Worldwide large-format printer shipments down slightly, according to IDC

The worldwide large format printer market decreased modestly in the third quarter of 2019 with shipments declining by roughly 0.5% compared to the previous quarter, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker.

“While the large format printer market has been soft, there were some surprising areas of growth when we get into the breakdown by technology and region,” said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions. “New products and aggressive marketing have driven growth in some technology segments, while application expansion continued to drive investments in UV and textile/soft signage printers.”

Highlights

• Shipments in North America increased more than 4% compared to 2Q19, driven largely by the U.S., which grew 9% quarter over quarter in 3Q19.
• Japan and Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) both saw strong growth in 3Q19. The CEE growth largely offset declining shipments in Western Europe in the quarter while the growth in Japan made up for softer than expected shipments in the rest of the Asia/Pacific region.
• HP Inc. was by far the overall large format printer market leader in 3Q19 with 33.8% of all large format shipments worldwide.
• Canon had 19.4% of the total large-format market when its imagePROGRAF, the Oce line of technical printers, and Canon’s Arizona and Colorado are combined.
• Epson is the number three large-format printer manufacturer worldwide with over 17% of total shipments. Epson is a leader in the low-end of the aqueous inkjet market, in the dye-sublimation segment, and increasingly in the eco-solvent market. In the third quarter, Epson introduced its first “eco-tank” large format printers, which the company says will reduce ink cost by 20%. This will be an important area to watch in 2020 and beyond.