Koenig & Bauer Identifies Six Important Metal Decorating Trends for 2026

What is one of the highest double-digit growth markets in the printing industry? Metal decorating. Walk into any grocery store and enjoy the wide variety of colorful metal food and beverage cans from innovative manufacturers and designers. Notice the decorative candy and cookie metal tins. As of 2024 in a Mordor Intelligence report, that segment is 39.2 percent of printed metal consumption and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.17 percent due to the increasing demand for sustainable, recyclable aluminum cans. And Koenig & Bauer is consistently investing in technology to ensure its customers respond to the wide variety of trends in this market segment. 

“The global metal print packaging market is valued at approximately $118.82 billion in 2025. Brands are increasingly using embossed, matte, and tactile finishes to elevate shelf presence and justify price premiums,” says Sam Pernice, North American Director of Sales & Service for MetalPrint at Koenig & Bauer (US). “North America is currently the largest market with over 40 percent in 2024 market share. We are proud to continue our long tradition of innovative solutions and customized services that help our customers stay competitive in a growing market.” 

As the market increases, what are some notable trends for this specific niche? Here are six trends that Pernice has identified:

As store shelves become ever more crowded with competing products, brand owners are pushing for high-fidelity packaging to ensure that consumers choose their products. Brand owners look for high pigment density and metallic luster as the gold standard for their products. Koenig & Bauer’s MetalStar 4 and Mailänder 283 provide the most cost-effective way to achieve 100 percent brand color consistency. Standardized pre-press management is in high demand to achieve consistent printing results.

LED-UV technology is the growing drying solution for inks and coatings. Some small applications will still require thermal energy for curing consumables. For large scale thermal ovens, hydrogen-ready burner technology is the future. This allows metal packaging printers to gain an optimized carbon footprint without sacrificing the speed and reliability of its lines and processes. Both LED-UV and hydrogen will make Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint’s conventional coating lines future proof against rising CO₂ taxes and energy regulations.

Metal decorators are using digital printing for ultra-short runs, prototyping, and personalization where digital has found its own niche. Many metal printers are turning to Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint’s MetJET ONE, a low-cost investment press that handles the complexity of small batches and frees up the offset lines to concentrate on high-speed, high-quality mass production. MetJET PRO will be Koenig & Bauer’s answer for higher performance in the area of digital but is still under development. 

The metal decorating industry is increasingly seeking shorter supply chains and a print-on-demand mentality. Due to the high quality and cost of metal material, printers are seeking to decrease the scrap rate and increase up-time. Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint has responded to these demands with increased automation and innovative transport systems such as Venturi. This technology enables users to achieve higher speeds and to drastically reduce stoppages due to its low contact and precise sheet guiding via vacuum belts. Integrated Venturi systems also simplify complex machine operations for the next generation of operators.

Metal will continue to be seen as a premium substrate and consumers will expect a tactile experience such as embossing, matte/gloss, and haptics. Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint customers are growing due to the versatility offered for applying functional and decorative coatings such as overprint varnishes using coating towers or inline coating machines. Koenig & Bauer Vision & Protection provides a unique new solution specifically designed to address counterfeiting for all segments in metal packaging. 

Metal packaging manufacturers are analyzing each step in a complex process and determining where production times can be reduced to shorten the supply chain. This gives them the opportunity to gain efficiencies that are evolving to ensure the fastest delivery as well as changing regional trends due to the wide breadth of rising opportunities in metal packaging. 

Metal decorators will also be drawn to Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint’s sustainability benefits of its coating processes. Through the utilization of closed-loop operations on its coating systems such as the MetalCoat 484, metal packaging printers can achieve a significant reduction in waste and set-up time. Accurate, automated control ensures that only the necessary amount of consumables is used, independent of operator skills, and directly improving the environmental footprint.

“Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint will be showcasing its latest equipment at METPACK 2026 in Essen, Germany from May 5-8, 2026,” says Pernice. “The world premiere of the new MetalCoat 484 for high-end coating and process automation will take place along with solutions for offset and digital printing, coating, drying, and air purification that demonstrate comprehensive system expertise. Attendees will learn about a host of innovations from the company’s leading innovation experts about everything from the hydrogen-capable drying systems to the MetJET digital printing series.”