Printer, copier & MFP market dips 9 percent in Q1: Report

The market size of printer, copier and multi function products declined by nearly 9 percent to 6.90 lakh units in the first quarter of 2013 as users cut spending, research firm Gartner said on Wednesday.

The market size was at 7.57 lakh units in the same period of 2012, Gartner said in a statement.

Total spending by end users fell one percent from the same period in 2012, totaling $237.5 million, it added.

Both the monochrome and color devices markets posted a decline of 2.9 percent and 11.2 percent, respectively.

"Vendors are targeting the small and mid size business (SMB) and small office home office (SOHO) markets in India with increased focus on the cost and quality needs of office users," Zalak Shah, Research Analyst at Gartner, said.

Key market players are trying to stimulate demand with new offerings and working closely with channel partners for market expansion, Shah added.

HP remained the market leader in the Indian printer, copier and MFP market, as its market share totalled 52 percent (3.60 lakh units), followed by Canon at 20 percent (1.37 lakh units).

Epson accounted for 9 percent, while Samsung Electronics accounted for 8 percent of the market in the first quarter of 2013.

The page printer market overall experienced a decline of 14.1 percent in the first quarter of 2013.

The market was led by HP at 55.4 percent market, followed by Canon at 25.7 percent and Samsung with 10 percent share.

However, HP, Canon and Samsung's shipments declined 13.7 percent, 27.6 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively.