Matrix overthrown

Printer evolution in the post-dot-matrix world.

According to Samir Shah, country manager, laser jet business, Hewlett-Packard India, "The good times have just begun." He expects laser printer sales to touch a new high in two key segments: consumer usage, and small and medium sized businesses (SMBs).

"The single function laser market grew from $101 million in 2004 to $143 million in 2005, and has already crossed $89 million in the first quarter of 2006," says Shah. The multi-function laser printers market grew from $66 million in 2004 to $107 million market in 2005.

"Consumers demand ease-of-use and affordability from their printers," says Alok Bharadwaj, vice-president, Canon India, "so the experience should be as simple as clicking 'print' "" without denting their wallets."

While laser technology is superior, people haven't stopped buying inkjet printers yet, which are cheaper. While a good laser printer can be bought for as little as Rs 25,000 now (down from Rs 35,000 just recently), an inkjet would be about half the price.

"Although business printing demand have driven down the price of colour laser printers, prices are still considered a bit steep for mass-market popularity," observes Bharadwaj.

But as volumes swell, laser printers will get cheaper and cheaper. It helps that demand for personal use printers is growing rapidly on account of mobile imaging and digital camera adoption.

This is why market watchers expect a point to be reached that the reproduction quality to price ratio tilts sharply away from inkjet to laser printers.

Market leader HP, which sells about three in every 10 laser printers in India, thinks the key is in turning "photo printing into a cakewalk" and "driving down the total cost of printing". So prepare for yet another shift.

That's technology for you. Ever changing. Dot-matrix, which wore many a eardrum thin not so long ago, is already something of a relic.