According to Juniper Research global consumer 3D printer sales will exceed 1 million units by 2018-- a long-term yet significant increase over the sales of 44000 units the analyst estimates for 2014.

Driving growth during the period is the entry of established vendors in consumer 3D printing space such as HP, as well as more attractive pricing and a widening scope of applicability.

The established printing vendors are still to "show their cards," but niche and novelty 3D printing applications are on the rise. For example, Hasbro and Hershey are developing unique consumer applications for the technology, while M3D's low-cost Micro printer is something of a Kickstarter success.

Will 3D printing technology truly reach the mass market? M3D believes so as it reveals the Micro, a device it describes as "the most affordable 3D printer that can be used right out of the box."

The Micro is a compact (it weighs 1kg) cube-shaped device promising reliable and low-power 3D printing. It prints objects using PLA and ABS plastics, as well as M3D filament spools, and reportedly prints out a teacup in all of an hour.

Print layer resolution is 50-350 microns, while print area clocks at a maximum of 116 x 109 x 113mm. In other words printed objects are not too large, the printer allows for cheap and cheerful plastic trinkets. M3D also promises user-friendly software allowing users to easily search for, organise and print objects.

At the annual HP shareholders meeting CEO Meg Whitman confirms the company is set to enter 3D printing space, with an official reveal to take place on June 2014.

According to Whitman the company solved what she says are the two main problems of the technology-- speed ("it's like watching ice melt" Whitman says) and quality ("the surface of the substrate is not perfect"). HP will initially target market verticals demanding systems for the creation of prototypes and finished products, but will also target service providers for consumers wanting individual print jobs.

Currently 3D printers are the domain of smaller vendors such as 3D Systems and Stratasys, so why would a giant such as HP want to take on the technology? A Canalys market forecast might have the answer. According to the analyst the 2013 global 3D printing market is worth $2.5 billion, and will rise to $3.8bn in 2014 before reaching $16.2bn by 2018.

LG reveals what it claims is one of the smallest mobile printers around at CES 2014-- the Pocket Photo 2.0 (model PD239), a miniature device able to print 5.1 x 7.6cm photos from iOS and Android devices.

The company says the mini-printer is 4mm thinner than the first Pocket Photo model, and uses ZINK technology to print at 313dpi. It connects to mobile device via NFC or Bluetooth after the installation of a free Pocket Photo app.

Users can also embed QR codes in photos for enhanced sharing.

German CE retailer Conrad Electronic launches an own 3D printer-- the Renkforce RF1000, a relatively inexpensive model set to be available as either a kit or a complete, ready to use unit.

The printer connects to PCs via USB, and features an SD card slot. It makes use of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) to print models up to 250x235x175mm in size using ABS, PLA, PVA, EcoPLA, PET, Tauman, Laybrick, Bendlay, Laywood-D3, HIPS and ABS smart materials.

Conrad says the printer is easy to use, and can also mill and engrave in plastic, wood, aluminium and brass via optional replacement components.

HP announcement the shipment of the 200 millionth HP LaserJet printer-- an event the company describes as "an unprecedented milestone" for the nearly 30 year old brand.

In celebration HP will show off limited-edition commemorative LaserJet printers at Customer Experience Centres around the world, including Barcelona, Bejing, Mexico City and Palo Alto.

It also launches the "200 Million and Counting" customer sweepstakes. Customers can share LaserJet-related testimonials on a special site, before HP chooses a winning testimonial from each worldwide region 24 December 2013. The prize? A limited-edition LaserJet MFP.

The idea of 3D printers (3DPs) as a growth market might sound far fetched, but not according to Gartner-- the analyst predicts 2013 global enterprise and consumer sub-$100000 3DP shipments are to grow by 49% to 56507 units.

Shipments will only increase further in 2014 (98065 units with 75% growth) and 2015 ("near doubling of unti shipments"), while end-user spending is to reach $412 million with 43% growth in 2013, up from $325m in 2012, before growing by 62% to $669m in 2014.

"The 3DP market has reached its inflection point," Gartner claims. "While still a nascent market, with hype outpacing the technical realities, the speed of development and rise in buyer interest are pressing hardware, software and service providers to offer easier-to-use tools and materials that produce consistently high-quality results."

According to IDC 2012 EMEA page volume generated on home and office digital hardcopy devices is down by -2.3% to 2 million pages. W. Europe and CEE see declines of -3.1% and -3.2% respectively, while MEA is the only sub-region posting growth.

W. Europe accounts for over 63% of EMEA total page volume.

On a global scale 2012 page volume is down from 3.03 trillion in 2011 to 2.98tr, a -1.5% decline caused by a reduction in pages printed on laser devices in developed economies.