Multifunction and Single-Function Ink Jet Shipments Converged in 2005
In
2005, multifunction devices stole the spotlight in nearly every market
segment. Shipments of ink jet MFPs came close to surpassing those of
single-function ink jet printers for the first time in history.
Considering this explosive growth, it was just a matter of time before
shipments of ink jet MFPs surpassed shipments of single-function
printers. Last year, revenue from ink jet MFPs exceeded revenue from
single-function ink jet printers. This increase was the result of
higher sales pricing for multifunction units. Although the growth rate
for ink jet MFP shipments slowed somewhat in 2005, a 14.7 percent
increase brought the total number of of shipments to 43.9 million units.