Gartner reports global 3D printer shipments will total 455772 units in 2016-- a 108% increase over the 219168 units shipped in 2015, and a number set to reach over 6.7 million by 2020.

Growth in W. Europe should be "very strong" in 2016, even if it will be beaten by the high growth rates experienced in Chin and Asia/Pacific regions.

"Once a niche market, 3D printing has continued its rapid transformation into a broad-based mainstream technology embraced by consumers and enterprises around the world," the analyst remarks. "The evolution of hardware and software along with an ever-expanding collection of usable materials has driven growth in both the consumer and enterprise 3D printing markets."

3D printing is no longer the preserve of specialist industries, and currently finds a variety of uses in both consumer and enterprise applications. For instance it is used to create prototypes, augment manufacturing process and produce finished products, and Gartner expects more processes to emerge, leading to wider and more diverse growth.

Oki announces a range of printers and MFPs aimed at SMB customers at its Smart Colour Solutions event in Milan, Italy, with offerings including the affordable C332dn and MC363dn, and the higher-end C612dn and C712dn.

“The new portfolio is designed to change perceptions of what a printer can do for businesses and organisations," the company says. "We are encouraging customers to take a fresh look at the potential of these affordable devices to help them build their brand, save time and money and enhance productivity. They can also help develop a streamlined and secure document workflow and management, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of a digital organisation.”

All devices in the range offer improved connectivity through gigabit ethernet ports for the faster transfer of large colour files across a network. Other printers, such as the C542 and MC573, feature Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print connectivity for wireless mobile printing, and all printers incorporate security through Private Print, optional Card Release and Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) compliance.

Dutch printer ink vendor 123inkt accuses HP of reprogramming printers to reject 3rd party cartridges, effectively forcing customers to stick exclusively with official inks.

123inkt says on 13 September 2016 it received a "large number" of complaints involving the same error message-- "Problem with cartridge. One or more cartridges seem damaged. Remove the cartridges and replace them with new cartridges." The company insists nothing was wrong with its cartridges, and the official line from HP claims it is due to a firmware update unintentionally stopping 3rd party cartridges from certain printers.

Printers showing the problem come frome the HP OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Pro X lines.

However, 123inkt says the affected printer models have not received a firmware update since March 2016, and in any case printers with older firmware versions are also experiencing the same problem. Making things more curious is the fact even printers not connected to a network (meaning they receive no firmware updates) are affected by the issue.

HP proves printers are still a relevant business as it buys the Samsung printer unit for $1.05 billion, an acquisition the companys says will "disrupt and reinvent" the copier industry.

The deal also covers some 6500 printing patents, as well as 1300 researchers and engineers making the Samsung printing team. Post-acquisition Samsung printing technologies will be folded within the HP product offering, such as the PageWide A3 MFP line. It also provides HP with the means of manufacturing own printing engines, a critical component making laser printers.

“When we became a separate company just 10 months ago, it enabled us to become nimble and focus on accelerating growth and reinventing industries,” HP CEO Dion Weisler says. “We are doing this with 3D printing and the disruption of the $12 trillion traditional manufacturing industry, and now we are going after the $55 billion copier space. The acquisition of Samsung’s printer business allows us to deliver print innovation and create entirely new business opportunities with far better efficiency, security, and economics for customers.”