Worldwide Large Format Printer Shipments Up 6% in the First Half of 2017

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The International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker found that large format printer (LFP) shipments increased by 6% year over year in the first half of 2017 (1H17) while printer revenue grew by almost 2% when compared to the first half of 2016.

"These results illustrate the continued growth in the large format market," said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions. "Also that manufacturers and dealers are incentivizing new printer shipments with discounts, bundles, and aggressive promotions. 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 bit of a surprisingly strong second quarter."

Segment Highlights

• Shipments in the large format CAD/Technical printer market segment grew by over 2% in 1H17, driven by strong growth in single-pass CAD inkjet printers in the large format toner-based printer segment.
• Shipments on the graphics side were up by 10% in the first half of the year with a strong showing from UV-curable, Latex, and dye-sublimation printers.

Regional Highlights

• The first half of 2017 saw strong growth in the North American market with shipments up by 16% driven primarily by large format aqueous inkjet printers.
• Latin America was another growth market through the first half of 2017 fueled by strong shipments of large format dye-sublimation inkjet printers.

Vendor Highlights

• There was no movement among the top five large format printer suppliers in terms of shipments. In the first half of 2017. The top five companies were HP Inc, Canon-Oce, Seiko Epson, Roland DG, and Mimaki.
• HP Inc. continued to lead the large format digital printer market with over 34% of shipments and almost 24% of revenue when all equipment categories are combined.
• Canon-Oce maintained its number two position among large format printer manufacturers and grew its share of the total market to over 20% of total shipments.
• Seiko Epson was the third-largest large format printer supplier in terms of shipments worldwide. Epson saw growth in its eco-solvent and dye-sublimation inkjet printer shipments.
• Roland DG was the number 4 large format printer company. In the first half of 2017 Roland grew its UV printer business by almost 75% over its 1H 2016 levels.
• Mimaki was the number five supplier of large format printers worldwide through the first half of 2017 and also saw considerable growth in its UV printer shipments.

Other Highlights

• Dye-sublimation inkjet printer shipments grew by 31% in the first half of 2017 when compared to the first half of 2016.
• Surprisingly, large format eco-solvent inkjet printer shipments grew by several hundred units in 1H17 with the majority of that growth coming from the Asia/Pacific region.
• Large format UV-curable inkjet printer shipments continued to be a bright spot within the large format market, growing by over 40% year over year.

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About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers.