Lexmark Study Reveals Internet's Impact on Paper Use and Future Printing Environments

Despite the immense popularity of "paperless" media such as e-mail and the Internet, a new study by Lexmark International, Inc. reveals that the need for printing remains strong and is growing. Results of the study also offer details on home and office printing and the future of printing technologies and applications, including public preferences for wireless printing, while dispelling a number of popular misconceptions about printing trends.

The survey helped further dispel the myth of the "paperless office." On the contrary, the Internet and its seemingly boundless information sites have led to an increase in pages printed at home as well as in the office, with ever higher numbers of pages being printed closer to the end user. This is a phenomenon known as "distributed printing." According to Lexmark's study, over 90% of respondents with a printer at home print Internet content, and three out of four respondents print from the Internet while at the office. Moreover, while nearly all respondents were printing Internet content, one in ten respondents report printing from the Internet at home every day. Nearly twice that percentage prints out Internet content at the office on a daily basis. Additionally, more than 40% of respondents print from the Internet at home at least on a weekly basis.

According to the Lexmark survey, the most commonly printed Internet content is e-mail, followed by research, news, children's activities, and entertainment.

The Lexmark survey also revealed age differences in the content printed from the Internet:

• Respondents over 55 are printing e-mail at twice the rate of those aged 18-44.
• 18-34 year-olds are three times as likely to print entertainment-related content compared to those over 45.

Futurists have speculated that computer users will eventually print less and rely more heavily on the computer screen to view content. When Lexmark asked why people print from the Internet, however, answers suggested that dependence on hardcopy output will continue despite the evolution of screen technologies:

• Almost one out of three cited a need for hard copy to archive information.
• The need to share information with friends, family, and co-workers compels a significant number to print.
• Others said they print from the Internet simply because they "prefer reading hard copies."

The Lexmark survey also found that younger respondents tended to report less of a need to archive hard copies of material. 56% of 45-54 year-olds reported that they print pages off of the Internet due to the need for hard copies for their archives, as compared to 42% of those 35-44 and only 33% of those 18-34 who print off of the Internet for the same purpose.

When it comes to the business environment, enterprise printing is taking on a new "hue" with the rise of multifunction products and the popularity of color output. Lexmark asked which single feature users would most like to see from their office printer. Dazzling color, increased speed, and document scanning were the features users coveted most. The preference for color output mirrors global trends that indicate increasing use of color in the workplace as color printers become faster and more affordable

Printing is not limited to the home or office. The Lexmark survey hints that markets exist for public access to standalone wireless printers, which would allow users to print from PDAs, laptop computers, and other portable devices. Preferred sites for such printers are libraries, airports, shopping malls, and grocery stores.

In the home, more than one third of respondents would be interested in a standalone printer that would allow constant, PC-free access to the Internet. Almost 70% of respondents would place such a device in the study or den, followed by the family room and the master bedroom.

The survey included 500 respondents who use computer printers at home and in the workplace on a regular basis. The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.