Printer Industry Continues To Whither

The printed word is rapidly fading from the page. In fact, paper itself is a whole lot less common than it once was. And, we know these things not only from personal experience, but also office supply and printer industry statistics.

Last Fall, big box office supply retailer Staples announced it was closing 30 stores due to falling sales of paper — a bellwether SKU — among of other things. A big factor driving the decline is Apple’s iPad, which replaces books, manuals, magazines and presentations.

Fresh printer industry data collected by IDC adds to the gloom — shipments were down almost across the board.

Though single function laser printers (i.e. cheap) shipments did rise nicely, the writing for the printer industry is plainly on the wall — the end probably won’t come tomorrow, yet the scent of death is in the air.

And, this is a good thing™ — imagine never again suffering the ignominy of buying ink or toner cartridges…

What’s your take?