Thermal Printer Market Outlook – 2027 

A thermal printer is a printer that uses heat to produce image on paper and has become increasingly popular, owing to high print quality, and is mostly used in retail, airline, entertainment, banking, grocery, and healthcare industries. In addition, thermal printing does not make use of ink or toner, but largely depends on thermal papers to produce good quality images. 

In addition, owing to short life of chemical coating on these papers, papers printed from thermal printing can easily be recycled. The printers used in thermal printing are lightweight, durable and simple to use. It is used to print receipts, bills, lottery tickets, and other labels in industries.

The global thermal printer market is segmented on the basis of offering, printer type, format type, printing technology, industry vertical, and region. Based on offering, the thermal printer market is bifurcated into printer and supplies. In terms of printer type, the market is categorized into barcode, POS, kiosk & ticket, RFID, and card. On the basis of format type, the market is divided into industrial, desktop, and mobile. 

In terms of printing technology, the market is categorized into DT, TT, and D2T2. Based on industry vertical, the market is segregated into retail, transportation & logistics, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, government, and others. Geographically, the market is analyzed across several regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa (LAMEA).

Key players operating in the global thermal printer industry include Zebra Technologies Corporation, Seiko Epson Corporation, Bixolon EU, TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd., Star Micronics Co., Ltd., SATO HOLDINGS CORPORATION, Honeywell International Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Toshiba Corporation, and Brother Industries Ltd. These companies have adopted several strategies such as product launches, partnerships, collaborations, mergers & acquisitions, and joint ventures to strengthen their foothold in the global thermal printer market. 

Top Impacting Factors

Increase in concerns related to counterfeiting of goods and products propels the market growth. In addition, adoption of automated and advanced technologies such as automatic identification and data capture (AIDC), as well as wireless mobile printers, are some other factors that drive global market development. However, the major factor hampering global thermal printer market growth is low quality printed labels, as they are prone to heat, light and abrasion. Furthermore, thermal printers cannot be used for general printing, and compatibility problems are a few other factors that restrict global market development.

The Market For Hospitality & Healthcare Applications to Grow at the Highest CAGR during the Forecast Period

The thermal printer market for healthcare & hospitality applications is projected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The high use of smart labels will helps monitor patients and medical equipment instantly, wherever necessary, especially in emergencies. In addition, thermal printers are commonly used for printing labels and tags that are aligned with different healthcare application processes and help enhance patient efficiency, bed use and asset allocation.

North America to Hold the Largest Market Share during the Forecast Period

Among all applications in the region, manufacturing & industrial, retail, transportation & logistics, and healthcare & hospitality are the main areas of application where thermal printers are used. Several companies offering thermal printers and supplies have their presence in this region, which is further adding to North America's thermal printer market growth.  

Thermal Printer Barcodes to Account For the Largest Market Share during the Forecast Period

Thermal barcode printers are used extensively in small, medium and large enterprises to label and track the products to be shipped afterwards. This is one of the significant factors that has contributed to the leading role of barcode printers on the thermal printer market.  

Prominent players in the market are expected to concentrate more on technology upgrades and frequent product launches as the main strategy for meeting up with the fast-changing demand. Companies such as Zebra Technologies Inc. have launched a new version of the desktop thermal printer, developed specifically to meet the increasing demand from the healthcare, retail and manufacturing industries. The implementation of thermal printing can replace the conventional way of advertising and can offer product-related information to customers by simply scanning the labels. 

Key Benefits of the Report

• This study presents the analytical depiction of the global thermal printer market forecast along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets.
• The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with detailed analysis of the global thermal printer market share.
• The current market is quantitatively analyzed from 2020 to 2027 to highlight the global thermal printer market growth scenario.
• Porter’s five forces analysis illustrates the potency of buyers & suppliers in the market. 
• The report provides a detailed global thermal printer market analysis based on competitive intensity and how the competition will take shape in coming years. 

Market Scope and Structure Analysis

COVID-19 Scenario Analysis

• Global market has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. New projects throughout the world have stalled, which, in turn, have led to decline in demand for analog semiconductors. 
• Global factories have struggled to integrate new thermal printers as workers have stayed in their homes, which disrupted the global supply chains. 
• The impact of COVID-19 on this market is temporary as just the production and supply chain is stalled. Once the situation improves, production, supply chains, and demand for thermal printers are gradually going to increase.  
• This COVID-19 lockdown would help companies think about more advanced thermal printers to enhance efficiency.

Thermal Printer Market Key Segments

Questions Answered in the Thermal Printer Market Research Report

• Which are the leading market players active in the thermal printer market?
• What would be the detailed impact of COVID-19 on the thermal printer market size?
• How current thermal printer market trends would influence the industry in the next few years?
• What are the driving factors, restraints, and opportunities in the market?
• What are the projections for the future that would help in taking further strategic steps?