Digital devices are expected to capture almost 30b images in 2005

The US photofinishing industry is on the cusp of great change. Driving this change is explosive growth in various digital image capture device markets. According to IDC, the adoption of these devices will fundamentally alter the way consumers and businesses print their images.

"The US photofinishing industry we now know will undergo radical changes over the next few years as the historical photofinishing workflow becomes digitalized," said Ron Glaz, manager of IDC`s Digital Cameras and Scanners research program. "The emergence of retail kiosks in both traditional and nontraditional locations will drive users to new ways of instantly printing their images. The Internet will serve as a backbone to this new digital age, enabling users to transfer images effortlessly, from business to business and from consumer to consumer."

According to IDC, digital devices captured a total of 9.1 billion images in 2000. This number will soar to 29.5 billion in 2005 a compound annual growth rate of over 26%. Digital still cameras will account for 17.4 billion digital images captured in 2005, while scanners and Internet photo appliances (IPAs) will account for 10.4 billion and 1.6 billion, respectively. The US IPA market will grow the fastest during the forecast over 110%. "While current IPA offerings are limited in terms of image quality and slow transmission, the influx of embedded image capture in cellphones and the rise in the use of mobile devices in the vertical commercial space will ensure strong growth," Glaz said.

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With the increase in the volume of images captured comes a surge in print volume. According to IDC, consumers will dominate the photofinishing landscape, accounting for 11.4 billion images printed in 2005. By comparison, businesses will account for 4.2 billion images printed in 2005.

IDC believes digital imaging infrastructure players seeking to reap revenues from increasing print volumes will need to continue focusing on providing private, home/office print solutions; offering digital print fulfilment at retail through kiosk and digital mini-lab solutions; and digitising wholesale image processing and printing operations.

IDC`s new report The Impact of Digital Image Capture on the US Photofinishing Industry, 2000-2005 (IDC #B2923) analyzes the evolution of the photofinishing industry in the United States. It explains drivers impacting the adoption of digital technology in all areas of photofinishing, image processing, and image printing. Forecasts are provided for various print technologies, user segments, environments, and image capture and print volumes through 2005. Partnerships driving this digital revolution are explored, and areas of opportunity are unearthed.