Print volumes to decline by 'seven football fields per minute' in 2020

COVID-19 will see 400 billion fewer pages printed from office and home devices this year, IDC predicts

The number of pages printed worldwide will fall by 13.7 per cent in 2020, according to IDC.

COVID-19 has moderated and in many cased completely halted office-based printing, prompting the market watcher to slash already gloomy forecasts for the print market this year and beyond.

It now expects total page volumes to fall by 13.7 per cent trillion pages this year, and page volumes to endure a CAGR rate of -4.8 per cent between 2019-2024 - down sharply on the -1.2 per cent CAGR experienced between 2015-2019.

IDC's forecasts cover both home and office devices.

"The dramatic and sudden transition to work from home in many of the world's largest economies had a direct impact on office device print volumes," said Ilona Stankeova, senior research director, Imaging Devices & Document Solutions, IDC Europe.

"More than six million pages were printed every minute globally in 2019. This amount covers the area of 54 football pitches. COVID-19 is expected to remove print volume that would fill the area of seven football fields every minute in 2020."