Credit: Dreamstime
HP has extended leadership in a large format printer market experiencing shipment growth of four per cent year-over-year, with customer investment forecast to increase.
According to IDC findings, large format printer revenue grew three per cent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2018, as new solutions flood the global market.
For the first half of the year, shipments are up 3.5 per cent while revenue is up over five per cent compared to the first half of 2017.
“New solutions, capabilities, and technologies continue to drive investment in large format printing equipment on a worldwide basis," said Tim Greene, research director at IDC.
“While some regions and technologies are maturing, we also see that manufacturers and dealers are incentivising new printer shipments with discounts, bundles, and aggressive promotions.
“A recovery in technology categories like eco-solvent and toner-based printers have run counter to some of the market trends over the past few quarters to create a bit of a surprisingly strong second quarter.”
From a vendor perspective, IDC reported “some movement” among the top five large format printer suppliers in terms of shipments, with Mimaki overtaking Roland in the second quarter of 2018 to capture the number four position worldwide.
Specifically, the top five large format printer companies during the second quarter of 2018 were HP. Canon-Oce, Seiko Epson, Mimaki and Roland DG.
Credit: IDC “HP extended its lead in the large format digital printer market with nearly 35 per cent of worldwide shipments in 2Q18,” Greene explained. “HP saw nice growth in the CAD segment with new 24-inch wide models within the DesignJet T-series.”
Meanwhile, Canon maintained its number two position among large format printer manufacturers and grew its share of the total market to more than 22 per cent of total shipments.
“The company saw a strong performance from its ImagePROGRAF CAD printers, especially the new TX-series,” Greene said.
Further down the list, Epson remained the number three large format printer supplier in terms of worldwide shipments with “popular units” including its eco-solvent and latest aqueous inkjet printers.
“Mimaki overtook Roland as the number four supplier of large format printers worldwide in the second quarter as some of Mimaki's new models and new distribution partners are ramping up around the world,” Greene explained.
“Roland DG fell to the number five position in the worldwide large format printer market in 2Q18.”
Geographically speaking, the Asia Pacific region (including Japan) grew 3.9 per cent, with large format UV and large format dye-sublimation inkjet printer shipments both up by more than 1,000 units from the same period in 2017.
“Surprisingly, large format eco-solvent inkjet printer shipments were steady compared to the recent quarters while Latex printer shipments were slightly lower in 2Q18,” Greene added.
