Framingham, MA—Technology analysis firm IDC reports that during the second quarter of this year, large-format printer global shipments increased 4% year over year. In addition, IDC notes that large-format printer revenue grew 3%.
IDC’s research reveals that for the first half of the year, shipments were up 3.5%. In addition, revenue was up more than 5% compared to the first half of 2017. Moreover, in terms of global regions, Latin America saw the highest growth year over year. It posted growth of 14%, or more than 2,000 units sold, compared to the first half of 2017.
In addition, the Asia/Pacific region (including Japan), already the biggest geographical market, grew nearly 4% percent, according to IDC. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) saw shipments grow 7.2% percent over the first half of 2017. However, shipments in North America were down by about 3.5% year over year.
“New solutions, capabilities and technologies continue to drive investment in large-format printing equipment on a worldwide basis,” says Tim Greene, research director for IDC’s U.S. Large-Format Printer Tracker division. “While some regions and technologies are maturing, we also see that manufacturers and dealers are incentivizing 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. This has created a bit of a surprisingly strong second quarter,” Greene added.
Top Large-Format Printer Manufacturers
Moreover, the report found that there was some movement among the top five large-format manufacturers. Mimaki overtook Roland DG in terms of second quarter shipments to move into fourth place.
According to IDC, the top five large-format printer companies in the second quarter of 2018, in terms of units shipped, were: HP Inc., Canon Océ, Seiko Epson, Mimaki and Roland DG. HP by itself had nearly 35% of all the shipments of large-format printers globally in the second quarter.
