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InfoTrends’ Research Indicates Continued Shifts in Consumer Photo Printing Behavior

(Weymouth, MA) ... A recent InfoTrends study shows that the percentage of digital camera owners who print at home declined by 10% between 2004 and 2006. Meanwhile, 31% of digital camera owners who print their photos have used retail locations, reflecting an increase of 22% over the past two years. Nevertheless, the home remains the most popular printing location by far, and the majority of users still assign it the most positive attributes. Home printing is perceived as more affordable, more convenient, faster, and easier than other printing methods.

“Although consumers are still mainly printing at home, the number of those who do so decreases every year due to the gaining popularity of online photo services and retail locations,” commented Sandra Collins , a Consultant at InfoTrends. “The home will remain the most popular printing location for at least the next two years, but home printing volume will decline as prices for online and retail printing continue their downward trend.”

The study offers good news for the industry as a whole. The end-user research shows that overall consumer print volumes are remaining steady, and non-digital camera owners planning to enter the digital photography world are expecting to print at least some of their photos. Although only 19% of consumers were printing the photos that they wanted to save in 2004, this percentage had risen to 36% in 2006.

While it is true that more consumers are using prints for archiving purposes, digital photography makes it less urgent for individuals to print their photos because the images can be viewed and saved immediately. As a result, many people are embracing a “print on demand” behavior, where they only print if they have to. Print providers would be well advised to offer products and services that cater to those individuals’ needs.

InfoTrends’ report entitled 2006 End-User Analysis of U.S. Consumers: Home Printing is currently available for purchase. This report analyzes digital photo printing habits, considers where digital photos are printed and in what quantity, and details how users print photos at home. The 102-page analysis report is accompanied by two sets of 200+-page data tabulations.

InfoTrends is the leading worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. We provide research, analysis, forecasts, and advice to help clients understand market trends, identify opportunities, and develop strategies to grow their businesses. Additional information about InfoTrends is available on the Web at www.infotrends.com.