Inkjets trump laser printers in the UK December 15, 2011 13:20 by Matt Bird
Home and business users could be favouring printer ink and toner cartridges for inkjet printers. Research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) shows a rise in printer shipments in the UK, driven by the number of low-cost inkjet devices.
IDC's Western Europe Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker shows the UK remains the second-largest hardcopy market in the region. Inkjet shipments - multi-function printer (MFP) and printer combined - increased 12.6 per cent in Q3 2011 compared with the same period last year.
Overall, the hardcopy market across Western Europe slipped by 11.9 per cent in revenue terms.
There was limited growth in inkjet shipments in Germany, though laser printers delivered significant expansion. Laser MFP unit shipments reached 0.2 million, a year-on-year growth rate of 14.4 per cent.
Phil Sargeant, research manager at IDC's Western Europe imaging hardware devices and document solutions group, noted that there is increased demand for business inkjet devices.
"For many years printers and MFPs featuring inkjet technology were largely destined for the consumer and SOHO [small office/home office] markets," he said. "But in recent years and following significant investments by vendors such as HP, inkjet technology is increasingly being positioned as a cost-effective alternative for low-volume office application."
In France, shipments of high-value products, including the laser MFP segment, held up reaching 0.1 million units and growing 7.4 per cent year-on-year.
Arnaud Gagneux, director of the imaging hardware devices and document solutions group, thinks demand for inkjet printers and inkjet MFPs has been hit by falling PC sales.
Meanwhile, figures from Context show printer sales in the UK grew six per cent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2011. However, sales of inkjet and laser printers across Europe and Middle East and Africa (EMEA) declined by 0.6 per cent during Q3.
Shipments in Western Europe dropped one per cent, while deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe fell 7.4 per cent.
1 Response to “Inkjets trump laser printers in the UK”
January 26, 2012 21:19
What is your view about compatible ink cartridges, relative to the real thing? Can they really damage your inkjet, or is that a self-interested scare story manufactured by the expensive brands?