Japanese inkjet printer shipments slow

Market research firm Gartner Japan Ltd. shows that Japanese shipments of inkjet printers intended home use fell by 2.4% to 6.46 million units in 2004.

The amount of single-function inkjet printers shipped fell by 18% in terms of units. However, on the other hand, shipments of multifunction printers rose by 55%.

In all, the value of printers shipped actually rose because many of these multifunction units were higher-priced models. In 2003 21% of all inkjets sold in the country were multifunctionals. By 2004 this figure had risen to 34%.

On a unit basis, Canon Inc. had the largest market share, accounting for 44% of all printers shipped – an increase of 3% on the previous year. Meanwhile Seiko Epson Corp. saw its share decline from 47% to 41%. Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd. saw its share on a unit shipment basis shrank to 6% from 7% in 2003.

In terms of value, Canon’s share was 43% against Seiko Epson’s 42%, with Seiko Epson narrowing the margin on Canon by concentrating on high-end multifunction printers.

Gartner Japan predicts that the market will remain stable for inkjets, but expects the trend for higher sales of multifunctionals to continue, with these accounting for nearly half of the market this year.