Market Overview

In this survey, the business printers include low- and mid-speed enterprise page printers, production printers for commercial and industrial use (for label printing, digital printing, and on demand printing [POD]), and large format inkjet printers (LFPs) designed for A2-plus output.

The global business printer market reached shipment volumes of 11,075,239 units in FY2024, representing 107.6% year-on-year growth. In terms of value, shipment amounted to 1,295,425 million yen, which is equivalent to 104.9% of the preceding fiscal year.
By product segment, demand for low- and mid-speed enterprise page printers continues to diminish as office consolidation progresses and remote work becomes more widespread. In the commercial and industrial production printer segment, shipments expanded through FY2023, driven by strong sales of low-end models to light users. However, shipment growth dampened in FY2024 as the demand for these entry models became saturated. Still, despite stagnant unit sales, market value increased as high-end models gained a larger share of shipments.
In the LFP segment, in response to growing environmental consciousness, the replacement of printers that use organic solvent-based inks with water-based alternatives advanced. However, the market for water-based ink LFPs is nearing saturation, and demand is dwindling.

In order to promote future market expansion, manufacturers will need to enhance products to address specific demand of user enterprises and strengthen differentiation strategies with value-added offerings, such as AI-powered printing solutions.

Noteworthy Topics

Domestic Office Printer Market

In Japan, office printers refer specifically to low- and mid-speed enterprise page printers and MFPs.
The domestic office printer market size by shipment volumes was 1,216,933 units in FY2024, 101.7% of the preceding fiscal year. By value, the shipment dropped to 96.7% of the preceding fiscal year to 348,980 million yen. Although shipping adjustments by manufacturers during FY2023 (to minimize the impact of post-pandemic demand fluctuations) has ended, the market size by amount declined due to the decrease of MFP shipments, whose unit price is higher than low- and mid-speed page printers.
The domestic office printer market is facing a downturn due to weak demand and the persistent move towards paperless business practices. In response, manufacturers have formed joint ventures to address this decline by enhancing production efficiency and exchanging technical know-how—uniting components manufacturing and optimizing supply chains to generate synergies.

Future Outlook

The global business printer market size is projected to diminish to 10,880,030 units by shipment volume in FY2025, representing 98.2% of the previous fiscal year. By shipment value, it is expected to attain 1,317,975 million yen, which is 101.7% of the preceding fiscal year.
Moving ahead, the worldwide demand for business printers is expected to rise steadily. Nevertheless, the trends in different printer categories might show contrasting patterns. In the more established office printer category, enhancing revenue from each customer by providing additional value and increasing prices will be a primary factor driving the market. Conversely, the commercial and industrial printer segment is currently transitioning from traditional analog printing to digital formats. There remains potential for expansion, especially in the areas of commercial printers and large-format printers. To grow the market, printer manufacturers must focus on sectors where analog printers are still widely used and create new solutions that address specific user requirements.

Research Outline