Earlier this year, Actionable Intelligence and ENX Magazine co-hosted a webinar entitled “The State of the Hardcopy Industry in 2016.” During this one-hour online event, which was held on June 16, we explored current market conditions and product introductions. In this article I’d like to update our webcast and give you more details on some of the new equipment that’s been released this year.
According to data released in June by the market research firm IDC, the hardcopy peripherals industry, which is made up largely of office imaging device manufacturers, has experienced eight consecutive declining quarters. As I wrote this article, printer and copier companies were reporting their most recent financials results and by all indications the industry’s slump continues. Most of the vendors that my company, Actionable Intelligence, follows reported that their business had declined in the quarter ending in June and there was no sign of recovery in the second half of the year.
Although some segments are doing well, as the IDC data suggests, it’s been awhile since the overall market has experienced sustained robust growth. According to IDC, in the past 18 quarters, the hardcopy peripheral industry saw only 3 quarters of growth. But flagging demand for digital hardcopy equipment goes back much further than just the past three years. About a decade ago, things began to cool in the market after years of hyper-growth. The Great Recession then accelerated market declines and with a few exceptions it’s been steadily downward ever since. The migration away from hardcopy continues as end users increasingly turn to managed print services, document-management tools, and other solutions developed to reduce printing and the costs associated with it.
Of course, folks familiar with the industry are well aware of what’s been going on since the recession, but it bears repeating given the onslaught of new hardware that has rolled out this year. Since we launched our www.Action-Intell.com website nearly six years ago, my company has followed new product introductions closely and never have we seen such an abundance of new hardware as we have in 2016. And we expect to see even more new machines hit the market as we move through the second part of the year.
U.S. Exceptionalism
As hardware manufacturers grapple with weaker global market demand and struggling regional economies, many expect that the United States market will be among their strongest this year. Many may grumble over the lackluster expansion of the U.S. economy, but the unemployment rate has remained at or under 5% in the U.S. throughout 2016 and things look stable in the workplace. According to a Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which polled some 11,000 U.S. employers, 94 percent of the respondents said they will either increase or maintain staffing levels during the third quarter of 2016.
Because employment numbers have a direct correlation with printing, all the stability in the U.S. market offer hardware manufacturers a respite from the turmoil they must cope with in foreign markets. Once, the so-called BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—were expected to provide vendors with healthy growth. The prospect of expansion in 3 out of 4 of the BRICs dimmed, however, as the economies in Brazil and Russia plunged into recession and China’s red-hot economy cooled. Opportunities in Europe are similarly limited as the E.U. wrestles ongoing economic issues in member states such as Greece along with political issues like the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the Union.
*Products covered on www.action-intell.com; does not include production devices
It appears that product lifecycles and ongoing R&D investments have converged in such a way that allows hardware vendors to flood the U.S. market with new products this year in hope of some much needed growth. The last time we saw such a large number of ink and toner machines released for the home and office was back in 2012. But the number of new products this year is running about 30 percent higher than what we saw in 2012 despite desktop inkjet vendors such as Kodak, Lexmark, and Memjet exiting from the market.
A3 Avalanche
Traditional copier companies have had some of the largest product rollouts this year. Sharp got an early start on the New Year announcing on December 31, 2015 that it would replace all of its color A3 color units in 2016. The company added new higher-end units in its Color Advance Series, while new machines in its Color Essential Series were released for more cost-conscious customers. In January, Sharp’s 30-ppm MX-3070, 35-ppm MX-3570, and 40-ppm MX-4070N Color Advance models rolled out. In February, the Color Essential models were released including the 30-ppm MX-3050N, 35-ppm MX-3550N, and 40-ppm MX-4050N. In June, the company completed the refresh introducing the 50-ppm MX-5070N and 60-ppm MX-6070N Color Advance models along with the Color Essential models of the same speed, the MX-5050N and MX-6050N.
Sharp has introduced higher-end units in its Color Advance Series, while new machines in its Color Essential Series were released for more cost-conscious customers.
Sharp has introduced higher-end units in its Color Advance Series, while new machines in its Color Essential Series were released for more cost-conscious customers.
In March, Xerox launched its new A3 and A4 ConnectKey i-Series featuring new software solutions and apps (see below for more on A4 machines). Included in the launch was the WorkCentre 5865i/5875i/5890i monochrome A3 MFPs with print, copy, and scan capabilities. The new 5865i is a 65-ppm device, while the 5875i and the 5890i offer 75-ppm and 90-ppm print speeds, respectively. Xerox also rolled out its 45-ppm WorkCentre 5945i A3 monochrome MFP along with the 55-ppm 5955i unit. In addition, Xerox refreshed its A3 color ConnectKey i-Series MFP line. The lowest priced units included the 20-ppm WorkCentre 7220i and the 25-ppm WorkCentre 7225i, while the WorkCentre 7830i/7835i/7845i/7855i are higher-end color A3 MFPs with speeds of 30 ppm, 35 ppm, 45 ppm and 55/50 ppm, respectively. At the top of the new color A3 MFP line-up sits the updated 90-ppm WorkCentre 7970i.
