Cadalyst - January/February 2009 - (Page 44) viewpoint By Henrik Vestermark Rethinking Wide-Format Scanner Paradigms Market today offers affordable options beyond 36” models. Number of Models W ide-format scanner technology has developed impressively during the past 20 years. In the mid-1980s when wide-format scanners were born, the typical scanner processed an E-size (34” x 44”) document in black and white in approximately 5 minutes at 200-dpi optical resolution. Wide-format color scanning began to make headlines nearly 10 years later. Today, you can buy fast color and monochrome scanners that exceed most customer needs. Scanning technology has moved from infancy to commodity, and customers today generally expect scanners to perform flawlessly with high productivity and quality scans for a variety of different documents. Traditionally, the CAD, AEC, engineering, and part of the GIS market segments always requested 36”-wide scanners to accommodate their E-size engineering drawings. Wider scanners were considered a waste of money, because a larger scanning width was more expensive and unnecessary. Today, however, the old paradigm has been replaced with a new market reality, and companies should consider all options when buying a new wideformat scanner. 25 2003 20 15 10 5 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 25 36 40 42 Scan Width (inches) 44 48 54 Figure 1. The number of scanner models available from 2003 to 2008 based on scan width. Available Scanner Models The number of scanner models available when grouped by scan width shows an interesting trend over time (figure 1). Numbers in the 25”, 40”, 48”, and 54” categories are flat over the years. The three most interesting categories are the 36”, 42”, and the new 44” segments. Available models in the 36” segment peaked in 2005 and 2006 after nearly 20 years of domination and have been declining for the past two years, but it still is the second most important segment. Most popular today are the 42” models. This segment continues to grow as new models are introduced, and it is the most competitive segment, representing all scanner manufacturers. The 42” market segment is the most popular because it offers wider scans and better matches the 44” printer segment. A 36” scanner is considered too small to work in tandem with a 44” printer. The 42” scanners also better address the needs of the reprographics segment, where wider is always better. Contex, Vidar, and GTCO Calcomp recently introduced models in the new 44” segment. The 44” scanner is intriguing because it allows customers to match the typical 44” wide-format printer with a scanner that accommodates the same size documents. Whether the market will shift its pref- erence from 42” to 44” remains to be seen. Latest Price Trends Until 2006, scanner prices were surprisingly stable; however, in the past two years there has been a sudden drop in the average price. This is good news for the consumer. The average price of scanners in each category shows no drop for the 48” and larger segments (figure 2). The reason is quite obvious: Only one manufacturer produces a product in the 48” or 54” width, although it is not the same manufacturer in both categories. Limited competition means no pressure on the current price level. For the hot segments of 25”, 36”, and 42” — by far the most competitive areas — a steady price drop has occurred over the years. The 36” and 42” segments account for approximately 80% of all scanner sales in the United States, and all competitors offer models in these segments. In the past, conventional wisdom said that as scanner width increased, so did the price. However, figure 2 www.cadalyst.com cadalyst January/February 2009 Editor’s note: “Viewpoint” is an occasional feature that invites guest authors to express opinions about CAD-related topics. 44 http://www.cadalyst.com
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