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PC Printers and Photo Printers - US - March 2006
Technology: USA Price: £2012 / $2995 / €2258
Report sections
click here to read 'about this report' »
Contents
Introduction and Abbreviations
Executive Summary
Market Drivers
Market Size and Trends
Market Segmentation
Supply Structure
Advertising and Promotion
Retail Distribution
The Consumer
Future and Forecast
Appendix: Trade Associations
Appendix: List of Sores Audited
Appendix: Simmons Cohort Definitions
 
  Research Methodology
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About this report

U.S. factory sales of PC and photo printers in the U.S. in 2005 were $3.8 billion. Despite increased volume sales, dollar sales decreased 25% between 2000 and 2005 at current prices, and decreased 34% at constant 2005 prices. The drop in dollar sales is due to a continued rapid decline in pricing for printers. During the period under review, the average estimated price per unit fell from $294 to $200.

Inkjet printers and inkjet multi-function printers (MFPs) accounted for about 73.5% of unit sales in 2005 and laser printers (mono and color) and laser MFPs accounted for 26.5% of unit sales. However, inkjets are losing share to MFPs of all kinds, and to laser devices. The price of laser units has fallen dramatically, putting color laser printers within reach of many consumers, while MFPs provide more functionality to the customer, reducing the clutter of multiple products. In the near term, demand for laser printers and laser MFPs will help stem the decline in average per unit price.

Based on Mintel research, overall growth in the PC and photo printer market should be flat or decline between 2006 and 2010, with laser printer sales increasing and inkjet device sales decreasing. Looking forward, under threat is the business model that relies primarily on post-hardware sales revenue from ink and paper. Retail ink kiosks, third-party cartridge providers, and online/retail photo printing options can reduce the demand for supplier branded ink and paper. With hardware margins already taxed, any shift in post-sale profits will cause turbulence in the market.

Printers are the focus and concentration of this report. Any printer that can print photos from a PC, digital camera, or memory card is included, provided the product is sold to a consumer or used in a small office/home office (SOHO) environment. Machines intended for professional purposes or primarily sold to corporate entities are not the subject of this report.

Products covered are inkjet and laser printers, including monochrome laser printers, portable and standard inkjet photo printers, and multi-function printers (MFPs) that function as printer, fax machine, scanner and copier. These products are bought through traditional retail channels for home use, including home office applications. Other retail channels include the Internet, mail order, catalogues, and computer resellers.

Accessories (toner, ink cartridges, cables) are not the subject of the report, but are discussed as relevant. Sales figures do not include sales of toner, cartridges or printer cables. Printing services are not included in this report.

This report encompasses HTS codes 8471605200 and 8471605400 for laser and inkjet printers, respectively.

If you want more details about this particular report, please contact the Mintel information team on  +1 312-932-0400 in the U.S.,  +44 028-90-241-849 in Northern Ireland,  +353 048-90-241-849 in the Republic of Ireland or  +44 (0)20-7606-6000 in the UK and the rest of the world, or email info@mintel.com.
Key words and phrases within this report

Dell; Wal-Mart; Lexmark; MFP; MFPs; Canon; Epson; Recent printer purchase; Best Buy; PMA; Hewlett-Packard; Costco; Office Depot; Staples; Target; Internet; Circuit City; SOHO; Imports; CompUSA; Simmons NCS; Brother; OfficeMax; Promotions; Hispanic; Asians; CEA; Household income; Lyra Research; Web; Consumer Electronics Association; Epson America; Exports; PictureMate; Impressions of the printer department; Hardware sales; Inkjet MFPs; Inkjet printers; Foreign trade; Vogel; RadioShack; Digital camera sales will peak; CPI; InfoTrends; IPG; Japan; Kodak; NPD; OEM; PhotoSmart Express; Samsung; US Department of Commerce; Xerox; Club; Direct Store; Sam; Total U; Association; Int; ITC; Multifunction Products Association
Contents

Introduction and Abbreviations

Introduction

Other relevant reports

Definition

Abbreviations and terms

Abbreviations

Terms

Executive Summary

Rapid decline in average printer price

Single-function inkjets losing share to lasers, MFPs

Razor and blade business model at risk

Digital photography impacts ink sales

Five manufacturers dominate the market

Industry is heavy user of advertising and promotion

Traditional retail stores still dominate but Wal-Mart and Dell loom

Consumers are buying printers and printing more while spending less

Future trends and forecast:

Market Drivers

Hardware sales

PC penetration rising

Figure 1: Unit sales*, average price, and household penetration of PCs, 2000-05

Average price of printers declining

Figure 2: PC printers, average factory sale price per unit, 2000-05

Color lasers and MFPs now an option for home and SOHO users

Home networks to lower volume sales, increase average price

Household income

Figure 3: Printer penetration by income, May 2004-May 2005
Figure 4: Distribution of households, by income, 1999 and 2005

Printer penetration by age group

Figure 5: Printer penetration, by age, May 2004-May 2005
Figure 6: U.S. population, by age, 2000-10

Ink consumption and broadband access

Figure 7: U.S. broadband household projections, 2000-10

Digital camera penetration increasing

Figure 8: Total digital camera unit sales, and household penetration, 2000-05
Figure 9: Digital still camera ownership and average number of pictures taken, by age, May 2004-May 2005

Competition from professional photo printing

Figure 10: Digital camera prints, by method, 12 months ending July 2004 and July 2005

SOHOs increasing

Market Size and Trends

Figure 11: Total U.S. factory sales of PC printers, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
Figure 12: Graph: Total U.S. factory sales of PC printers, at current and constant prices, 2000-04
Figure 13: Total U.S. factory sales of computer printers, by volume, 2000-05

Market Segmentation

Overview

Figure 14: Average factory price per unit, segmented by type, 2004 and 2005
Figure 15: Unit sales of PC & photo printers, segmented by type, 2004 and 2005
Figure 16: Sales of PC & photo printers, segmented by type, 2004 and 2005
Figure 17: Graph: Sales of PC & photo printers, segmented by type, 2005

Inkjet printers

Inkjet MFPs

Personal mono laser printers & mono laser MFPs

Color laser printers & color laser MFPs

Supply Structure

Foreign trade

Imports

Figure 18: Inkjet & laser printer imports, by value, 2000-05

Exports

Figure 19: Domestic printer exports, by value, 2000-05

Company and brand sales

Figure 20: Estimated manufacturer sales of PC & photo printers in the U.S., 2004 and 2005*
Figure 21: Graph: Estimated manufacturer sales of PC & photo printers in the U.S., 2005*
Figure 22: Brand bought for most recent printer purchase, February 2006
Figure 23: Brand bought for most recent printer purchase, by gender, February 2006
Figure 24: Brand bought for most recent printer purchase, by age, February 2006
Figure 25: Brand bought for most recent printer purchase, by household income, February 2006

Company profiles

Hewlett-Packard (HP)

Lexmark

Dell

Epson

Canon, USA

Advertising and Promotion

Figure 26: Advertising expenditures for selected printer brands, 2003 and 2004
Figure 27: Graph: Advertising expenditures for selected printer brands, 2004*

Companies and brands

Canon
Dell
Epson
Hewlett-Packard
Lexmark

Retail Distribution

Online vs. offline purchasing

Figure 28: Source of most recent printer purchased, by channel type, February 2006
Figure 29: Source of most recent printer purchased, by channel type, by age, February 2006
Figure 30: Source of most recent printer purchased, by channel type, by household income, February 2006

Retailer selection by demographics

Figure 31: Source of most recent printer purchased, by named retailer, February 2006
Figure 32: Source of most recent printer purchased, by named retailer, by household income, February 2006
Figure 33: Source of most recent printer purchased, by named retailer, by age, February 2006

