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PUBLISHER: VDC Research Group, Inc. | PRODUCT CODE: 1814239
PUBLISHER: VDC Research Group, Inc. | PRODUCT CODE: 1814239
The Global Market for Stationary Thermal Printers: At the Intersection of Automation and Digital Transformation
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PAGES: 56 Pages/116 Exhibits
DELIVERY TIME: 1-2 business days
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Inside this Report
This research report analyzes the key strategic issues, trends, and market drivers for stationary thermal barcode printers. The report offers market analysis (historical, prior year, and forecast revenues and unit shipments), vendor considerations, and growth opportunities across the following dimensions: technology types, end-user industries, distribution channels, and geographies.
What Questions are Addressed?
- What key market trends are driving demand for stationary printer projects amidst growing automation investments and increasing digitization?
- How have vendors and solution providers navigated reseller consolidation and differentiate within a complex channel landscape?
- What are the next growth segments for barcode printers in terms of regions and verticals?
- What are the key technological trends in driving stationary thermal printer hardware investments?
- What are the key considerations for channel success in this market?
- What key challenges are influencing the thermal printer landscape?
- How are leading vendors differentiating their product portfolios and strengthening their value propositions in a highly competitive and fragmented market?
Who Should Read this Report?
This annual research program has been carefully designed for senior decision-makers at barcode technology and solution provider companies, including those individuals with the following roles:
- CEO or other C-level executives
- Corporate development and M&A teams
- Marketing executives
- Business development and sales leaders
- Product development and strategy leaders
- Channel management and channel strategy leaders
Organizations Listed in this Report:
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Executive Summary
The Americas experienced a modest increase in stationary printer shipments. Asia-Pacific posted declines, with revenues down from the prior year. Regional performance fell due to weakness in China and slower-than-expected traceability-related investments across other key markets like Japan and South Korea. Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) experienced the strongest declines in 2024. Macroeconomic softness in key regional verticals including manufacturing and warehousing hindered EMEA performance for the year.
Cyclical softness in industrial sectors hindered the growth potential of the stationary printer market for the year. While the manufacturing sector led all verticals in stationary printer investments, a decline in sector sales weighed heavily on overall industry performance. A decline in the logistics industry and contraction within the government sector further exacerbated softer stationary printer performance. Conversely, retail shipment expanded by just over 11% while healthcare and commercial services performance remained positive, although not enough to outweigh declines in industrial sectors.
VDC expects ongoing volatility throughout 2025, with macroeconomic pressures continuing to cloud the enterprise investment outlook from quarter to quarter. Elevated tariff rates have led organizations to take a more cautious approach to stationary printer projects. Despite ongoing pressures, demand for these solutions remains robust, which is reflected in Q1 global performance. Industrial printer sales also increased, signaling a recovery in refresh activity. VDC's primary research conversations with leading channel participants suggests that the market the anticipated negative impact of tariffs was less severe than expected.
The competitive landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented with the rise of value-tier brands from Asia-Pacific, which are applying downward pricing pressure across regions. Chinese vendors such as HPRT, Xprinter, and Quiru are gaining momentum domestically and expanding their footprint in Eastern Europe and Latin America to capture market share.
Key Findings:
- Factory automation initiatives fuel demand within manufacturing-particularly across pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, chemicals, and materials-where stationary printers support product labeling, GHS compliance, and finished goods/materials labeling. VDC's research indicates that industrial automation in warehousing and distribution will further strengthen stationary printer investments over the forecast period.
- Unified commerce strategies are expanding order fulfillment channels in retail and driving additional use cases for stationary printers. As customers require fulfillment flexibility, retailers are enhancing micro-fulfillment centers and stockroom capabilities to improve agility, fulfillment speed, and inventory accuracy. VDC expects this continued shift toward unified online/offline experiences to sustain stationary printer investments through the forecast period.
- Strengthening traceability regulations and migration to 2D code printing are driving demand for more advanced stationary printing solutions. In the EU, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will require commodities sold in the region to have identification to their point of origin. In the U.S., the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) continue to standardize traceability in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical supply chains. Enterprises are increasingly adopting 2D code printing to store more information on labels and enhance supply chain visibility.
- Improvements in linerless printing capabilities have driven stronger demand for direct thermal print technology, especially for quick-service restaurants (QSR). Tier 1 QSRs such as Starbucks have strategically invested in linerless printing solutions to streamline beverage labeling requirements. Vendors such as Epson and Bixolon have developed purpose-built solutions with their OmniLink series and SPP-L300 series respectively, while vendors such as Toshiba have also introduced hospitality focused linerless products with its HSP-200L desktop printer. Beyond retail and hospitality, linerless is receiving stronger interest in logistics for last mile delivery operations.
- RFID capabilities are becoming critical as leading retailers and logistics providers integrate the technology across their supply chains. Walmart continues to expand RFID use across product categories, while UPS has committed to RFID investments to improve warehouse product handling efficiency. Vendors are responding by broadening their RFID-enabled product portfolios: Zebra offers industrial models such as the ZT610, ZT411, and ZT231, alongside the ZD611R desktop printer; SATO's CL4NX Plus (industrial) and CT4-LX (desktop) are RFID-enabled; Honeywell's PC45 (desktop) and PM45 (industrial) also provide RFID capabilities. Vendors that invest in RFID-enabled stationary printer development will be well-positioned to capture this growing opportunity.
