The global handheld label printer market size will be $756.9 million in 2024 with a CAGR of 6.74% from 2024 to 2029.
1. Global Handheld Label Printer Market
The global handheld label printer market size will be $756.9 million in 2024 with a CAGR of 6.74% from 2024 to 2029.
Global Handheld Label Printer Market Size
2. Market Dynamics
Drivers
With the development of mobile printing technology, the demand for handheld printers in the market is gradually increasing, especially in industries with large daily applications such as commercial/retail, industrial/manufacturing, and logistics. At present, the market of this type of industry is in a period of rapid development, and new applications emerging in the industry will promote the growth of the special printer market. The expansion of the market application scale has also made handheld label printers a hot spot that major label printer manufacturers in the market are chasing. The popularity of the POS system made the handheld label printer widely used in this industry at the earliest. The combination of the two has promoted the rapid development of the entire dedicated printer market. At present, almost every supermarket, convenience store, department store, 3C store, and electronic store will use a printer to print the transaction list. In particular, the acceleration of the information management process of commodity barcodes has enabled label printers to be rapidly popularized and applied in this field. To a certain extent, barcodes have almost become the ID cards of commodities.
Challenges
Compared with developed countries, economic development, and electronic informatization in many regions are relatively backward. Therefore, the handheld label printing industry started late, and resource investment was insufficient. In particular, scientific research, development, and production capabilities are still relatively weak, and there are fewer manufacturers and smaller scales. This will lead to the fact that there are not many enterprises with independent intellectual property rights and independent development capabilities. The development scale of the entire industry is far lower than that of developed countries, which restricts the comprehensive popularization and promotion of technology to a certain extent. Most products in the handheld label printer industry (especially printer-related consumables) have not issued relevant industry standards and national standards. Therefore, there is no unified measurement standard in terms of product design specifications and technical performance indicators. Each manufacturer has its own system, which brings a lot of inconvenience to product promotion, user procurement, and use, and limits the rapid development of the entire industry. Due to the early start, the market in developed countries has matured, and most of the market share is occupied by several large manufacturers, which constitute a certain brand barrier. At the same time, the patented technologies and proprietary technologies accumulated by these manufacturers over the years also constitute certain technical barriers for new entrants in the industry. Therefore, late entrants to the industry need to pay a higher price.
3. Market Segment
By Type
Household & Office Grade: The market size is expected to be $9.42 million in 2024, and the market share is about 9.79%.
Commercial Grade: The market size is expected to be $6.72 million in 2024, and the market share is about 6.98%.
Industrial Grade: The market size is expected to be $80.09 million in 2024, and the market share is about 83.22%.
Handheld industrial printers are ideal for large-label jobs. For industrial-grade handheld label printers, the first thing to consider is the operating performance suitable for high-efficiency and long-time standby. General industrial-grade handheld label printers are capable of ultra-fast wireless label printing (and ultra-durable laminated labels) to meet customers’ maximum data communication requirements and provide high efficiency and reliability guarantees. Rugged handheld label printers also give people the ability to design and print wires, cables, patch panels, and panels on mobile devices or PCs, and print precisely as they are labeled on back-end equipment without leaving the job site.
By Application
Manufacturing: The market size is expected to be $14.15 million in 2024, with a market share of about 14.70%.
Retail & Logistics: The market size is expected to be $6.92 million in 2024, with a market share of about 7.19%.
Home & Office & Education: The market size is expected to be $12.29 million in 2024, with a market share of approximately 12.77%.
Electrical: The market size is expected to be $41.70 million in 2024, with a market share of about 43.33%, ranking the largest market.
At present, label printers are used for printing railway, highway, and water transport tickets, invoices and luggage labels, civil aviation boarding passes, and luggage labels. The use of some intercity railways and subway barcodes has opened up a new way for label printers in the traffic/transportation industry. The country accelerates the construction of high-speed railways, highways, water transportation, civil aviation, urban public transportation, intercity express trains, etc., which brings more opportunities for the application and development of label printers in the transportation/transportation industry. In particular, the rapid economic development and the improvement of informatization construction in some regions have rapidly promoted the application of handheld label printers in the traffic/transportation industry in these regions. With the implementation of industrial production standardization, handheld label printers have been widely used in many aspects such as enterprise production process control, product quality control (product traceability), and packaging identification. For example: various product identifications, packaging labels, hang tags, washing clothes, etc. are inseparable from the printing of barcode labels. This industry is the industry with the largest application volume of label printers. Judging from the future development situation, the manufacturing industry will achieve greater development. The capacity and management level of industrial production will also continue to improve, thereby driving the development of handheld label printers in the manufacturing industry.
