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Introduction Last spring, InfoTrends conducted a Web-based survey of 333 professionals representing a variety of vertical markets, departments, and company sizes in Western Europe to explore the changing purpose of the office document and the impact on the related supplies and hardware markets. The results of this survey can be found in the report, The Future of the Document: 2005. Increasing Color in the Office According to the survey, office equipment usage is being primarily driven by the increased demand for color in the office. This is demonstrated by the increased presence of color copiers and color laser printers. The prevalence of color laser printers has increased significantly between 2004 and 2005. While only 36.2% of respondents reported owning these devices in 2004, 44.1% reported owning them in 2005. Figure 1: Which of the following types of office equipment do you have at your location? Please check all that apply.
Businesses are beginning to favor color laser printers over inkjet technology due to their higher speed, better reliability, and high-capacity toner cartridges. Over half of the respondents who reported owning a color laser printer were from smaller, more cost-conscious companies with 10-99 employees. The migration towards color printing is further evidenced by the increased number of respondents who indicated owning a color copier. The most significant change was seen among 24+ cpm color copiers, with 9% of respondents owning one in 2004 and 14% of respondents who reported owning one in 2005. Consumables Usage in the Office Results from the study indicate that respondents are generally optimistic about their use of supplies going forward. Although they are facing increased pressure from electronic formats, hard copy documents that continue to thrive. Most survey respondents expect their paper consumption to remain consistent over the next 5 years, but color, printer-based, and higher-end devices are generally judged to offer better growth potential than personal, copier-based, and monochrome devices. For the most part, respondents remain loyal to OEM brands when purchasing toner and inkjet cartridges. These respondents are much more likely to purchase aftermarket paper brands, but this is not surprising since OEM brands of general office uncoated cut sheet paper products are not always widely available. In contrast, the aftermarket vendors offer an array of paper products for consumers to choose from. The preceding is an excerpt from InfoTrends’ report entitled “Future of the Document: 2005.” The complete document is available immediately. To learn more about the report or to make a purchase, visit our online store or contact Nicole Shown at +1 , ext. 207 or . Copyright © 2006 InfoTrends. All rights reserved. Reproduction or reuse of InfoTrends materials is strictly prohibited without prior written consent. If you are interested in referencing InfoTrends’ content, please submit your request to . |
