Printer makers aggressively advertise and market the printing devices they produce. It is a common sight when an inkjet printer sells for pennies, even in the red. Prices for laser printers and copiers are constantly dropping too, making the devices more affordable to increasing number of customers. Obviously, this is supposed to create a favorable environment for digital printing at home.

However, a survey shows that among 7.7 billion of digitally printed materials such as brochures, postcards, business cards, etc. in 2007, only 48% are produced at home. Compared to last year’s 64%, this is a substantial decrease. Surprising, isn’t it?

The decrease in home printing, in turn, caused printer manufacturers to drop price up to 30% on personal printers to make them more appealing to customers. Printer manufacturers are doing a great job convincing consumers to try printing their materials at home.

If you are a printer owner, you, probably, know that consumables cost can easily pull out the money you saved on printer. Inks and cartridges can match the price of good wine; photo paper prices easily catch up those of securities at NY Stock Exchange. All this makes home-based printing something distant from being cost-effective.

Ultimately, the increase in digital photo printing does not seem large enough for printer manufacturers to rest assured. It is a fact that although consumers are biased towards using their digital cameras, pictures are now often shared via the internet, instead of being printed.