The Australian printer market grew by a healthy 16% sequentially and 11% year-on-year in Q2 2005, driven mainly by strong laser and multi-function printer shipments, according to the results of IDC’s latest printer market research.

Buoyed by the seasonal spike in demand from financial year-end buying in the enterprise space, laser printer shipments were up by an impressive 29% from Q2 2004. The corresponding growth for inkjet printers, on the other hand, stood at a relatively modest 6%. Meanwhile, multi-function printers (MFPs), within both laser and inkjet technology spaces, continued to grow at a faster rate as compared to their single function counterparts. Inkjet MFP shipments grew by 26% year-on-year, while laser MFP shipments were up by 38%.

"The Australian printer market, though mature, has been witnessing multi-level shifts in end-user preferences. On the first level, smaller businesses are migrating from inkjet printers to laser printers. The second level is characterised by end-users shifting from monochrome lasers to colour lasers. The third level comprises of enterprises opting for multi-function printing solutions as opposed to the traditional single function printers. The fourth, and rather nascent level, is that of enterprises going in for managed print services, bypassing direct capital investment in printing equipment", said Rishi Ghai, market analyst, peripherals, at IDC.

"At the same time, the different levels of shift in end-user preference may not necessarily exhibit a hierarchical progression. For instance, one may witness a medium-sized enterprise upgrade from a single function monochrome laser directly to a colour laser multi-function printer, bypassing the traditional single function colour laser printer option. Vendors that have adequately diverse product offerings, and are able to track and manage the changing preferences of their customers proactively, will emerge as winners in the long run", added Mr. Ghai.

Meanwhile, HP maintained its leadership position in the printer market in Q2 2005, with 29% share of the total printer shipments. The vendor ranked at the top in the single function and the multi-function laser printer markets, as well as the multi-function inkjet printer market. Canon secured a close second rank, with a share of 27%, leveraging primarily on its supremacy in the single function inkjet printer space. The vendor also happened to record the second highest shipments in the inkjet MFP market in Q2 2005.

In a close competition for third in the overall printer market, Epson managed to outperform Lexmark by a small margin, on account of strong shipments in the single function inkjet printer space. The shares of Epson and Lexmark in total shipments stood at 14% and 13%, respectively. Brother, with a rather humble 5% share of the market, rounded out IDC's top-5 printer vendor rankings for Q2 2005.

IDC Top 5 Printer Vendors, Q2 2005:

* HP 29%
* Canon 27%
* Epson 14%
* Lexmark 13%
* Brother 5%
* Others 12%