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MFP Print Volume Continues to Outpace Printer-Only Volume, Reports IDC

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Noting that the death of the printed page has been “greatly exaggerated,” and that although print volume will remain relatively flat from 2010 to 2015, market-research firm International Data Corporation is projecting that combined U.S. printer and MFP page volume will reach 1.2 trillion pages by 2015.

According to IDC, MFPs will continue to lead in page volume versus their printer-only counterparts. MFPs have a distinct advantage in that they incorporate multiple functions—typically print, copy, scan and fax—in a single footprint, eliminating the need for different standalone devices, and making them easier to deploy, manage, and service versus separate devices. Total MFP printed pages are considerably larger in number than printer-only page volume, and IDC projects MFP page volume to grow at a CAGR of 1.4 percent from 2010 to 2015, with total pages exceeding 857 billion in 2015.

At the same time, while the industry is shifting from monochrome to color devices, and while color laser and ink-jet pages will each experience “respectable growth” over the forecast period, monochrome laser pages will remain the leader with 799.9 billion pages in 2015 despite a declining CAGR. For MFP and print vendors the good news is that despite green initiates, managed print services, more digitally oriented workers, and a weak economy, overall, printed page volume will remain steady.

IDC’s research also indicates the following:

  • A shift from low-end printers to MFPs, and from lower- to higher-speed MFPs will result in lower MFP average monthly page volumes.
  • The ink-jet installed base is the largest among the monochrome laser, color laser, and ink-jet categories. 
  • Color pages are showing solid growth, and are two to three times more profitable than monochrome pages.

This research is based on three new IDC studies—U.S. Printer & MFP Page Volume 2011-2015 Forecast & Analysis (IDC #229778); U.S. MFP Page Volume 2011–2015 Forecast (IDC #229755); and U.S. Printer Page Volume 2011–2015 Forecast (IDC #229699). The three studies examine the U.S. MFP and single-function printer page-volume market opportunity and provide forecast updates through 2015. They also analyze the U.S. installed base and page-volume forecasts for the ink-jet and laser MFP segments, as well as the total page volumes for these segments, and contain quantitative and qualitative data analysis derived from 1996 to 2010 actual shipments, empirical data from IDC’s hardcopy usage panel, end-user research, and survey data.

To purchase the studies, contact IDC Sales at 508-988-7988 or sales@idc.com.