Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends just launched their latest digital printing forecast for the POD market. For years we have been tracking and forecasting digital production printing markets, including placements, installed base, print volumes, equipment, service and supplies revenues. The data can be broken down by multiple device classes and features to allow for further insights. Our latest POD forecast has 2018 as base year and looks at developments until 2023.
It is always interesting to see how types of devices with a small number of placements can have a big effect on other metrics, such as print volumes. Continuous feed (CF) colour inkjet started to gain traction in 2008, and while sales crept up, the total number is barely reaching 291 units in the US and about 160 in Western Europe. This even includes counting these devices by engine, which means the number of installed print lines is about half. It pales against 12,000 (WE) to 16,000 (US) toner-based devices installed in 2018, even when excluding entry level devices.
Looking at print volumes we see how the small group of CF inkjet colour devices already has a big impact on colour volumes. By 2018 inkjet print volumes overtook colour toner volumes, mostly due to the impact of CF inkjet devices, which contribute about 95% to the colour inkjet print volume.
POD Digital Colour Print Volume Forecast
CF colour inkjet will be a major driver not only in the future growth of inkjet impressions, but for colour impressions in general. Although we expect the colour toner volumes to increase by 10 to 15% by 2023, the colour inkjet volumes are expected to grow by around 80% between 2018 and 2023. This is leading to an average annual growth in the range of 8 to 9% for all colour digital impressions. Not only because of the recent success in CF inkjet sales will the US remain the larger market, the US market has a larger potential in replacing black & white volumes as well. Converting digital black & white volumes into colour has been a big driver in the past, but offset conversion and application growth will drive this colour growth more and more.
The dominance of CF colour inkjet will wane somewhat in the future as more cut-sheet inkjet devices are launched and prove to be very productive. We expect drupa 2020 to be a major launch pad. Still, even by 2023 the vast majority of inkjet print volumes will be contributed by the continuous feed devices.
For more details on our latest US and Western Europe POD forecast and all the other digital print and imaging forecasts we produce please contact us at or check out our report store.
