According to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker, large format printer (LFP) shipments increased by 1,3% from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15) while revenue was flat.
“The second quarter is often the slowest quarter of the calendar year for wide format printer shipments overall, but shipments are still ahead of pace in 2015 versus 2014. The market in North America was very strong in Q2, which offset declines in the EMEA region,” says Phuong Hang, programme director of the Worldwide Large Format Printer Tracker.
“We’re seeing the continued shift towards UV-curable inkjet, towards dye-sublimation, and towards Latex, with nice growth across all three technologies,” adds Tim Greene, research director: hardcopy solutions at IDC. “These technologies are where more print service providers are investing based on the new and enhanced capabilities they offer to customers.”
Display graphics printer shipments grew about 2% year over year in 2Q15 on a worldwide basis, with the fulfilment of some large deals across printer networks fuelling growth. Latex and UV-curable inkjet continued to grow at the fastest rate among wide format display graphics printer technologies.
Shipments of wide format CAD/technical printers grew slightly year over year in 2Q15, with the growth of inkjet-based wide format printers offsetting declining sales of toner-based printers.
HP’s DesignJet technical printer, the Latex 300-series, and a new series of UV-curable printers extended its position as the top supplier of wide format digital printing systems worldwide in 2Q15.
Canon grew its share of the wide format printer market in 2Q15 and sustained its position as the number two supplier worldwide. Canon and Canon-Oce units combined to sell over 18 200 printers in the quarter.
Epson maintained its position as the number three worldwide wide format digital printer supplier despite slower sales in the EMEA region that drove overall shipments lower.
Roland sales were essentially flat year over year in 2Q15, enabling Roland to maintain its position as the fourth-rated supplier of wide format printers worldwide.
Mimaki remained the number five supplier of wide format printing systems worldwide by a very narrow margin over Ricoh. Ricoh and Mimaki actually are partners, with Ricoh selling Mimaki’s Latex and UV-curable inkjet technology in some parts of the world.
