The global large-format printer market will be worth more than $8.4 billion U.S. by 2022, led by support for signage applications, according to two new reports from Research and Markets, based in Dublin, Ireland, and MarketsandMarkets, based in Pune, India.

Both reports predict the market will experience a compound annual growth (CAGR) of three per cent for large-format printing hardware and 4.4 per cent for after-sales services, between 2016 and 2022. In terms of volume, they forecast some 398,300 units will be shipped to sign shops and other printing companies during that period.

Increased demand for out-of-home (OOH) advertising, printed interior décor and textile graphics is expected to drive this growth. And while digital signage is expected to penetrate the market, a sufficiently large base of clients will continue to rely on printed graphics, such that signage is expected to remain the leading large-format application in terms of value during the forecast period.

Among technologies, ultraviolet-curable (UV-curable) inkjet printers (example pictured) are being adopted by users at the fastest pace, as they have proven well-suited for printing durable graphics on both flexible and rigid substrates.

In regional terms, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market is expected to grow at the highest rate, thanks to the large but still-emerging economies of China and India. The construction of large-scale retail outlets in India, for example, has become a major factor in the growth of point-of-purchase (POP) signage.