Repeat camera buyers soon will play a much bigger role in the growth of the digital still camera market, according to industry analysts at InfoTrends, based in Weymouth, Mass. The report also says the demand for digital SLRs will continue to grow in North America and is expected to peak later this year.

Competition in the photo print market will remain intense, but InfoTrends foresees that the focus will shift from persuading digital camera owners to choose one printing method over another to simply providing customers with more reasons to print. More digital camera owners are using retail print services, with the number of those saying that they print most often at retail outlets rising from 13 percent in 2004 to 23 percent in 2005.

InfoTrends' print researchers expect manufacturers to effect changes that will make it easier for consumers to print their photos anytime and from anywhere. The evolution of snapshot-sized printers, the growth in wireless printing and the emerging popularity of Internet-to-retail printing are just a few of the trends that will make printing more convenient.