink Corporation 1100 N. Harvester Road West Chicago, IL 60185 $85 Million 28 DONECK EUROFLEX S.A 4 An de Längten, 6776 Potaschberg Grevenmacher, Luxembourg $80 Million 29 International Paper 6400 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38197 $50 Million 30 Ink Systems 2311 South Eastern Ave. Commerce, CA 90040 $50 Million
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Jul 23, 2026
