Dubai:
Laser printers are expected to steal the limelight as the market is making a big shift from inkjets, industry experts say.
Ashwin Venkatachari, senior programme manager (imaging, printing and document solutions) at International Data Corporation, told Gulf News that inkjets are predominately used in the consumer space but consumers are now spending more on tablets and smartphones.
“Consumer spend on printers will be less this year but there will be lot of investments happening in the commercial space,” he said.
He said that enterprise and small-and medium-sized businesses prefer to use lasers as they print more papers.
According to IDC, the UAE printer market was aggressive last year and grew 10 per cent and this year it is expected to be around 4.5 per cent. In 2013, the industry grew 14 per cent.
“The market is coming off from a higher base; the growth in 2014 was the highest in the last five years.
The market value for 2014 was $310 million and is expected to be $320 million this year,” he said.
Japanese company OKI is focusing on new printers that are capable of graphics art printing on 360 grams per square metre paper density and offers affordable spot colour in white or clear gloss UV, at a highly competitive price point, for short-run, digital, print-on-demand performance.
“Our focus is only on B2B and we don’t have inkjet printers. We are into toner products based on LED technology,” said Reji Mathew, marketing manager OKI Middle East, India and Africa, at the Gulf Print and Pack exhibition taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 13-16.
The event was inaugurated by Shaikh Hasher Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director-General of Dubai Information Department.
LED technology is used instead of laser technology for the light source in laser printers as it is energy efficient.
“We are into LED technology for more than 30 years but the technology started gaining prominence due to the growth in LED TV and LED bulbs,” he said.
Many of the manufacturers like Xerox and Brother have started using LED technology.
There are “no moving parts” in the LED printer technology when compared to laser, so there will be no damage to the head, he said.
Mathew added that many manufacturers are moving out of stand-alone inkjet printer category and shifting to MFPs (print, scan, fax, and photocopy).
Among the laser segment, Venkatachari said the growth will come from colour multifunction printers and not from single multifunction printers.
He said that MFPs have better capabilities and flexibilities and the price points are coming down amid tough competition.
“Vendors are looking at other revenue opportunities as profit margins are coming under pressure and they [vendors] will pressure channel partners to offer more value-added services,” he said.
In the laser space, he said that there is no much patent and R & D involved, vendors use third-party manufacturing facilities to produce printers. Whereas in the inkjet space, a lot of R & D investment is required and so only a few players operate in the inkjet space.
Venkatachari still sees the 3D printer market as a niche market despite fall in prices.
“HP is expected to enter the 3D printer market in 2016 and if that happens, HP will shake the 3D printer market a bit,” he said.
