Large format printer market ups shipments and sales

Worldwide large format printer (LFP) shipments grew 3.9 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2016, while hardware revenue grew by more than 7 percent, according to analyst IDC.

“On a worldwide basis the second quarter is often the slowest quarter of the year for large format printer shipments. If that holds true then 2016 should be a very good year for the large format printer market,” said IDC analyst Tim Greene.

He said: “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 Q2.”

Shipments in the large format CAD/technical printer market segment grew by more than 7.5 percent in 2Q16 compared to 2Q15, and are now up by over 4.5 percent for the first half of 2016. Shipment growth in North America and EMEA more than offset lower sales in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) through the first half of the year.

On the large format graphics side total shipments were almost 2 percent lower in 2Q16 compared to 2Q15, but revenue actually grew a modest 0.8 percent over that time as the market shifts towards more productive large format graphics printing systems, said IDC.

The top five suppliers worldwide in 2015 all kept their place through the first half of 2016. The top five suppliers, in order, were HP Inc (number one), Canon (when combined with Oce), Seiko Epson, Roland DG and Mimaki.

HP grew both its share of shipments and share of revenue in 2Q16 compared to 2Q15 based on the continued strength in HP Latex, PageWide XL and FB-series printers. Some of the growth in revenue share is attributable to the “aggressive discounting” that other vendors are engaging in as they compete against HP, said IDC.

@AntonySavvas