Toshiba also launched a bevy of new machines in the U.S. this year. In May, the firm announced the refresh of its MFP lineup and unveiled three new A3 color MFP families and two new A3 monochrome MFP series for a grand total of 23 new individual models. The color portfolio includes two e-STUDIO2500AC models, five e-STUDIO5005AC models, and six e-STUDIO7506AC models. The monochrome lineup contains six e-STUDIO5008A models and four e-STUDIO8508A models. The bulk of the new MFPs were available in May, while the monochrome e-STUDIO8508A and color e-STUDIO7506AC series hit the market in July. List pricing for the new Toshiba color hardware starts at $5,339 for the 20-ppm the e-STUDIO2000AC and runs up to $42,056 for the top-of-the-line e-STUDIO7506ACT, which prints monochrome jobs at 85 ppm and color at 75-ppm. The range of Toshiba’s latest monochrome A3 units starts with the e-STUDIO2008A, which prints at 20 ppm and sells for $7,299, and runs up to the 85-ppm e-STUDIO8508A, which sells for $43,222.
In the spring, Toshiba launched three new A3 color MFP families and two new A3 monochrome MFP series for a grand total of 23 new individual models.
In the spring, Toshiba launched three new A3 color MFP families and two new A3 monochrome MFP series for a grand total of 23 new individual models.
Ricoh is the latest company that I know of to refresh its A3 line. On June 14, Ricoh announced the MP C3004, MP C3504, MP C4504, and MP C6004. The machines feature Ricoh’s new Workstyle Innovation Technology, a controller architecture that enables end users to set up customized icons for frequently used workflows, tap into preset workflows from the home screen, and even browse Ricoh’s Application site and choose new apps and widgets for further customization. All of the new units come with Ricoh’s new 10.1-inch WSVGA Smart Operation Panel to support the Workstyle Innovation Technology. Pricing for the new line starts at $12,689 for the 30-ppm MP C3004 and run to $22,015 for the MP C6004, which prints at 60 ppm.
In addition to the “mega launches,” there were numerous announcements this year involving fewer machines. While Kyocera says it will release 31 new A3 and A4 MFPs and printers this year (see below for more on A4 units), it implemented a gradual launch schedule. In June, the company released two A3 color MFPs, the 32-ppm TASKalfa 3252ci and 25-ppm TASKalfa 2552ci, which are priced at $9,224 and $8,110, respectively. Konica Minolta also launched three new A3 color MFPs targeted at the office workgroups. The new bizhub C227 and C287 offer color and monochrome prints speeds of up to 22 ppm and 28 ppm, respectively, while the bizhub C258 prints at 25 ppm for both black and color. The bizhub C227 has an MSRP of $7,590 and the C287 is $9,090. Pricing for the C258 was not available. Moving up market, in February Canon announced the first products to be based on the third-generation imageRUNNER ADVANCE platform: the imageRUNNER ADVANCE 6500 series and the imageRUNNER ADVANCE 8500 series. Speeds run from 55-ppm for the new iR ADVANCE 6555i, which carries an $18,000 price tag, to 105 ppm for the $53,000 iR ADVANCE 858505si.
No Lack of New A4 Hardware
This has been an important year for both printer and copier vendors in the A4 space. Brother started 2016 by announcing a new series of A4 monochrome laser printers and MFPs aimed at office, workgroup, and larger-volume print environments. The new A4 monochrome laser printers include the HL-L5000D, HL-L5100DN, HL-L5200DW, HL-L5200DWT, HL-L6200DW, HL-L6200DWT, and HL-L6300DW. Brother’s latest MFPs include the MFC-L5700DW, MFC-L5800DW, MFC-L5850DW, MFC-L5900DW, MFC-L6700DW, MFC-L6800DW, DCP-L5500DN, DCP-L5600DN, and DCP-L5650DN. Pricing for the new hardware starts at $199 for the 42-ppm HL-L5000D printer runs to $699 for the print, copy, scan, fax MFC-L6800DW, which prints at 48 ppm.