- Ongoing digitization and migration to cloud-enabled printing are increasing demand for remote management and hardware visibility tools. According to VDC's latest survey on printer cloud architecture across verticals, users are currently leveraging cloud network for label data sourcing. This trend will drive demand for third-party device management platforms such as SOTI Connect, 42 Gears' Sure MDM and Ivanti Wavelink Avalanche, which enable remote monitoring, usage analytics, and multi- vendor device management-including label printers.
- Competitive pressures from adjacent AIDC and enterprise mobility vendors will further fragment the stationary printer landscape. As AIDC vendors such as Newland and enterprise mobility focused manufactures like Urovo emphasize total solution offerings, these companies have introduced desktop printers to complement their product portfolios. Urovo's 4" D81R and Newland's LP410 respectively aim to capture demand amongst retail and logistics workflows.
Table of Contents
What Questions are Addressed?
Who Should Read this Report?
Organizations Listed in this Report
Executive Summary
- Key Findings
Global Market Overview
Regional Forecasts
- The Americas
- North America
- Latin America
- Europe, Africa & Middle East (EMEA)
- Asia-Pacific (APAC)
Comparative Forecast by Vertical
- Retail
- Transportation & Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare
Latest Technology Trends
- Linerless Print Technology
- In-Line Barcode Label Verification
- Thermal Print Technology
- Color Label Printing Technology
- RFID Printing Technology
- Software & Services
- Device Management & Extended Feature Sets
- Stationary Printer Form Factor Trends
- Stationary Printer Web Width Trends
Comparative Forecast by Distribution Landscape
Competitive Analysis
- Avery Dennison
- Brother
- Citizen Systems
- Epson
- Honeywell
- Toshiba TEC
- SATO
- TSC
- Toshiba TEC
- Zebra Technologies
About the Authors
List of Exhibits
Market Analysis - Global
- Exhibit 1: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Region (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 2: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Region (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 3: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Region (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 4: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 5: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 6: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 7: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 8: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 9: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 10: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 11: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 12: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 13: Forecasted Global Shipments of Industrial/Tabletop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 14: Forecasted Global Shipments of Desktop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 15: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 16: Forecasted Global Shipments of Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 17: Forecasted Global Shipments of Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 18: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Industrial Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 19: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Desktop Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 20: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 21: Forecasted Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 22: Forecasted Global Shipments of Barcode Printers by Country Market (Millions of Dollars)
Market Analysis - Americas
- Exhibit 1: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 2: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 3: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 4: Forecasted North American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 5: Forecasted North American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 6: Forecasted North American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 7: Forecasted Latin American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 8: Forecasted Latin American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 9: Forecasted Latin American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 10: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 11: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 12: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 13: Forecasted North America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 14: Forecasted North America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 15: Forecasted North America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 16: Forecasted Latin America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 17: Forecasted Latin America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 18: Forecasted Latin America Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 19: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 20: Forecasted North American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 21: Forecasted Latin American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 22: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 23: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 24: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Industrial/Tabletop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 25: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Desktop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 26: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 27: Forecasted North American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 28: Forecasted Latin American Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 29: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 30: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 31: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Industrial Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 32: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Desktop Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 33: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 34: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 35: Forecasted Americas Shipments of Barcode Printers by Country Market (Millions of Dollars)
Market Analysis - EMEA
- Exhibit 1: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 2: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 3: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 4: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 5: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 6: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 7: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 8: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 9: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 10: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 11: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 12: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 13: Forecasted European Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 14: Forecasted European Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 15: Forecasted European Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 16: Forecasted Middle East and Africa Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 17: Forecasted Middle East and Africa Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 18: Forecasted Middle East and Africa Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 19: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 20: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 21: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 22: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 23: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 24: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Industrial/Tabletop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 25: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Desktop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 26: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 27: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 28: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 29: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 30: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 31: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Industrial Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 32: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Desktop Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 33: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 34: Forecasted EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 35: Forecasted European Shipments of Barcode Printers by Country Market (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 36: Forecasted Middle East & Africa Shipments of Barcode Printers by Country Market (Millions of Dollars)
Market Analysis - Asia-Pacific
- Exhibit 1: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 2: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 3: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Product Type (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 4: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 5: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 6: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Form Factor (Average Factory Selling Price (AFSP) - Dollars)
- Exhibit 7: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 8: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 9: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 10: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Industrial/Tabletop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 11: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Desktop Barcode Printers Segmented by Economic Sector (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 12: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 13: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Thermal Transfer Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 14: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Direct Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Distribution Channel (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 15: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Industrial Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 16: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Desktop Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by List Price (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 17: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Millions of Dollars)
- Exhibit 18: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Web Width (Thousands of Units)
- Exhibit 19: Forecasted Asia-Pacific Shipments of Barcode Printers by Country Market (Millions of Dollars)
Competitive Analysis - Global
- Exhibit 1: Global Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Supplier Share (Percent of Dollars)
- Exhibit 2: Americas Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Supplier Share (Percent of Dollars)
- Exhibit 3: EMEA Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Supplier Share (Percent of Dollars)
- Exhibit 4: Asia-Pacific Shipments of Stationary Thermal Barcode Printers Segmented by Supplier Share (Percent of Dollars)
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