New York, NY -- There has been much debate in the recent months over the future of printing. Given the advent of smart mobile devices, tablet PCs, netbooks, etc. some were predicting the death of printing. A recent story which appeared on Recycler site dated September 2 shows that the printing industry is still alive and well—and growing based on data from a survey of the International Data Corporation.
The Recycler article spoke of the IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker which showed a 20% increase in the number of units sold from last year to this year during the second quarter. Also, the same report showed a 14% increase in the shipment value for the same time period. The numbers have been consistent in growth over the past three quarters for unit growth, but this is the first quarter since 2000 where both shipments and units both percentages in double-digits.
The leading segment of the printer industry is still inkjets. They hold an astounding 66% of the total market share and exhibited a growth of 14% from this point in 2009 to 2010. Over 19 million units were sold and of those 19 million, 78% were MFP devices. Do the math, and that’s close to 15 million MFPs.
Despite gaining an amazing 35%, laser printers still trail behind inkjets. In the laser segment, monochrome laser sales account for 83% of the total. Color lasers make up the additional 17% of the market share. They did enjoy an increase of over 25% growth for last year to this year. MFPs account for about 37% of monochrome lasers and 46% of color lasers.
In terms of specific companies and how they fared, HP is still holding onto its position as the world’s #1. They sold close to 12 million units, gained just over 22%, and hold a 41% market share. Canon came in second place (though it’s a distant second) with 13.5% growth and 19% of market share. Epson held steady and retained its 14% of the market share. Samsung jumped into fourth place on the strength of 52.3% from this same point last year. They now hold 5.7% of the worldwide market share. The fifth spot is now occupied by Brother, who gained 17.7% and holds 5.3% of the market share.