Making announcements throughout 2016, Lexmark has been perhaps the most active printer vendor in 2016 so far. The firm had an important new product introduction in June when it unveiled the XC8160 A4 MFP at a dealer event in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Although it’s an A4 device, the XC8160 has features most commonly found on A3 color MFPs including a $25,996 price tag that is sure to get the dealer channel’s attention. Lexmark started the year by announcing 18 different models across these seven families in January, the biggest array of new color printers and MFPs I’ve seen from the OEM since 2012. The January release included the CS720, CS725, and CS820 A4 color laser printers and the CX725, CX820, CX825, and CX860 A4 color laser MFP families. All of the machines target the higher-end of the A4 color workgroup market. List pricing started at $899 for the single-function CS720de color print and ranged to $9,099 for the full-featured CX860dtfe A4 color laser MFP. Lexmark contends that all of its new machines have the speeds and feeds to take on A3 devices.
Lexmark has released a broad assortment of new A4 hardware including the XC8160, which offers features most commonly found on A3 color MFPs.
Lexmark has released a broad assortment of new A4 hardware including the XC8160, which offers features most commonly found on A3 color MFPs.
Lexmark may arguably be the busiest printer vendor, but rivals such as Dell, HP, and Samsung have also announced new products this year. While perennial Lexmark nemesis HP seemed more focused on business inkjet units in 2016 (see below for more details), it did roll out a few new mono and color LaserJet units. In March, HP announced the LaserJet Pro M501 series of A4 single-function monochrome laser printers and the Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377 series of A4 color laser MFPs. The machines expand HP’s portfolio of JetIntelligence-based laser devices. The 45-ppm LaserJet Pro M501 monochrome printers are an addition to HP’s lineup and have an estimated street price of $550. The Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377, which began shipping in April, is HP’s latest A4 color MFP family. The machines print both color and black and white at 25 ppm and sells for approximately $490.
In May, Dell announced a trio of new A4 printers. The new S5840cdn is a 50-ppm color laser printer for larger workgroups in high-print-volume environments. Dell also released two A4 monochrome laser printers: the 40-ppm S2830dn for smaller workgroups and the 63-ppm S5830dn for workgroups in larger enterprise users and workgroups in government organizations. The new S5840cdn sells for $999, while the S2830cdn and S5830dn are priced at $279 and $999, respectively. At the low end of the color market, Samsung replaced its C410W and C460FW with the $229 C430W and $349 C480W in January. Both machines print black and white documents at 19 ppm and color at 4 ppm and boast many of the same features such as Ethernet and wireless connectivity, but the C460FW ships with a 40-sheet ADF. Samsung also quietly updated its U.S. website with two new entry-level monochrome products: the Samsung Printer Xpress M3015DW and Multifunction Printer Xpress M3065FW, which are priced at $159 and $249, respectively.
As noted, traditional copier vendors have had their share of new A4 product releases in 2016. In January, Ricoh added the MP C406 as a compact A4 color MFP to its product line. The machines offer print speeds of 42 ppm in monochrome and 36 ppm in color and sells for $5,745. Xerox included two A4 MFPs in its March ConnectKey i-Series launch. The WorkCentre 3655i monochrome is a 47-ppm machine and the color WorkCentre 6655i prints at 36 ppm. Pricing starts at $2,354 for the monochrome units and $3,270 for the color machines.
Canon refreshed and expanded its imageCLASS lineup this year with the introduction of 11 new A4 monochrome laser models. The April launch featured a range of new models designed for various market segments including SOHO, SMB, and Enterprise. Canon announced five new single-function printers, the imageCLASS 151dw, imageCLASS 251dw, imageCLASS 253dw, imageCLASS 351dn, and imageCLASS 352dn. The firm also introduced four MFP models, the imageCLASS MF414dw, imageCLASS MF416dw, imageCLASS MF419dw, and imageCLASS 515dw and two new copiers: the imageCLASS D1520 and imageCLASS D1550. Speeds for the new machines range from 28 ppm to 65 ppm and pricing started at $169 for the the imageCLASS LBP151dw SOHO monochrome printer and ran up to $3,395 for the imageCLASS LBP352dn.
Releasing 11 new A4 monochrome units, Canon refreshed and expanded its imageCLASS lineup this year.
Releasing 11 new A4 monochrome units, Canon refreshed and expanded its imageCLASS lineup this year.
With several new TASKalfa machines, Kyocera has also been active in the A4 space this year. The flagship TASKalfa 406ci color MFP has a top speed of 42 ppm in both color and black, while the TASKalfa 356ci has a top speed of 37 ppm (color/black), and the TASKalfa 306ci’s top speed is 32 ppm (color/black). Pricing starts at $4,552 for the 306si model and the fully-featured C406i is $7,505. In June, Kyocera added the 42 ppm (color/black) P7040cdn to its ECOSYS portfolio. One of the fastest of the color ECOSYS models, the P7040cdn sells for $2,593.
