INDICATORS - Page printers total market

Context looks at corporate reseller sales of monochrome page printers in the US, the UK, Germany and France.

 US
 SPEED                  TOTAL
 12 PPM                 25.8
 8 PPM                  23.3
 6 PPM                  20
 4 PPM                  11.1
 24 PPM                 8.6
 17 PPM                 5.6
 16 PPM                 5.1
 10 PPM                 0.4
 20 PPM                 0.1
 (C) CONTEXT SalesWatch 1998, US Data sourced from Computer Intelligence's
 Storeboard.

The launch of faster engines led to the fading out of 4 PPM laser technology in the corporate world, to the benefit of 6 PPM, mostly as standalone or peer-to-peer printers.

Network printers improved on an already large share of the segment, with 12 PPM+, accounting for 47.3 per cent in January, compared to 43.5 per cent in February last year.

The rise of the 17 PPM, in the US only, was due to Hewlett Packard's introduction of the LaserJet 4000 range of printers, with 16 and 17 PPM reaching 36.3 per cent.

Overall, 12 PPM technology led, while 8 PPM remained second with almost a quarter of the segment, followed by the rising 6 PPM. The three technologies accounted for close to 38 per cent of the segment.

UK
 SPEED                  TOTAL
 12 PPM                 37.6
 6 PPM                  19.7
 16 PPM                 11
 8 PPM                  10.1
 4 PPM                  9
 24 PPM                 8.5
 18 PPM                 1.4
 17 PPM                 1.2
 10 PPM                 1
 20 PPM                 0.2
 13 PPM                 0.1
 14 PPM                 0.1
 (C) CONTEXT SalesWatch 1998.

In the UK, 4 PPM technology was superseded by 6 PPM, which reached almost a third of corporate resellers' sales of monochrome page printers.

12 PPM sales almost halved, while 8 PPM remained steady at between eight and 10 per cent.

Gains were made by 16 PPM technology, which jumped from 7.9 per cent in February 1997 last year to 28.8 per cent in January, to the extent that it had overtaken 8 PPM technology for the number three spot with an aggregate share of 11 per cent, behind 6 PPM's 19.7 per cent and 12 PPM's 37.6 per cent.

GERMANY
 SPEED                  TOTAL
 12 PPM                 45.4
 6 PPM                  16.5
 8 PPM                  13.6
 4 PPM                  8.2
 10 PPM                 6.1
 16 PPM                 5.5
 18 PPM                 2.4
 24 PPM                 2.1
 (C) CONTEXT SalesWatch 1998.

With an overall 45.4 per cent market share, 12 PPM technology dominated the German corporate reseller monochrome market, but it declined rapidly, to a low of 18.6 per cent in January.

4 PPM technology was replaced with 6 PPM (29 per cent in January), while 16 PPM ended second with 26.3 per cent.

8 PPM technology maintained a strong 15 per cent share over the past three months.

FRANCE
 SPEED                  TOTAL
 6 PPM                  31.4
 12 PPM                 25.8
 8 PPM                  18.1
 4 PPM                  8.9
 16 PPM                 8.6
 24 PPM                 2.9
 10 PPM                 2.8
 17 PPM                 1.1
 20 PPM                 0.4
 18 PPM                 0.1
 32 PPM                 0.1
 (C) CONTEXT SalesWatch 1998.

The 4 PPM segment almost vanished from the corporate reseller channel, replaced by an evergrowing 6 PPM, which reached 45.3 per cent in January.

Higher speed machines, 12 PPM and more, saw shares declining - from 41.1 per cent 12 months ago to less than 38 per cent in January.

Nonetheless, 16 PPM technology, with sales close to 15 per cent, grew thanks to Hewlett Packard's LaserJet 4000 range, marketed as 16 PPM in Europe.

Overall, 6 PPM technology overtook 12 PPM, with the third best choice being 8 PPM. The three technologies accounted for 75.3 per cent of the corporate reseller sales.