Overview of the Printing Industry in El Salvador and How to Buy Printers and Ink

An Overview of El Salvador

  • El Salvador has a population of 6.518 million.
  • Capital: San Salvador
  • Official Language: Spanish
  • Total Area: 21,041 km²
  • Currency: USD

Economic Statistics of El Salvador

  • El Salvador has reached a GDP of 54.488 billion USD. Its largest industries are
    1. Food Processing
    2. Chemicals
    3. Petroleum
    4. Fertilizer
    5. Textiles
  • The breakdown of El Salvador’ GDP Composition includes
    1. Services (59.4%)
    2. Industry (30.0%)
    3. Agriculture (10.5%)
  • The main importers of El Salvador’s goods are
    1. United States (44.45%)
    2. Honduras (15.34%)
    3. Guatemala (14.36%)
    4. Nicaragua (6.88%)
    5. Costa Rica (4.39%)
  • While the main exporters to El Salvador are
    1. United States (32.11%)
    2. China (14.01%)
    3. Guatemala (9.89%)
    4. Mexico (7.86%)
    5. Honduras (6.37%)

The Printing Industry in El Salvador

  • As the economy in El Salvador has grown, there is an increased need to buy printers, consumables such as inks and makeups and cleaning solutions.
  • The printing of packaging and labels is 44.4% of the total industry, followed by publications printing representing 29.2% and promotional printing representing 9.8%.
  • In the first three months of 2019, Central American countries imported $86 million in printing machines and devices, and purchases from Chinese companies grew 5% compared to the same period in 2018.
  • Customization and personalization using digital printing is a great market opportunity and a major competitive advantage. Commercial printers have recently invested in large format inkjet printing.
  • As a result, more people in El Salvador are looking for printers for sale whether from domestic sources or via imports.

Where to buy printers

Desktop TIJ Printer for sale

The Packaging Industry in El Salvador

  • El Salvador’s packaging industry has experienced slight growth with notable opportunities to provide packaging equipment to Salvadoran exporters.
  • There are 233 exporting companies in the packaging industry. U.S. imports of packaging equipment represent 30% of the total import market.
  • As Salvadoran companies demand innovative packaging to stand out from their competition, packaging equipment suppliers will need to provide equipment that can accommodate a wide range of sizes, shapes, textures, labels, and colors.
  • This boosting economy in El Salvador will continue to drive demand for industrial inkjet printer, printing equipment, printing parts, printing consumables such as inks, make ups and cleaning solutions.

Videojet printers for sale

Industrial printer: VJ 1510 Printer Original

The Manufacturing Industry in El Salvador

  • More than one-fifth of El Salvador's imports are used for reexport (mostly apparel produced in maquiladoras).
  • Among other imports are machinery parts, foodstuffs, petroleum, and chemical products. El Salvador's main trading partner is the United States.
  • The leading industrial region is the department of San Salvador. Other industrial centers are La Libertad, Santa Ana, San Miguel, Usulutan and San Vicente. There are coffee-processing plants, sugar mills, bakeries; and plants making petroleum products, vegetable oils, fats, confectionery, dairy products, tobacco, soap, candles, matches, shoes, furniture, light metals, cement, and organic fertilizers.
  • Hence, El Salvador’s expanding manufacturing sector has increased demand for printing and industrial ink such as Videojet ink, Inkjet refills, and Hitachi parts.

Sea Ports and Trading Hubs of El Salvador

  1. Acajutla
  2. Cutuco
  3. La Libertad

How to Buy Citronix Printers

Camainks uses the Port of Acajutla when exporting printing products to El Salvador

For importing Inkjet printers, Citronix printers, Videojet inks, and other spare parts, Camainks uses the largest port of Acajutla when exporting to our clients in El Salvador. We have exported items such as inkjet printers, CIJ printers, laser printers, and specialized brands of printer consumables including:

  • Videojet inks
  • Domino inks
  • Citronix CIJ inks
  • and other printer spare parts

Where to buy Markem Imaje printer ink?

Markem Imaje 5132 Ink for bulk purchases

What Printers and Ink Do El Salvador Import?

Although El Salvador does have some manufacturers for printers and ink like Risograph ink and Domino Inkjet printer, El Salvador still needs to import from countries such as US, China, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras. This demand for importing printers and ink in El Salvador is due to its fast-growing economy. Some printers, ink, and related consumables that El Salvador imports from these countries include,

Continuous Make-ups Supply for Citronix printing technologies

Compatible Hitachi TH 70 Make Up for industrial printers

What Regulations Are There on Importing Printers and Ink to El Salvador?

  • All imports of fresh food, agricultural commodities, and live animals must have a sanitary certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Health.  Basic grains must have import licenses from the Ministry of Agriculture, while dairy products require import licenses from the Ministry of Public Health.
  • At present, there is no standard regulation allowing entry of U.S.-approved products.  Some U.S. processed foods which were approved in the United States were rejected after analysis in El Salvador, thereby barring their sale.  USDA/FAS San Salvador has  obtained access for U.S. products rejected by the Ministry of Public Health on a case-by-case basis.
  • As of January 1, 2015, 100% of U.S. consumer and industrial goods enter the CAFTA-DR countries duty free (for goods that meet the country of origin requirements). Approximately 80% of these products entered duty-free when CAFTA-DR first entered into force in 2006. The remaining 20% of consumer and industrial goods were on a 5- or 10-year phased tariff reduction schedule.
  • Imports of hazardous chemical substances are subject to a technical approval by the respective health unit of the Ministry of Health (MINSAL).
  • Because inks contain hazardous chemicals, it is important to follow El Salvador’s import regulations.

The best Laser Marking Machine for saleHow to buy 30W Static Fiber Laser Marking Machine

Why Should El Salvador Import Printers and Ink?

  1. Availability - The local industry has limited capacity and some clients in El Salvador require printers and ink promptly.
  2. High Product Cost - Given the domestic competition in El Salvador, printers and the continuous ink supply are more expensive to buy domestically than on the world market.
  3. Product Quality - While most international suppliers have a good brand reputation and quality, some smaller domestic manufacturers in El Salvador can have variant product quality.

Linx 1010 industrial ink for bulk ink purchases

How to buy Linx 1010 Ink Supply

Where Can I Buy Printers and Ink for El Salvador?

If you are looking for individual use printers and inks, there are many domestic manufacturers and distributors available in El Salvador. However, if you looking for large quantities of inks, make ups and cleaning solutions, Camainks has been exporting print products such as Videojet ink, Linx printing technologies, and Markem Imaje 2200 to clients in El Salvador. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us at +86-131-2037-9271 for a FREE quotation. We also ship worldwide; for other countries, check out our experience here.