Winter is Coming for the Imaging Industry

The global printing and imaging supplies industry isn’t just a marketplace—it’s a battlefield…

A brutal, unforgiving Game of Thrones where betrayal, manipulation, and survival define the only rules.

Renowned author George R.R. Martin (pictured) published his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire in 1996. Adapted into the groundbreaking TV show Game of Thrones, it remains one of the most iconic and influential series of all time.

It is fiction. And yet, Martin could very well have been inspired by the printer and imaging supplies industry. Because it… is NOT fiction.

Here, oceans run red with the blood of thousands of businesses—casualties of ruthless pricing wars. Lies are whispered in backrooms, assassinations plotted in boardrooms, as competitors claw their way to claim the iron throne of a shrinking kingdom of end users.

Sound familiar? The Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens would blush at the intrigue we face every day.

Let’s start with Ninestar’s ban in the USA. Human rights? A noble-sounding excuse. But let’s call it what it is: a calculated assassination.

A rival king, hiding behind the U.S. government, has worked the system to eliminate a threat. The Ninestar king was growing too strong, too fast—its kingdom of printers, chips, and supplies was a direct challenge. National security? The truth is buried in heavily redacted court documents. What are they hiding? And the U.S. aftermarket? Many cheer the ban, cloaking their celebration in fake morality.
“We care about the horrible slave labor,” they cry—while ignoring far worse abuses happening in other parts of the world where cartridges ARE being remanufactured under duress.

Then, there’s STMC, a global standard once created to protect quality and testing methods. Today, it’s been twisted into a weapon of manipulation. The founders of the highly regarded STMC would turn in their graves if they knew how the tools they developed to strengthen the industry, were being weaponised to tear the aftermarket apart.

Meanwhile, the chip wars rage on. Printer OEMs shout that aftermarket chips are a “security risk”—while conveniently pushing secret firmware updates to lock customers out of choices. They call it “protection,” but it’s just another chain of control around the consumer’s neck.

And then there’s ETIRA, another loud voice against Chinese-made cartridges, this time in Europe. Their recent field tests—sampling 50 units—are laughable. Their findings don’t add up, but their narrative does: demonize the Chinese suppliers who, ironically, manufacture products that ETIRA’s own members sell.

In China, a different game is being played. The once-massive factories filled with tens of thousands of workers have been transformed. AI and robotics now dominate production, pushing innovation to new heights.

Truthfully, these factories are not guilty of human rights abuses, but they do leave the robots working all day and night. They build consistently better cartridges than ever before.

But what’s the result? Oversupply.

Millions of high-quality cartridges are being dumped into global markets for ridiculously low prices, fueling price wars that leave smaller players dead in the water. It’s not just the competition that’s dying. The remanufacturing industry itself is in ruins. Once, there were 7,000 remanufacturers in the USA alone. A decade ago, that number fell to 700. Today? Fewer than 100 remain. Consolidation, mergers, acquisitions—it’s the natural order of things in a maturing industry.

But let’s not kid ourselves: this is war. And only those with dragons—whether in China, Europe, or the USA—have survived.

But here’s the truth no one wants to face. The real threat isn’t from OEMs, Chinese factories, or even price wars. The Night King looms beyond the Wall, leading an army of millions who’ve abandoned printing altogether. End users have changed. They don’t print like they used to.

Those on the Night’s Watch—the researchers, market analysts, and commentators—stand vigilant on the Wall, sounding the alarm.

They warn us that end users are abandoning old habits, and printing is no longer what it once was. But are we listening?

While we fight among ourselves for a shrinking piece of the realm, winter is coming—and it doesn’t care who sits on the iron throne. Adapt or die. That’s the choice we face.