Research into Colour Printing Trends in Europe Provides Evidence That SMBs are Embracing the Colour Revolution
* 78% of SMBs now undertake colour printing in-house
* 67% of SMBs believe colour printing is set to become the norm within 2-5 years
* 75% of SMBs feel colour printing offers a competitive advantage
* 80% of SMBs cite impact of information as top business benefit of colour printing
Bracknell, UK, 8th June 2005. - Small and Medium businesses (SMBs) are increasingly opting for colour printing, according to new research commissioned by Dell. The DellTM Colour Printing Survey 2005 shows that over three quarters of SMBs questioned are utilising colour printing, believing it is cost effective for their businesses and offers a competitive business advantage. In fact, only six percent of companies surveyed continue to print in black and white because they feel that colour rarely provides a competitive edge for their business.
Colour Means Better New Business Prospects
The survey highlights the growing pressure small and medium businesses are under to compete with larger organisations and the potential impact colour printed documents can have on a business's productivity, professional image and reputation. With 75 percent of respondents citing more effective new business and client presentations as the number one motivator for using colour printing within their organisation, the top three business benefits were revealed as greater impact (80 percent), more effective sales literature (73 percent) and more professional company appearance (70 percent).
Colour printing is viewed as such a competitive business asset by SMBs that not only do 73 per cent already own at least two printers, but almost 70 percent feel that colour printing is set to become standard business practice within 2-5 years "These results strongly disprove the misconception that colour printing is too expensive or a luxury application for SMBs in today's competitive environment. In fact, SMBs now see in-house colour printing as a commercial opportunity rather than a financial burden.
Colour printing is providing SMBs with an excellent way to empower themselves and operate effectively, with more potential to make profits," says Jon Lynch, Software & Peripherals Business Manager, Dell UK.
Differing Colour Perceptions Across The Regions Still Prevail When citing colour printing as offering a competitive business advantage respondents in the UK and Germany were more certain of this than those in France, with 91 percent of business in the UK and 76 percent in Germany, compared with 59 per cent in France.
Further evidence of this country divide can be seen in that the companies that believe colour printing will be standard within SMBs in the future.
Overall, over two-thirds of all surveyed believe colour printing will become the norm in the future, with 28 percent believing it already is.
However, whilst nearly half of all UK respondents (49 percent) believe colour printing is already widely adopted, this figure falls to 28 percent of respondents in Germany and a paltry 8 percent of respondents in France.
Despite this, nearly half of SMBs in France (48 percent) believe that colour printing will overtake monochrome within two to five years.
For further information please visit: http://www.dell.co.uk
