Office Printing Returns—But With Changes

The return to a greater level of office usage in 2021 is expected to lead to a modest increase in printing in 2021 compared to last year, Kmetz said. “We’re slated to actually see an uptick,” he said. “But it’s not going to be huge. And there will be a lower dependency on devices and pages [than before the pandemic]. It’s just going to change. I think companies are going to look at printing with more scrutiny.”

Thus, solution providers should be considering “where the market is now and what new opportunities are there—and how do I resume my business as best I can to cater to the changes that are taking place in the market?” Kmetz said. “We know that the office is going to look different.”

On the plus side, at least in the short term, there is likely to be some pent-up demand for print hardware in offices, he said. “There were purchases and acquisitions that were planned for in 2020, and companies said, we’re not looking to refresh our MFP fleet right now—nobody’s at the office,” Kmetz said. “So they’re going to take care of that [this year].”