Strong Bonds: Why Primers Play a Key Role in the Fast-Growing Packaging Coatings Market

Every high-performance packaging coating starts with a layer that most of us never think about: the primer. Primers are applied to a surface before printing to improve ink adhesion and print quality. They improve the adhesion of barrier and other coatings, printing inks, and graphic effects to the substrate, as well as enhancing the bonds between laminated multilayers. The higher levels of adhesion obtained with primers increase production efficiency, resulting in faster processing and output speeds. Primers also enhance the overall durability of the packaging, making them more resilient to external influences. According to a major new market study from Smithers, the global market for primers for packaging coatings was 910,100 tonnes in 2025 with a value of just over $2 billion. The Future of Packaging Coatings to 2031 shows that demand for primers in packaging coatings has been growing at around 3.8% CAGR since 2023 and will reach an estimated 942,000 tonnes in 2026 at a value of $2.12 billion.

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