Boston, MA—The traditional photo print market has declined over the last several years; however, it’s still a large market that presents good opportunities; that according to Rise Above Research. Studies by the market research firm show the majority of people still print photos. Many also enjoy saving prints in photo albums, displaying them or giving them to family and friends. Consequently, heavy photo printers, those who make more than 10 prints a month on average, are a sweet spot for the print industry.
Prints deliver an emotional connection and have more intrinsic value than simply looking at a photo on a mobile or computer display. “Vendors and retailers who offer photo prints will be happy to learn that heavy photo printers are forecasted to spend almost $1 billion on photo prints this year in the U.S.,” said David Haueter, founder of Rise Above Research. “In addition, we have found that almost 30% of ‘aspiring photographers’ are heavy photo printers.”
Heavy Photo Printers 
While they make up a small percentage of overall consumers, these photo printers generate a major portion of overall print volume. Subsequently, they are very important to the future of photo printing.
Moreover, key target segments among these photo printers are mothers who shoot with their smartphones; fathers who shoot with digital cameras; and those aged 25–44 years old.
Rise Above Research defines aspiring photographers as people who have a passion for photography and want to take their skills to the next level. The combination of heavy printers and aspiring photographers will account for upward of 20% of total annual photo print volume in the U.S.
You can read more about this printer segment in the Rise Above Research Heavy Photo Printers: Key Target Segments report.
Rise Above Research, LLC
Rise Above Research is an independent market intelligence and strategic consulting firm. It supports industry vendors, service providers as well as retailers with actionable intelligence. This data can assist them in making effective decisions in fast-paced digital photography and imaging markets.
The firm was established in 2020 by industry veterans Ed Lee and David Haueter. In addition, Rise Above Research has extensive experience providing market research and strategic consulting for the digital imaging industry.
