According to research by International Data Corporation (IDC), the Western European printer and multifunction (MFP) market declined by 8,2% in unit terms in 4Q19 compared with the same period a year ago, to give a market size of 5,09-million units.
This meant the overall 2019 market in Western Europe declined by 1,25-million units, largely due to the contraction of consumer inkjets, though laser shipments were also down.
The overall growth rate for 2019 was -6,3%. This reflects some of the main trends seen in the hardcopy markets, such as digitisation, and these negative growth rates will not be reversed.
Ink is the main choice for the home markets and has a healthy penetration rate in office markets, but the long-term outlook for ink overall remains negative.
4Q19 inkjet markets contracted by 8,4%, with most declines seen in consumer markets. The overall 2019 shipment figure of 12,6-million units meant the market declined by 6,5% in 2019.
Laser shipments weren’t much better. They declined by 7,7% in 4Q19, leading to an overall 2019 decline of 5,8% to give a 2019 shipment figure of 5,8-million; both monochrome and color segments declined, mainly due to the decrease in single-function printers.
Serial impact dot matrix shipments continued to decline by double-digits, while high-speed production inkjets also declined.
“The shipment numbers certainly don’t lie,” says Phil Sargeant, program director in IDC’s Western European Imaging, Hardware Devices, and Document Solutions group. “The Western European hardcopy markets are in decline.
“With 2019 shipments down by 1,25-million, there are clearly changing printing habits in the home and business, and many suppliers are now scrambling to gain a greater share of the market through renewed innovation, acquisitions, and non-core revenue streams.”
The overall Western European hardcopy market contracted by 6,3% year on year in 4Q19, recording a shipment figure of 5,09-million units, leading to an overall decline of 6,3% in 2019.
Inkjet shipments declined by 8,4% in 4Q19 and by 6,5% for the whole of 2019.
Laser shipments for the quarter were down by 7,7%, leading to an overall decline of 5,8% in 2019.