Printer Sales – Current and Prospective Market
In 2019, there were over 94 million units of hardcopy-producing peripherals, including printers, copiers, and multifunctional print systems, shipped worldwide. Printer sales includes scanners and multifunction printers (MFPs). Total market revenue in South Africa is expected to near R2 billion in 2021, with printer sales continuing to grow into 2022. The top five companies for printer sales globally were HP followed by Canon, Epson, Brother, and Samsung. HP commanded a 39,6% share of the total market. HP’s dominance can largely be attributed to a reputation for dependable, innovative technology.
Almost everyone has used a desktop printer at one time or another, or at the very least, asked someone to print from one of these devices on their behalf. Nearly everyone has the need to print or have printed a hard copy of something. This could be anything from a school or university project to digital photos of an overseas holiday or a large format poster of a 3D design rendering.
Digital files from PCs, digital cameras, cell phones, and virtually any digital storage medium can be sent to a device for the production of a hard copy. There are machines on sale that can print on a vast set of materials from an array of papers to vinyl and fabric. Photo-realistic colour prints, black-and-white study material, architectural and engineering drawings, and outdoor media such as billboards can be produced. There are a multitude of manufacturers that make printers, including leading brands such as HP, Epson, Brother, and Canon to name a few. Some manufacturers specialise solely in printer sales, while others have a large portfolio of additional products, such as computers and digital cameras, which they offer.
Printer sales are driven by an ongoing need for hardcopy output of a large range of graphic and documentary media. Despite efforts to create the paperless office for the last three decades, commercial offices still constitute the largest market for printing products and produce the highest volume of print output. The Covid-19 pandemic is predicted to shift some volume to the home environment as work-from-home models become more common and more entrenched.
Key Features Currently Driving Printer Sales
A print speed of at least ten colour pages and twenty black-and-white A4 pages per minute is a minimum requirement to look for in print output speed. Time spent waiting for print output is often unproductive and can be frustrating.
Print quality, which is measured in dots per inch (DPI), should be a minimum resolution of 600 x 600 DPI for black-and-white units. Colour print quality of 1200 x 1200 DPI is an acceptable minimum standard, while a resolution of 4800 x 2400 DPI will produce photo-quality colour prints. Scanner quality is also measured in dots per inch for units having scan functionality. A scanner that captures scans at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 600 DPI is necessary for high-quality reproductions, while a scanner resolution of 4800 x 4800 DPI will produce very high-quality images.
The duty cycle of a printer is defined as the maximum number of pages that should be printed on it per month. Machines intended for the office environment should have a minimum duty cycle in the 20,000 to 25,000-page month range. A home office unit with a monthly duty cycle in the region of 5,000 pages will probably be adequate for most users.
Wi-Fi capability is a feature to look for when buying a new device. Wi-Fi capable machines can be configured to operate securely on a business or home network. WPS setup is a common feature on most business and home office routers, allowing printers with WPS setup capability to be easily configured on the local network without IT expertise.
The flexibility and functionality of all-in-one or multifunctional machines make for a compelling reason to buy this type of device. They reduce costs, consolidate multiple devices into a single unit, and improve office workflows.
Which Finance Route for Printer Sales?
As with any purchase, whether from a supplier for your business or a retail vendor, choosing the right company makes all the difference. One also needs to decide whether to purchase the unit outright or lease it? Purchasing a solution outright means no long-term commitment to monthly lease payments. This often suits the home user and saves money by not incurring any interest.
Leasing can be easier to budget for. Companies that buy large printers or multiple machines can pay over a few years instead of having to provide a single large capital payout. Either way, choosing a well-known brand from a reputable supplier is essential.