Global shipments of large format printers have increased by 4 percent year on year and large format printer revenue has risen 3 percent year on year in Q2 2018, according to IDC.
IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker revealed that for the first half of this year, shipments had increased by 3.5 percent and revenue was up by over 5 percent compared to the first half of 2017.
“New solutions, capabilities, and technologies continue to drive investment in large format printing equipment on a worldwide basis,” said Tim Greene, research director, U.S. Large Format Printer Tracker. “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 to create a bit of a surprisingly strong second quarter,” Greene added.
In terms of regions, Latin America experienced 14 percent growth (consisting of over 2,000 units) compared to the same period in 2017, while the Asia/Pacific region (including Japan) increased by 3.9 percent.
The EMEA region recorded a growth in large format shipments of 7.2 percent. However, in North America, shipments dropped by 3.5 percent compared to the first half of 2017.
The top five large format printer companies in 2018 were HP Inc, Canon-Oce, Seiko Epson, Mimaki and Roland DG.
HP improved its lead in the market with almost 35 percent of worldwide shipments in Q2 2018, experiencing “nice growth” in the CAD segment with new DesignJet T-series 24-inch models.
Canon maintained second place, improving its total market share with over 22 percent of total shipments.
Epson also maintained its third-place position, while Mimaki overtook Roland DG to take fourth place, with “some of Mimaki’s new models and new distribution partners […] ramping up around the world.”
