Are smart cities killing 2D printers?

An onslaught of cloud solutions and online penetration including smart city developments clubbed with increasing cost effectiveness by major corporations including regional governments could see traditional 2D printing drop by as much as 20 per cent in the coming years.

There has been a drop in both perceptions as well as actual printing habits and according to a latest research by Canon, people are more prone to scan documents and save it on the cloud rather than print, although developing countries and parts of Africa still prefer to print documents as a back-up measure.

According to a new report from Canon Middle East, the accelerated growth of documents and information represents an increasingly complex challenge for businesses today.

The survey points out that a majority of respondents - well over half (59 per cent) - scan more documents than they did three years ago with about 53 per cent of all documents now being digitised.

The Office Insights 2016 Report an independent market research report of 1,000 business decision-makers and end-users in key countries in the Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Eurasia however also says its respondents said they would continue to print more.

"The latest research found that documents and information continue to be the lifeblood of any business. This is particularly true of printed documents, with 57 per cent of those surveyed saying that they print more now than they did three years ago and 27 per cent saying they will spend more on printing, copying and scanning devices, and software in the next three years," the report said.

However, when specifically asked if increased scanning would result in a drop in printing, Martin Wootton, Director, Breaking Blue the company that did the survey said he expects the drop to be up to 20 per cent.

Despite companies saying they will spend more on printing, scanning and copying documents, 42 per cent of respondents say they still do not manage their print costs, and nearly one in ten are unaware if they even track print costs.

Meanwhile, the 2D printing industry itself has been witnessing a volatile market conditions with several large corporations holding onto spending.

Canon itself is not so sure if it can repeat its double-digit growth that it experienced in certain regional markets over the past years. "Most of our clients are government and with the current oil prices, several key budgets are yet to be finalised. If it indeed does go through we will continue to grow at similar levels. Otherwise we will have a very modest projection," says  Hendrik Verbrugghe, Marketing Director, Canon Middle East and Canon Central and North Africa.

“Technology is playing a vital role in shaping the future for businesses; and the continued growth of digitisation is an important trend. Digital documents and information are driving companies forwards, but also challenging them in completely new ways,” says Verbrugghe.

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