Worldwide Page Volume Continued Slow Decline in 2012 as Gains in Developing Regions Failed to Offset Slowdown in Developed Regions, According to IDC

Worldwide page volume from digital hardcopy devices* decreased to 2.98 trillion in 2012 from 3.03 trillion in 2011, a decline of -1.5% year over  year, according to new research from International Data Corporation (IDC). However, in spite of the decline, the world  continues to print at a good clip. Annual A4 printed pages can cover the  surface area of New York City 237 times.

      Developed countries continued their negative page growth trend in 2012, driven by digital workflows, adoption of Managed Print Services (MPS), and anemic economies. The silver lining for print volume in developed economies appears to be net new incremental pages from mobile devices. While it may seem counterintuitive, smartphone and tablet users are generating more print volume compared to non-tablet/smartphone users. IDC  research indicates that mobile printing is gaining traction on a year-on-year basis and by 2015 over 50% of smartphone and tablet business  users will use mobile print in the office environment. Although mobile  printing is growing rapidly on a year-over-year basis, both tablet and  smartphone users need help to print from their devices. Over 50% of  smartphone and 35% of tablet users indicate that they do not know how to  print from their mobile devices.    

      Developing countries helped to counter the negative trend in developed countries. In particular, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan)(APeJ) led the way with 10% year-over-year page growth, followed by Latin America with 6.7% year-over-year growth. Meanwhile, growth of pages slowed slightly in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMA) (-0.72%). This  is in contrast to last year when all developing regions experienced growth. 

      IDC expects worldwide page volume to remain flat for the 2013-2017 forecast period. In addition, APeJ is expected to displace the U.S. for the highest share of page volume by 2015. China and India are expected to  be the major growth countries in the APeJ region. 

      From a technology perspective, monochrome laser will continue to have the largest share of pages across the forecast period. Mono laser's installed base is forecast to grow, but pages are forecast to decline due  to falling average monthly print volume (AMPV). Color laser has a small  portion of the installed base and total pages, but it has the best outlook. For color laser, both the installed base and pages are forecast to grow, mainly because of color laser multifunction printers (MFPs). Color laser page growth will also be restrained by falling AMPVs. Inkjet's  installed base and pages are forecast to decline through 2017. Inkjet  comprises the majority of the installed base, but a tiny minority of pages.  

Technology Highlights    

•         Worldwide laser MFPs had overall positive  growth in pages (+2%) with developing countries registering double-digit  growth (+13.2%) in contrast to developed economies (-4.2%). Developing  countries had double-digit page growth across both mono (+11.3%) and  color (+23.2%). In contrast, developed countries had positive page  growth across only color MFPs (+7.5%) while having a negative growth in  mono MFPs (-9.2%). User print volume is migrating as devices move up  speed bands during their refresh cycle, causing some dampening in print volume.      
•         Worldwide laser printers had a negative  growth story although developing countries managed an incremental page  growth (+0.11%), but not enough to neutralize a negative page trend in  developed economies (-5%). Developing countries registered a +4.5% page  growth in color printers in contrast to -0.5% page growth in mono  printers. Users continue to migrate from printer to MFP form factors.       
•         Worldwide color inkjet printers continued to  yield ground to color inkjet MFPs, resulting in loss of color inkjet  printer pages (-5%) on a year-over-year basis. The impact was stronger  in developing economies with a drop in printer pages of -11.5%. However,  as color inkjet users have already mostly migrated to MFPs, the impact  on overall color inkjet pages was not drastic.      

Vendor Highlights  

      HP retained the number one position for overall worldwide page share in 2012. Canon and Xerox retained the number two and three rankings in worldwide page share. While most rankings remain unchanged, there were some notable findings. HP, driven by an increase in MFPs in its product mix, displaced Xerox as the leader in the color laser segment. In addition, driven by increased shipments, Samsung broke into the top 3 A4 Mono MFP page position, displacing Xerox.   

      An interactive graphic showing worldwide page share for the top 5        vendors in 2012 is available here. The chart is intended for public use in online  news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic  can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

The study, from IDC's Worldwide       Page Volume and Vendor Share Program,  provides total market size and vendor shares for single-function printer,  MFP, and single-function digital copier (SFDC) pages (prints/copies) and  installed base. Data includes installed base units and pages by  technology, sub-technology, and speed (laser) for 7 regions.   

Notes:    

•         * Digital hardcopy devices include single-function printers,         multifunction printers (MFPs), and  single-function digital copiers         (SFDC). This study included only mono  laser devices under 70 ppm (pages per minute), color laser devices under  45 ppm, and personal through workgroup inkjets.      
•         IDC tracks A3 and A4 digital devices using  remote monitoring tools, consumable trackers, and other data collection  methods. Installed base is derived from IDC Worldwide Hardcopy  Peripherals Tracker shipment data and IDC proprietary retirement  research.      
•         Developed regions include the United States,  Western Europe, Canada, and Japan. Developing regions include  Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), Latin America, Central and Eastern  Europe, Middle East, and Africa.      

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Page Volume and Vendor Share Program, please contact AngÈle Boyd (aboyd@idc.com)       or Dinesh Srirangpatna (dsrirangpatna@idc.com). 

About IDC    

      International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of       market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information       technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC        helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment       community  to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and       business  strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global,       regional, and local  expertise on technology and industry opportunities       and trends in over 110  countries. For more than 49 years, IDC has       provided strategic insights to  help our clients achieve their key       business objectives. IDC is a  subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading       technology media, research, and  events company. You can learn more about       IDC by visiting www.idc.com.    

SOURCE: BUSINESS WIRE