In the electrical industry, such as the Internet of Things home appliance manufacturing, mechanical manufacturing, electronic components, electrical appliances, and other product processing and manufacturing industries, usually need to print labels directly on the product, such as name plate labels, barcode serial number labels, certificate labels, circuit diagram labels, RFID labels, etc. Traditional printing methods have been unable to meet the real-time, efficient, and customized production management needs of enterprises, so the use of handheld label printers is becoming more and more common.
With the continuous maturity of RFID Internet of Things technology, the use of RFID barcode label printers to print labels has become more and more common, improving the efficiency and accuracy of label printing. Labels in the electrical industry need to have the characteristics of high-temperature resistance, low-temperature resistance, water and oil resistance, dirt resistance, and not easy to fall off, which is particularly important for outdoor working environments. Hand-held label printers can meet these needs, providing professional self-adhesive labels to adapt to different working environments.
Market Size and Share by Segment in 2024
| Market Size in 2024(M USD) | Market Share in 2024 | ||
| By Type | Household & Office Grade | 9.42 | 9.79% |
| Commercial Grade | 6.72 | 6.98% | |
| Industrial Grade | 80.09 | 83.22% | |
| By Application | Manufacturing | 14.15 | 14.70% |
| Retail & Logistics | 6.92 | 7.19% | |
| Home & Office & Education | 12.29 | 12.77% | |
| Electrical | 41.70 | 43.33% | |
| Telecom | 17.40 | 18.08% | |
| Lab | 1.86 | 1.94% |
4. Regional Market
United States: The market size is expected to be $26.99 million in 2024.
China: The market size is expected to be $20.88 million US dollars in 2024.
Europe: The market size is expected to be $22.62 million in 2024.
At present, the handheld label printer market is mainly composed of mature markets in developed regions such as North America and Europe, and emerging markets in underdeveloped regions such as Asia and South America. In the mature market, the number of hand-held label printers is relatively high, and the products used for replacement every year account for the vast majority of the market share, forming a market space for dedicated printers to grow steadily. The rapid economic development of Brazil, Russia, India, and China has greatly stimulated the market potential of their handheld label printers. The breakthrough of new technologies and the continuous expansion of new application fields have further expanded the market development space of handheld label printers and related products.
The market demand for handheld label printers continues to grow in the United States, especially in industries such as healthcare, retail, and logistics. These industries have seen a surge in demand for handheld printers to mark medical supplies, track inventory, and ensure proper hygiene protocols. The demand for technological advancement and innovation in the US market has driven the development of handheld label printers. Manufacturers are incorporating advanced features such as wireless connectivity to enable seamless printing from a smartphone or tablet. The trend of handheld printers in the US market reflects the growing demand for efficiency, versatility, and connectivity. User-friendly interfaces, touch screens, and intuitive software have become standard, making it easier to customize and label designs.
Global Handheld Label Printer Market Size (M USD) by Region
5. Market Competition
The industry concentration is high. The top companies are Brother, DYMO, and Epson, with market shares of 38.07%, 21.52%, and 15.10% respectively in 2024.
Due to the early start, the market in developed countries has matured, and most of the market share is occupied by several large manufacturers, which constitute a certain brand barrier. At the same time, the patented technologies and proprietary technologies accumulated by these manufacturers over the years also constitute certain technical barriers for new entrants in the industry. Therefore, late entrants to the industry need to pay a higher price. Since most products in the handheld label printer industry (especially printer-related consumables) have not been issued relevant industry standards and national standards. Therefore, there is no unified measurement standard in terms of product design specifications and technical performance indicators. Each manufacturer has its own system, which brings a lot of inconvenience to product promotion, user procurement, and use, and limits the rapid development of the entire industry.
Major Players Market Share
| Major Players | Market Share in 2024 |
| Brother | 38.07% |
| DYMO | 21.52% |
| Epson | 15.10% |
| Brady | 3.95% |
| Panduit | 4.08% |
| MAKE ID | 3.72% |
| GAINSCHA | 2.85% |
| CASIO | 2.25% |
| Others | 8.47% |
| Total | 100.00% |