The target audience

Giving in to the market demands, several brands have introduced various types of printers to match the varying requirements of the corporate sector. The earliest forms of printers were the dot matrix ones, which are preferred for continuous printing, multi-copying, billing and for invoicing applications. The major users of dot matrix printers are Government, Educational Institutions, Banks, Financial Institutions and Commercial Institutes. These printers face severe competition from the inkjet printers, which work on dots per inch method. These compete on the basis of photo realism and are hence preferred for colour printing. Some inkjet printers are also available with four separate cartridges - cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Corporate sector and institutions demand for the inkjet printers more than anybody else. However, the most effective types of printers are the laser printers, which are usually monochrome printers. Laser printers are highly preferred where clarity in print quality and high output rates are desired. Most laser printers can print up to 10 pages per minute. Typical users of laser printers are newspaper offices, institutions, government and the corporate sector.

The all in one solution

Multifunction printers are the most popular these days as they offer all in one solution from scan, to copy and fax. Multifunction printers can be classified into three categories viz., low-end devices, which can be connected to a desktop for scanning and printing, mid-end devices, which are built around a small copier and can be connected to the computer for scanning, printing and even for sending faxes and high-end devices, which offer extremely fast printing and also offer various other features such as sorting documents. These days, people are not worried about shelling out a few extra thousand rupees as multi-functionality gives them the edge. If you are worried about space, then you need not as most of these printers fit easily on to your desk. As the name implies, these printers live up to their name and enable multitasking saving your time and space. These work on inkjet or laser printing technology and produce great results in their expertise and are ideal for all your media requirements. For most users, multi-function features are mouth watering prospects as these bring speed, stability and high quality performance to the table.

Industry overview

The printer industry in India is a highly organized one and is estimated to be worth $150 million, with growth at around 40 per cent every year. The fastest growing segment in the industry is that of the inkjets, followed by dot matrix printers, while that for laser printers is rapidly inclining as well. The industry is dominated by global brands such as Hewlett Packard, Canon, Samsung, Epson, Xerox and Lexmark. Hewlett Packard is the leader in the market with the highest market share followed by Epson. Close on their heels are Canon, Lexmark and Xerox. Hewlett Packard was the first to create a niche for itself in the Indian market and is hence the most trusted brand. However, with the kind of competition seen, the gap between H.P and the others could well shrink in the coming years. Hence, with so many International brands dominating the scenario, domestic brands are yet to create a niche for themselves. However, since the electronic segment is such a huge one, domestic brands are expected to create their own brand identity with the aid of aggressive brand building and marketing strategies.

Sales of laser printers are always on the rise as they are demanded very highly due to their high speed features. In such a situation, the dot matrix printers are expected to struggle. However, there are organizations, which are still demanding dot matrix printers.

Though the price per unit cost has come down, the running cost has gone up. If a jet printer costs Rs.3,000/-, the customer has to effectively shell out Rs.1,800/- more for refilling the cartridges every single time. Moreover, if the printer is under warranty, you have to buy the cartridges directly from the company.

Hence, the Chinese factor comes into the picture. Chinese products are the ideal solution for users looking out for short term usage of products as those are available at a very cheap price. Most of the printers made in China are available at 50% lesser price than the original, branded ones as they are re-made. Moreover, some of them have also started giving service warranty, making it more convenient and favourable for buyers. Under such circumstances, any customer will think twice before buying an expensive branded printer.

The major issue facing the printer industry in India is the service tax. Many small time traders sell printers to their respective customers without a bill as many customers do not want to pay more for taxes. This is a major issue, which needs to be solved at the earliest.

The future is printing

The future as far as printers are concerned is looking really bright. According to some well placed industry sources, with the technology advancing, new features, which we could only dream about in the past, will now turn into reality with printers carrying features such as biometric security, nanotechnology, Wi-Fi support etc. and such exclusivity is only expected to take printers to an altogether new level. Thus, the sales of printers are expected to go through roofs. Also, multi-function printers would be the order of the day in every office. Colour printers would also make rapid strides since the cost of these printers is expected to go down. The benefits of colour printers are unparalleled when it comes to effective document presentation and hence we will see many enterprises opting for them instead of the Black & White ones.

Without a shred of doubt, printers are the lifeline of any business activity. No business in this world can ever be carried out without these extremely handy equipments.