At the moment, the demand for polyester canvas in digital printing applications has grown significantly. A key metric: the global digital textile printing market—often overlapping with large-format and roll-to-roll printing onto synthetic substrates—was valued at approximately USD 2.86 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach USD 5.49 billion by 2033. Also, a specific forecast indicates a fastest-growing segment will be the polyester material substrate, with a projected CAGR of about 15.21% for polyester fabrics in digital printing from 2025-2034.
There are some main reasons as following:
A major reason is that polyester has physical and chemical properties that make it more compatible with digital printing processes than many natural fibres. For example, roll-to-roll inkjet printers frequently handle wide formats and large volumes; substrates that are stable (low shrinkage), compatible with various inks (pigment, dye, eco-solvent), and dimensionally consistent perform better. Generic large format printing material guides identify waterproof 100 % polyester fabrics for soft signage because they are lightweight, crease resistant, non-glare and work well with inkjet, latex, eco-solvent prints.
Therefore, demand for Printing Polyester Canvas and Printable Polyester Canvas increases simply because the material meets modern digital printing needs (wide width rolls, large output, rapid turnaround) more effectively than many older substrates.
The material supporting the growth includes variants like Eco Solvent Polyester Canvas, Pigment Polyester Canvas, Dye Ink Polyester Canvas, Coated Polyester Canvas, Inkjet Polyester Canvas.
As digital printing technology shifts from solvent-heavy to eco-solvent, pigment, latex and UV curable inks, the substrate must keep up. Polyester canvas is being coated (hence “Coated Polyester Canvas”) to ensure ink adhesion, durability, and surface finish.
The substrate format matters: many large format printers operate on Canvas Roll feed. Having a wide roll of polyester canvas means less splice, fewer interruptions, faster throughput. For example, the large-format market guide identifies roll-fed soft signage using 100% polyester fabric as “ideal for trade show displays, exhibition backdrops, indoor/outdoor use”.
Because of that, Canvas Roll products of polyester typology are in higher demand compared to smaller sheet formats or natural fibre canvases (cotton etc).
Polyester canvas provides better durability (resistance to moisture, tearing, colour bleed) than many natural fibre alternatives, especially in outdoor signage and display applications.
This means that for applications like large exhibitions, back-lit displays, outdoor advertising, the printing houses prefer Eco-Solvent Polyester Canvas or Printing Polyester Canvas for cost savings over time (lower waste, less miss-print, fewer rejects).
One of the drivers for the overall digital textile/large-format printing market is customization and on-demand production. Reports show that the capacity to produce short-run, personalized, high-value prints is a major factor.
When producing custom pieces—such as stretched canvas, art canvas, painting canvas style products—printers prefer media that are flexible, quick to load, versatile in finish, and available in roll form. Polyester canvas enables this. Although your keywords “stretched canvas”, “art canvas”, “painting canvas” are more often used for fine-art reproduction, the technology bleed-over means that suppliers now market “polyester canvas roll” for fine-art print houses as well.
Polyester fabric production is mature, globally available, and cost-competitive compared to some blended or niche natural fibre canvases. Also, production of wide width polyester rolls with consistent coating and finish supports printing efficiency.
Hence the increased supply, combined with demand growth, creates a reinforcing cycle: more printers adopt polyester canvas, driving higher volumes and further cost improvements.
Together these factors explain why printing houses, signage firms and fine-art print studios are shifting toward variants such as Eco Solvent Polyester Canvas, Pigment Polyester Canvas, and Coated Polyester Canvas, and why the market for Canvas Roll substrates is expanding substantially. Should you have any further questions welcome contact us, we are canvas roll manufacturer in China with rich experience in production and market.
