Document Management News

The European document printer, copier and multifunctional product (MFP) market saw a big decline last year, according to figures from analyst Gartner, as the recession continued to bite.

Gartner said shipments of products declined 17.8% to 39.6m when compared to 2008. Overall end-user spending also declined by 21%, from €14.4bn in 2008 to €11.3bn in 2009.

“Last year remained another low performing year in EMEA as printing device sales declined every quarter in the year, as a result of tighter credit controls by banks and cuts in IT spending by businesses as well as consumers," said Gartner analyst Sharon McNee.

The analyst said colour devices however registered 5% growth in 2009, as A4 colour MFPs continued to do well. A decline in A3 copiers/printers was steeper when compared to A4, as organisations continued to further balance their printing needs with the capacity of the printing device. Gartner said A4 MFPs will continue to be the preferred device for distributed printing needs.

HP remained the market leader in the EMEA printer, copier and MFP market, but registered the worst market decline, said Gartner.

Gartner does not expect the overall market to return to growth in 2010. “The printer, copier and MFP market is competing for scarce disposable income, coupled with a relatively low demand from businesses and consumers to replace existing devices,” said  McNee.