In 1998 around 90% of the printers in the market were imported from the likes of Vutek, Nur and Scitex Vision, according to research and consultancy firm IT Strategies.

But with falling hardware prices and cheap output, there are now more than 23 companies in China that manufacture wide- and super-wide-format printers, and these OEMs had combined revenues of over 60m ($100m) in 2002.

The rise of Chinas impact in the wide-format printer market was highlighted in PrintWeek earlier this year (PrintWeek, 11 September).

IT Strategies consultant Liz Ziepniewski said that with the internal Chinese market now saturated, growth would come externally. She expected market penetration in countries such as Brazil, Russia and India, where quality standards were lower and price was the ultimate issue.

The top seven companies in China make up a total of 87% of the markets revenues.

The largest two are DGI, with a market share of 27%, and Infinity/Hangzhou Honghua, which has a 21% share.

Story by Andy Scott