Slow Q4 Drags Industrial Printer Shipments Lower in 2024, According to IDC
NEEDHAM, Mass., March 18, 2025 – Shipments of industrial printers declined by 1% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the newest release from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker. Total shipments in the fourth quarter were 5% lower than they were in Q4 2023, which dragged overall shipments down for the year.
“For all of 2024 there were industrial printer segments where shipments grew nicely and somewhere shipments were flat or in decline. The end result is that total industrial printer shipments were slightly lower for the year.” said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions at IDC. “We are seeing a trend through 2024 across some of these segments towards faster, more productive, more automated solutions that is driving changes in value of shipments in various regions.”
Worldwide Industrial Segment Highlights for all of 2024
- Large format digital printer shipments declined by 1.2% compared to 2023.
- Year-over-year growth in direct-to-shape (7.8%) and industrial textile (+12.3%) printers was
largely offset by declines in the direct-to-garment segment (-12.3%). - Label & packaging printer shipments grew by 19.4% compared to 2023.
Worldwide Industrial Segment Highlights for Q4 2024
- Q4 was the strongest quarter in all of 2024 for large format printer shipments on a worldwide basis but was still 5% below Q4 in 2023.
- DTG printer shipments declined by 6% in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2023.
- Industrial textile printer shipments grew by 6.3% in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2023.
- Label & packaging printer shipments grew by 6.8% in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2023.
Regional Analysis for all of 2024
- Latin America (19.7%) and Central & Eastern Europe (4.0%) were the fastest growing regions for all of 2024.
- North America represented 25% of total industrial printer shipments in 2024, but shipments declined by almost 6% compared to 2023.
- Japan had modest growth in total industrial printer shipments in 2024 compared to 2023.
- Western Europe and China both saw modest declines in shipments compared to 2023.
Regional Analysis for Q4 2024
- For the fourth quarter shipments of industrial printers in North America were essentially flat compared to Q3 2024.
- Latin America was a bright spot with shipments up by 22.3% in Q4.
- While the APJ region was down overall in Q4, industrial printer shipments in Japan grew by 1.2% compared to Q4 in 2023.
- Shipments in Central & Eastern Europe increased 7.2% in Q4 while shipments were off in Western Europe by 3.6% compared to Q4 2023.
Worldwide Industrial Printer Shipments and Shipment Value Share and Sequential Growth, Q4 2024
| Product Category | 4Q24 Share of Shipments | 4Q24/3Q24 Shipment change | 4Q24 Share of Shipment Value | 4Q24/3Q24 Shipment Value Growth |
| Desktop Label | 9.3% | 12.65% | 3.36% | 19.32% |
| Direct to Garment | 1.0% | -6.49% | 4.37% | 3.49% |
| Direct to Shape | 1.5% | -1.92% | 2.69% | -0.92% |
| Industrial Textile | 0.8% | -2.99% | 10.19% | 2.50% |
| Label & Packaging | 0.5% | 2.79% | 17.42% | 29.50% |
| Large Format | 86.9% | 4.62% | 61.97% | 2.36% |
| Total | 100.0% | 5.02% | 100.0% | 6.74% |
Industrial Printer Tracker
IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker provides total market size and vendor share for five major market categories: large format, label and packaging, direct to garment, industrial textile, and direct to shape. In addition to units, shipment value, and ASP, the Tracker also provides market results for each product category by ink type, media size, hardware class, or primary application across nine geographic regions and 90 countries.
About IDC Trackers
IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC’s Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly Excel deliverables and on-line query tools.
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About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,200 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.
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