There’s a cute little observation in the office technology industry that the A4 can do anything the A3 can, except cost more money. Since few environments have the need for the 11×17” sheet size, it confirms the adage that there’s many a truth said in jest.
Don’t shed a tear for the A3 just yet; there will always be a need for machines that can satisfy the needs of heavy monthly output environments—there’s just not as many of them as there used to be. Also, with post-pandemic offices that have fewer on-prem employees, centralizing print operations with A3 units also weighs in its favor.
As the A4 trend continues, one must wonder about the A3’s fortunes moving forward. We asked our dealer panel to assess the future of A3 units.
While Sean Bell expects to see fewer A3 placements, the president of Solutions YES in Portland, Oregon, sees the transformation taking a more gradual pace. He believes dealers still have a great opportunity in peddling more A3s.
“It’ll be a slow transition that can be countered by growing net-new,” he said. “I am still very optimistic about the future of imaging, for those who are doing the right things to be among the last standing.”
Much like an exercise bike that is covered with laundry, the A3 finds itself doing less of the original core functions than originally intended. Josh Britton, president of imageOne in Oak Park, Michigan, points out many clients are using their A3 devices more for their scanning capabilities. Much of the print volume, he noted, is being rerouted to centralized A3s.
“Unfortunately, my feeling is that our industry will continue to see a reduction in A3 placements over time,” Britton said. “The need to diversify into other revenue streams has never been more critical than it is now. We certainly want to continue to sell as many A3s as we can, but keeping print as a sole focus will present challenges in the future.”
For some, the A3 future is even cloudier. Dealers such as Pulse Technology are seeing a drastic reduction in A3 sales. CEO Chip Miceli notes that is a common thread among purveyors of managed print services.
“For a small portion of the market—those companies that don’t actively engage in MPS—may sell some of the A3s because of their capacity for printing 11×17 copies,” he said. “Others in the industry who are engaged in MPS have similar observations. The average A3 sells for about $10,000 whereas an A4 is half that price.”
It’s all about accommodating the client, and that means the cost consideration is no small factor, notes Robert Woodhull, vice president of business development for Woodhull LLC of Springboro, Ohio. “We have to find ways of making our offerings simpler and more cost-effective,” he said. “I don’t know how you would do that other than shrinking the hardware costs and components that go with it. I think the features benefits conversation that occupied our space for decades is no longer the bread and butter talking point.”
