Combined US printer and multifunction peripheral (MFP) page volume will reach 1.2 trillion in the US at by the end of 2015, with a relatively marginal growth of 0.1% (CAGR) between 2010 and 2015, according to new research from International Data Corporation (IDC).
The research said MFPs are winning the print volume race as users move away from single function printers and embrace the benefits and flexibility of multifunction devices.
Total MFP pages are considerably larger in number than printer pages, and they are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 1.4% with total pages exceeding 857 billion in 2015, IDC said.
Monochrome laser pages remain the industry’s 800 lb. gorilla, with 799.9 billion pages in 2015 despite a declining CAGR, although ongoing industry is shifting from monochrome to colour devices.
Overall, printed page volume will remain steady despite a myriad of obstacles, including the introduction of green initiatives within a growing number of enterprise organisations; more widespread managed print services engagements; changing end-user behaviour patterns from young, digitally oriented workers; and a weak economy.
Managed Print Service (MPS) allows customers to reduce their total printing costs and to migrate inefficient business process document workflows to less-paper workflows.
The influx of shipments moving from low-end printers to MFPs, and from lower to higher speed MFPs, will lower MFP average monthly page volumes (AMPVs).
The IDC report said the inkjet installed base is the largest of the three technology categories which include monochrome laser, colour laser, and inkjet.
The IDC report said colour pages are showing solid growth, and are two to three times more profitable than monochrome pages.
