The US digital photo printing market could easily be in decline by 2010 unless vendors and market conditions change course, according to a groundbreaking new report from a leading market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industries.

The study conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures examines significant changes that will occur, such as a continued decline in film prints and the growth of camera phones as a photo source.
Its recent forecasts have shown that US consumer digital camera penetration will reach 55% and shipments of around 25 million in 2005, growing to 81% and about 21 million units shipped in 2010. Camera phone penetration will grow from 31% and just over 36 million units shipped to 86% and nearly 80 million units shipped over the same period. But the growth in unit placements may not offset print volume decline. If print vendors improve the ease and cost of photo printing, and give consumers reasons to print, such as for long-term storage, among other things, the study said, digital photo print market could keep growing. It also outlines two possible outcomes for the market. The first shows current trends continuing, with the US digital photo print market growing from 7.8 billion prints in 2004 to a peak in 2007, and then declining to reach 12.3 billion in 2010.
For more details visit www.infotrends-rgi.com