Disc printing is the technology of printing data, images and text on an optical disc surface. Amongst the various type of disc printing techniques, inkjet disc printing and thermal disc printing continue to be the most preferred ones. In thermal printing particularly, heat and pressure is applied to imprint the graphical or textual content on the disc surface. This technique is considered quite durable and effective. Thermal disc printing offers water resistant and custom colour labels, which do not entail additional coating and are scratchproof. Meanwhile, inkjet printers use a mechanism where a print head with tiny nozzles/jets spray ink on the disc surface while the disc continues to move, forming an image or character. In inkjet disc printers, multiple or single cartridge is installed for spraying a range colours or for single colour printing depending on the type of printing requirement. According the a new data released by Future Market Insights (FMI), the markets for thermal and inkjet disc printers in Japan, Europe and the US collectively exceeded a valuation of US$ 929 Mn in 2015.
Rapid Adoption of On-Premise and Cloud-Based Storage Systems are Massively Hampering the Demand for Thermal and Inkjet Disc Printing
Although thermal disc printers have advantages such as tough print surface, large throughput of the thermal ribbons and are also relatively faster as compared to other disc printing solutions, technological superiority of on-premise and cloud-based storage systems has greatly impacted the popularity of thermal & inkjet disc printers.
Inkjet printing technology is considered to be highly accurate as well as smudge-free and can be easily carried on distinct types of printable discs. Low pricing and easy availability of printable discs are two underlining factors that continue to drive the market for disc printers in various parts of the worlds. However, arrival of more efficient hard drive and virtual drives is leading to a shift in consumer preference. These alternative are faster, convenient and are also easily available at competitive prices, hence there demand is gaining significant traction worldwide. In addition, expensive raw material of recordable optical disc coupled with low profits margins owing to widespread availability of alternative is acting as major impediment for companies supplying and manufacturing recordable optical disc. Which is why many of the companies are discontinuing or pulling out of the market and looking towards other options and technologies. The growing trend of digital downloads and dying status of physical storage devices is likely to further hamper the demand for thermal and inkjet disc printers in the forthcoming years.
In 2015, thermal disc printer technique contributed nearly US$ 418.3 Mn to the overall market value, which is expected to reduce drastically over the next couple years. The markets for thermal & inkjet disc printers in some of the Europe, Japan and the US is projected to collectively reach a valuation of US$ 320.2 Mn by 2026 end. In the next 9 years, the market is anticipated to register a possible 20% decrement.
In an attempt to survive in the market companies are now providing packaged services, which include duplication disc printing and packaging services. Such strategies are expected to lure price-sensitive customers and have a competitive edge in the market. Some of the leading players operating in thermal and inkjet disc printers market spread across the region of Europe, Japan and the US include Rimage and Formats Unlimited (MF Digital) that specialise in both thermal printing and inkjet disc printing. Microboards Technology and TEAC America Inc. deal in thermal disc printers particularly while Primera Technologies Inc and Seiko Epson Corporation have expertise in manufacturing inkjet disc printers.
The information presented here is sourced from Future Market Insights latest report. A sample of this report is available upon request.
Author: Abhishek Budholiya is a tech blogger, digital marketing pro, and has contributed to numerous tech magazines. Currently, as a technology and digital branding consultant, he offers his analysis on the tech market research landscape. His forte is analysing the commercial viability of a new breakthrough, a trait you can see in his writing. When he is not ruminating about the tech world, he can be found playing table tennis or hanging out with his friends.