Mintel’s retail store audits

Impressions of the printer department
Figure 34: Retail auditor’s first impressions of printer departments, for selected chain locations, January 2006
Merchandise sold with or near printers
Brands and pricing
Figure 35: Printer brands carried by major retailers, January 2006
Figure 36: Range of prices for printers for selected chain locations, January 2006
Promotions
Figure 37: Promotional activity for selected retail chains, January 2006
Printer types carried
Customer assistance

The Consumer

Introduction

PC & photo printer ownership

Figure 38: PC and printer ownership, by selected demographics, May 2004-May 2005

Printer ownership by type

Figure 39: Types of printers owned, by gender, February 2006
Figure 40: Types of printers owned, by age, February 2006
Other demographic factors impacting ownership of printers by type

Recent printer purchase

Figure 41: Printer purchases, by age, February 2006
Other demographic factors impacting purchase of printers

Reason for most recent printer purchase

Figure 42: Reason for most recent printer purchase, by gender, February 2006
Figure 43: Reason for most recent printer purchase, by age, February 2006
Figure 44: Reason for most recent printer purchase, by household income, February 2006

Decisive factors in printer purchases

Figure 45: Factors considered in most recent printer purchase, by gender, February 2006
Figure 46: Factors considered in most recent printer purchase, by age, February 2006
Figure 47: Factors considered for most recent printer purchase, by household income, February 2006

Price paid in most recent printer purchase

Figure 48: Printer spending, by selected demographics, February 2006

Printer uses

Figure 49: Printer uses, by gender, February 2006
Figure 50: Printer uses, by age, February 2006
Figure 51: Printer uses, by household income, February 2006

Trends in print volume

Figure 52: Annual change in print volume, by age, February 2006
Figure 53: Annual change in print volume, by household income, February 2006

Pages printed weekly

Figure 54: Average weekly printing volume, by gender, February 2006
Figure 55: Average weekly printing volume, by age, February 2006
Figure 56: Average weekly printing volume, by household income, February 2006

Printing habits

Figure 57: Printing habits, by age, February 2006
Figure 58: Graph: Ink/paper-saving habits, by age, February 2006
Figure 59: Printing habits, by household income, February 2006
Figure 60: Graph: Ink/paper-saving habits, by household income, February 2006
Figure 61: Printing habits, by race/ethnicity, February 2006

Competition from professional printers

Figure 62: Competition from professional printing services, by age, February 2006
Figure 63: Competition from professional printing services, by household income, February 2006
Figure 64: Competition from professional printing services, by race/ethnicity, February 2006

Opinions about photo printers

Figure 65: Opinions about photo printing, by gender, February 2006
Figure 66: Opinions about photo printing, by age, February 2006
Figure 67: Graph: Opinions about photo printing, by age, February 2006
Figure 68: Opinions about photo printing, by household income, February 2006
Figure 69: Opinions about photo printing, by race/ethnicity, February 2006

Summary

Future and Forecast

Future trends

Digital camera sales will peak

Figure 70: Digital camera sales, by units, 2004-06

Home printing will lose share to retail and online locations

Figure 71: Share of digital camera prints, by method, 2004-06

Competition for supplies sales will intensify

As prices fall, inkjets will lose share to laser devices

Wal-Mart and Dell will continue to exert pricing pressure

Market forecast

PC and photo printers

Figure 72: Forecast of total U.S. sales of PC and photo printers, at current and constant prices, 2005-10
Figure 73: Graph: Forecast of total U.S. sales of PC and photo printers, at current and constant prices, 2005-10*

Forecast Factors

Appendix: Trade Associations

Appendix: List of Sores Audited

Figure 74: Retail audit locations, by metro area

Appendix: Simmons Cohort Definitions

Figure 75: Married couples cohorts
Figure 76: Single women cohorts
Figure 77: Single men cohorts
Mintel Group ©