HP’s pocket-size Sprocket photo printer.
Last week when we reported on HP Inc.’s financial results for its first quarter of 2017, we noted that in a conference call, HP Inc. President and CEO Dion Weisler noted that, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, one of the top performers in HP’s printing group was Sprocket, a pocket-size portable photo printer that HP introduced last September. In the conference call, Weisler noted that printer-hardware revenue grew year-over-year in constant currency, with units up 6 percent, bolstered by HP’s Sprocket that Weisler says is helping HP “create a new category in mobile printing.”
This week, Absolute Reports of Pune, India, released a new report that seems to indicate a lot of upside in the portable-printer market, with the report forecasting that the portable-printer market will grow at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.32 percent during the period 2016 to 2020.
Portable printers consist of printers for both workers on the road, and photo printers for consumers. Portable printers for workers typically feature Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, are used in healthcare, law enforcement, government, point-of-sale, restaurants, and delivery services. They’re used to print everything from traffic tickets, to receipts at stadiums, tickets at charity events, restaurant checks, and inspection labels.
Portable photo printers for consumers typically connect via WiFi for printing photos from users’ smartphones. Along with HP’s Sprocket, other recently introduced photo printers for consumers include the Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-2, Polaroid Zip, Canon Selphy CP1200, and Prynt Portable Photo Printer
Absolute Reports notes that, over the years, the printing technology employed by portable printers has improved, and is no longer limited to impact – generally dot-matrix printing – but now include non-impact inkjet, laser, and thermal printing for generally better print quality.
Key vendors in the portable-printer market are said to include:
- Brother International
- Honeywell
- Seiko Epson
- Toshiba Tec
- Zebra Technologies
While other prominent vendors include:
- Bixolon
- Canon
- Citizen Systems Japan
- Cognitive TPG
- Fujitsu Isotec
- HP Inc.
- Oki Data
- Polaroid
- Printek
- SATO
- Star Micronics
- Xprinter Technology
Absolute Reports’ Global Portable Printer Market 2016-2020 report is said to address these key questions for the portable-printer market, including:
- What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?
- What are the key market trends?
- What is driving this market?
- What are the challenges to market growth?
- Who are the key vendors in this market space?
- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?
Absolute Reports’ Global Portable Printer Market 2016-2020 is said to include a basic overview of the portable-printer including definitions, classifications, applications, and sales-chain structure.
For more information on the report, visit Absolute Reports here.
More Resources
- January 2017: Polaroid Launches New Consumer 3D Printers and 3D Pens at CES
- February 2017: HP CEO Dion Weisler: Strong Revenue Growth for MPS, Graphics Printers, Sprocket Mobile Printer in First Quarter
- September 2016: New HP Smartphone-Size Instant Photo Printer, the Sprocket
- September 2016: New HP Officejet 200, Officejet 250 Mobile Printer, All-in-One for Business Professionals on the Road
- December 2015: A ‘Case’ with Built-In Printer for your Smartphone – Prynt Case is Now Available
- October 2015: Brother’s Mobile Printer PocketJet 7 for On-the-Road Workers Supports Broad Range of Mobile Solutions
- November 2014: Epson Rolls Out ‘World’s Smallest and Lightest’ Mobile Printer, the WorkForce WF-100