The retailer is looking into its crystal ball to predict the big printing trends of 2018.
In a new blog, Cartridge World is looking ahead and predicting what the printing trends of the next 12 months will be. The retailer has identified four main areas of change that will define printing in 2018.
The first of these is increased workflow digitisation, with Cartridge World acknowledging that “more and more printers are now coming with document capture devices”, which will allow users to digitise documents quickly and efficiently. It will also allow them to store data more easily, thus also making the accessing and sharing of information speedier and easier.
“An increasing number of businesses are utilising this feature,” Cartridge World writes, adding that automated workflow processes, linking customers, printing systems, and services, will also see an increase in demand this year.
The blog also discusses the rise of the Internet of Things, pointing out that as technology becomes more and more integrated, printers aren’t being left behind. It predicts that 2018 will see integration become easier with more advanced devices, as users begin to expect more from their printers.
Similarly, the MFP market will continue to expand, according to Cartridge World, as technology providers look for new ways to add yet more functions and capabilities to them, meaning “users can look forward to more developed and cutting-edge features.” The A3 printer market is also forecast to grow.
2018 will also apparently herald a breakthrough in inkjet printing technology, improving to the point “where the printers are able to compete with digital printing equipment.” Cartridge World’s blog also suggests that with this progress, many business owners may be tempted to print ‘in-house’ certain printing jobs that would previously have been sent to commercial printing presses.
The last big trend that the retailer forecasts for the coming year is an increasing demand for document security, predicting that it will “take a front seat in many organisations”, such as healthcare and educational institutions, which require ID scanning in order to collect classified documents.
The blog concludes with Cartridge World acknowledging the printing industry’s “many exciting changes” in recent years, and looking ahead to a year that will see the industry becoming “increasingly digitised”, more efficient, and with greater integration.
