Russians Color and New Printing Technologies

Russians, Color and New Printing Technologies

Color printing is growing… in Russia. Sales of color printers and MFPs are growing, as well as sales of color printing supplies.

The influence of color on the perception of information is well-known. The use of color considerably raises the impact and effectiveness of documents making it a key reason for the growth in demand for color printing devices.

The increase in the number of inkjet printing devices is largely due to the progress in the development of inkjet technologies. For a long time, the number of inkjet printers was restricted by the high cost of printing each page. Prices on inkjet printer cartridges were exorbitant. However, new technologies applied to modern inkjet printing equipment has allowed the cost issue to be more competitive with other technologies, such as laser printing.

We have all seen the arrival of printer models that do not rely on the traditional cartridge system. Rather, cartridges have been replaced by ink tanks that deliver a very competitive cost-per-page result. This has brought disruption to the market. Today, the Brother DCP-T510W/T710W, the Canon MAXIFY GX6040/GX7040, the PIXMA G6040/G7040, the Epson L6550/L6570 and the HP Smart Tank 513/515/516/519 have all captured a significant share of the Russian market. And their share is increasing.

The growth in the number of models by various printer OEM brands implementing the economical, profitable, non-cartridge technology has enlarged the capabilities for the buyers. The growth of popularity of these models can also be attributed to the possibility of using the cheaper, compatible inks for refilling.

Apart from being economical, the new inkjet technologies also come with speed benefits. Models which offer high-speed inkjet color printing are able, for the first time, to compete with color laser printers in large enterprises.
The Epson WorkForce Enterprise and HP PageWide Enterprise are two such models that have captured market share. In the beginning, Russian customers didn’t trust these models. However, positive word-of-mouth feedback from experts who use them in their work has helped to promote these models in the Russian market.

At the same time, the Russian market has also seen growth in the sales of laser and MFPs. In 2020, the color laser printer supplies segment constituted 20% of the whole Russian laser printing supplies market. And its share continues to grow as does the demand for compatible laser printing supplies.

It is important to note the reason for the growth is the greater knowledge and education level of the buyers. Conferences organized by Information Agency “Business-Inform” and the Russian association AQCMS to the larger Russian buyers has raised the opportunities. The modern devices that provide color printing as well as the availability of quality non-OEM supplies, their brands and manufacturers have been of interest to the government, enterprise and small-to-medium buyers.

The international Open Quality Printing Contests conducted by Informational Agency “Business Inform” have raised the profile of the technologies and the available supplies within the color office printing segment. The results of these contests are shared with Russian buyers who seek independent opinions about new brand models and purchase modern color office equipment without hesitation.

Overall, the Russian color printing market has a very bright future. The emergence of the new generation of economically profitable printing devices, together with the availability of quality corresponding compatible supplies, along with the improved understanding and knowledge of the buyers will see growth in the next few years.

** This article appeared on page 29 of the RT ImagingWorld magazine. Click to download the full issue for free.

Dr Stanislav Malinskiy is RT Imaging World’s Regional Partner in Russia.

Malinskiy is the general director of BUSINESS-INFORM—an information agency based in Moscow—is mainly active in researching and consulting on the Russian office equipment and supplies market and also has over 250 scientific works and articles to his name. He is chief editor of the Russian catalogs of printers, copiers, MFPs, and supplies. For more information please contact him at <malinskiy_stas@mail.ru>

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