Color copier installations have now overtaken those of monochrome, and this trend will only continue as color printing and copying becomes more acceptable in the office environment. Customers are demanding action on the amount of money they pay for their printing and copying and one of the main ways that suppliers are able to achieve this is through the implementation of print services, which allows the customer to have a more transparent view on direct and indirect costs.

"Copier vendors are targeting a wide array of organizations from the SMB though to the large enterprises through a variety of service and solution offerings in order to increase revenues, but despite the growth of A4 MFPs and color printers, most customers still request the installation of traditional A3 copiers, even though the vast majority of their prints will be A4," said Phil Sargeant, program director, IDC Imaging Hardware and Document Solutions.