MFP Placements in U.S. and Western Europe See Moderate Recovery, Business Ink-Jet Placements Strong

According to market-research firm InfoTrends, placements of MFPs grew modestly in the United States and Western Europe in 2010, and were led by placements of business ink-jet MFPs.

In the total overall MFP market, which includes consumer, office and production units, placements in the United States rose 5.2 percent from 27.5 million units in 2009, to 28.9 million units in 2010. Placement growth in Western Europe was 4.1 percent, with 26.3 million MFPs placed in 2009, and 27.4 million MFPs placed in 2010.

However, InfoTrends analysts Robert Palmer (United States) and Zac Butcher (Western Europe) cautioned that growth in 2010 should be viewed as a slight recovery, as the market is “nowhere near its peak which we saw in 2007.”

According to the firm, much of the growth in 2010 can be attributed to the increase in placements of ink-jet devices. Ink-jet placement growth increased 3.8 percent in the United States and 2.7 percent in Western Europe, fueled by continued growth in the business ink-jet segment. Sales of business ink-jet devices rose 13.9 percent in the United States and 4.7 percent in Western Europe. Infotrends notes that ink-jet vendors, such as Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark and Epson, continue to reposition their ink-jet technology for business applications, and the number of new ink-jet models aimed at SOHO, small business, and enterprise customers grew significantly in 2010.

 InfoTrends’ U.S. Single-Function Printer & MFP Market Placements & Western Europe Single Function Printer and MFP Market Placements reports provide placements of all printers and multifunctional products for 2010. Data can be viewed by technology, paper size, ink type, speed range, color capability, as well as by environment. InfoTrends also provides a historical perspective by including year-over-year market-share statistics. For pricing and purchase information, visit Infotrends’ online store, contact Robyn Wuori at +1 781 616 2103, or e-mail robyn_wuori@infotrends.com.