Ink’s Assault On The Office Continues
So far this year, HP has been behind what I would consider the most important inkjet news. HP introduced its new PageWide family of inkjet devices for the office in March. In the past, use of the PageWide brand had been limited to certain inkjet technologies such as HP’s page-wide print heads. The brand has now been expanded to cover a line of business-class hardware including printers and MFPs. The full lineup features the PageWide Pro 300 series, the PageWide Pro 400 series, and the PageWide Pro 500 series, along with the PageWide Enterprise Color 500 series.
Altogether, there are 14 A4 devices in the PageWide line that print at between 55 ppm and 75 ppm and prices range from approximately $400 to $2,799.
HP introduced 14 new business inkjet machines in March under the brand name “PageWide.”
In addition to the 14 new PageWide devices, HP refreshed its OfficeJet Pro A4 lineup in March. The new machines include the Officejet Pro 8100 inkjet printer, the Officejet Pro 8710, 8720, 8730, and 8740 inkjet all-in-ones, and the Officejet Pro 6960 and 6970 inkjet all-in-ones. The models progress in street price from $160 for the Officejet Pro 8210 printer to $488 for the Officejet Pro 8740. In addition to price, the machines are further differentiated by print speeds, paper input, ADFs, NFC printing, and consumables. HP also released a couple of lower-end, SOHO all-in-one machines. The OfficeJet Pro 6960 and 6970 are priced at $149 and $179, respectively. Completing the list of this year’s newest HP business-class inkjet machines are the OfficeJet 200 Mobile Printer and the OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One. As the name implies, these are mobile devices that ship with a new long-life battery. The printer unit started shipping in April with a $249 street price. The mobile all-in-one is not due out until the fall and pricing was not available.
Canon updated its MAXIFY line of wireless inkjet devices, replacing the five existing machines in the series with five new machines. The new MAXIFY iB4120, MB2120, MB2720, MB5120, and MB5420 replace the older MAXIFY iB4020, MB2020, MB2320, MB5020, and MB5320. The new devices feature improved functionality, including faster speeds. The MAXIFY line is for SOHO users rather than workgroups in small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) or in the enterprise. Canon is targeting small offices in various users in vertical markets such as construction, real estate, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and food services with its latest MAXIFY products. Estimated street pricing for the new machines ranges from $149 for the iB4120 printer to $399 for the MB5420.
Epson America recently expanded its lineup of EcoTank inkjet all-in-ones with the introduction of the new Expression ET-3600 and the WorkForce ET-16500. Unlike traditional inkjet machines that use cartridges, the EcoTank line uses a continuous ink-supply system (CISS) with large ink tanks housed in a compartment on the side of the printer, which end users refill from bottles of inks. Included in the August 2 release was the Epson Expression ET-3600, which is a SOHO letter/A4-sized inkjet all-in-one with print, copy, and scan functionality. Epson also launched the Workforce ET-16500, a high-end print/copy/scan/fax capable inkjet machine that’s aimed at the graphic art market. The 16500 can print up to A3+/Super B (13 × 19-inch) sheets and scan and copy up to A3 (11 × 17-inch) sheets. Epson charges a premium for its business-class EcoTank units. The WorkForce ET-16500 is priced at $999, while the Epson WorkForce WF-7620, a machine based on the same print engine and uses cartridges, costs $199 at Epson’s online store.
What’s to Come in H2?
While we’ve passed the mid-point of the year, 2016 is still far from over and I expect we’ll continue to hear important new product announcements in the second half of the year. Kyocera, for example, still has over a dozen TASKalfa devices slated for release this year. And it’s been awhile since Brother has refreshed its inkjet machines so look for those devices in the not too distant future and you can bet they’ll be targeted at office users.
Of course, Epson and HP have already squared off in the office inkjet space. With its page-wide print head technology, HP has a distinct speed advantage in the market. Epson executives, however, have been talking about releasing machines in the not-so-distant future featuring what they call “linehead” technology. Presumably, this technology is a Piezo page-wide print head similar to what’s currently being deployed in some of Epson’s label production equipment. Maybe we’ll see those machines in the closing month of 2016 or at least begin to get more details?
For its part, HP is promising to soon disrupt the market with new A3 machines. At a recent event in Boston, executives for the company said the firm’s A3 launch would include inkjet and electrophotographic devices. Although they remained tight-lipped about details, like any other office device from HP, I think these new A3 devices could have a big impact on the market. Slated for release in 2017, I would expect to begin hearing about the machines before the end of this year.
Obviously, 2016 is on pace to be a record year for new hardware releases. We at Actionable Intelligence will continue to stay on top of it all and keep a running tally. To keep up with the latest products, you’ll want to keep a close eye on our website—stay tuned!
