This work aims to summarize the research programs of applying digital watermarking technology in anti-counterfeiting printing， to find a kind of printing anti-counterfeiting technology which is difficult to be copied, easy to be identified, of low cost and no pollution. Process of above technology applied in the field of printing anti-counterfeiting was divided into three stages which included generating and embedding watermarks, printing and scanning, extracting and detecting watermarks. Research status were discussed the in stages. Current research mainly focused on tradeoff contradiction between robustness and invisibility. Further studies could be started from influences of printing and scanning attacks on watermarks, to balance the relationship of invisibility and robustness to resist printing and scanning attacks, strengthen research on “fragility” that prevents secondary printing, descript the relationship between printing design, watermarking algorithm, printing process and parameters, establish and improve the visualization application platform for digital watermark printing anti-counterfeiting.