Tag: Printer supplies

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Home Printers – Refilled or Original? [TUPdate]

When consumers buy a home printer, they’re also buying ink for as long as they use their printer. HP has the lowest rate of US consumers using refilled ink. Of the major brands, HP has the lowest share – 16%, while Brother and Dell have the highest share, 37%. Over the last two years, this refill share has only slightly wavered.

This is based on the most recent wave of Technology User Profile (TUP), the 2017 edition.

The majority of HP’s home printer customers are using HP’s ink, and only 7% are using a replacement brand such as Office Depot or Staples.

Similarly, most of Epson and Canon’s ink is their own brand, making up two-thirds of home printer users.

Outside of the US, the picture is somewhat similar.

The majority of ink being used in HP printers is HP-branded, at a rate that is being closely trailed by Dell. While the US original-ink rate is strongest in the US for most major home printer brands, this rate is lower in nearly every country in the TUP 2017 survey: China, India, and Germany.

Brother’s original-ink share is nearly as strong in India as it is in the US, at just under one-half of home printers.

Who are the refillers?

Refillers around the world are younger than those who buy original ink – whether the same brand as the printer or a competitive offering. While the average (mean) age of adults who use refills in their home printers is 36, the age of original ink users is 41, a full five years older. Those using competitive ink are yet again another 4 years older.

There’s also a difference in choice of ink with respect to employment status.

Those using refilled ink have a higher share that are employed or self-employed than those using original ink. Those using competitive ink are less likely to be employed outside the home than those using original ink.

Related research results

MetaFacts Technology User Profile (TUP) includes extensive printer-related information: printer usage volume, actively used printer features, printer activities, wireless printing, high-capacity and subscription ink, and more.

Source

The information in this TUPdate is based on a survey of online adults in mid-2017 as part of the MetaFacts Technology User Profile (TUP) study. The TUP study universe included a representative sample of online adults, carefully selected and weighted to be fully representative. Current TUP subscribers can obtain the results of this newest research at a discount. For more information about MetaFacts and subscribing to TUP, please contact MetaFacts.

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Subscription Ink – Only for Busy Youngsters?

Is there an age skew for subscribing to an ink replacement plan?

Consider the person racing to print that important report or family photo, only to discover their printer is out of ink. While office supply and discount retailers still lead as major sources for printer ink purchases, the most-recent market disruption offers a preemptive choice – ink by subscription.metafacts-metafaqs-mq0030-ink-subscription-2016-11-30_11-44-36

Busy and convenience-oriented youngish adults have lead the adoption of subscription ink. Adults age 25-39 have the highest rates of subscription ink usage.

While the national average rate is 22% of adults with printers that subscribe to an ink replacement plan, among adults age 30-34 the rate is double that – at 45%. This is narrowly followed by Adults age 35-39 with 43%.

In addition to their quest for ease and convenience, these age groups are also highest in the presence of children full-time employment and household income, a very active life stage. These sociological factors help drive the demand for family photos, recipes, and greeting cards.

Looking ahead, we expect the attitudes of this often-engrossed group to continue, furthering adoption of subscription ink within this age segment.

Resources

This is based on our most recent research among 7,336 US adults as part of the Technology User Profile (TUP) 2016 survey.

This MetaFAQs research result addresses one of the many questions profiling active technology users, and is based on the following TUP table set: 460 SUxAGE in the Age Category Section of the TUP User Profile Chapter.

Many other related answers are part of the TUP service, available to paid subscribers. The TUP chapter with the most information about printers and printing activities is the TUP 2016 Printer Chapter, and about age-skewed tech usage in the TUP 2016 User Profile Chapter.

For more information about MetaFacts and subscribing to TUP, please contact MetaFacts.

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Are most home printers purchased where ink is? (MetaFAQs)

Our research shows that most home printers are purchased in one type of outlet, and ink bought somewhere else.

For home printers, Discount retail store such as Wal-Mart or Target and Consumer electronics stores such as Best Buy collectively account for nearly half of the outlets where home printers are purchased. By contrast, consumer electronics stores account for only one in nine home printer ink purchase outlets. Instead, half of printer ink outlets are Office supply retailers such as Office Depot and discount retail stores.metafacts-metafaqs-mq0009-2016-11-02_10-57-55

It’s a conflict that has been a conundrum for printer manufacturers for many years. Subscription services such as Hewlett Packard’s Instant Ink have started to change the formula. These programs bypass brick-and-mortar and online retailers alike to entice many printer users to simply buy direct. They also have the benefit to printer manufacturers of reducing consumer’s consideration of options for buying and using refilled ink.

This is based on our most recent research among 7,336 US adults as part of the Technology User Profile (TUP) 2016 survey.

This MetaFAQs research result addresses one of the many questions profiling active technology users.

Many other related answers are part of the full TUP service, available to paid subscribers. The TUP chapters with the most information about activities is the TUP 2016 Printers Chapter.

These MetaFAQs are brought to you by MetaFacts, based on research results from their most-recent wave of Technology User Profile (TUP).

For more information about MetaFacts and subscribing to TUP, please contact MetaFacts.

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Is there an age skew for using refilled printer ink? (MetaFAQs)

Who refills their printer ink, or buys refilled toners or cartridges?

Younger adults use refilled ink more often than older adults, with the practice being strongest among printer users age 18-34. In fact, nearly half of printer users using refilled ink are under age 35, and among these younger adults, refill usage rates exceed one in three.

In our other TUP research, we’re finding that while overall printing levels have declined over the last five years, certain segments of graphically-oriented users are printing more than ever. Also, subscription ink replacement plan usage is growing.

About this MetaFAQ

In addition to profiling the spending, demographics, activities, and devices of printer users, many other related answers are part of the TUP service, available to paid subscribers. One section of TUP 2016 which includes extensive results about printers, printer users, and printing activities – the TUP 2016 Printers chapter. This is one of more than a dozen chapters in the entire TUP 2016 study.

These MetaFAQs are brought to you by MetaFacts, based on research results from the most-recent wave of Technology User Profile (TUP).

For more information about MetaFacts and subscribing to TUP, please contact MetaFacts.

Age Skew for using Refilled Printer Ink