What Keypoint Intelligence does

Keypoint Intelligence is a privately held market research and consulting firm specializing in digital imaging, printing, and document technology markets. The company was formed in November 2016 through the integration of InfoTrends (founded February 1996 in Japan, focused on global digital imaging primary research and forecasting) and Buyers Lab (BLI, established 1961 in the United States, focused on independent laboratory testing of printers, MFPs, scanners, and related software). The combined entity operates with global headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey, and a Japanese subsidiary (株式会社キーポイントインテリジェンス) headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, with over 100 analysts and support staff distributed across the US, Europe, China, and Japan. The Japanese subsidiary, originally incorporated as 株式会社博文トレンズ (later 株式会社インフォトレンズ), was renamed to its current form on January 1, 2017, following the integration.

The firm's service portfolio comprises five commercial offerings: (1) annual consulting subscriptions providing continuous market monitoring, multi-year forecasts, white papers, and analyst inquiry access for contracted clients; (2) multi-client studies sponsored by multiple participating clients, sold in advance at early-bird pricing with input rights on research scope; (3) bespoke custom research projects using desk research, interviews, focus groups, web/telephone surveys, and market modeling; (4) individual report sales through an online report store; and (5) paid hybrid conferences on POD, Wide Format & Textile, Workplace Document Technology, Original Goods, and AI markets. Its proprietary BLI laboratory testing platform evaluates output quality, durability, productivity, media compatibility, and ease of use of printing equipment, producing awards (BLI Pick Awards, PRO Awards, Line of the Year) that major OEMs cite directly in their product marketing. The bliQ online portal provides login-based self-service access to test results.

Keypoint Intelligence serves enterprise clients primarily in the office and production print OEM segment (Canon, HP, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Xerox, Sharp, Fuji Film Business Innovation, Dell, Brother, Lexmark, Kodak Alaris), plus print service providers, print buyers/brand owners, and label/packaging/industrial print companies. Revenue is generated through B2B subscription contracts, multi-client study sponsorships, project-based custom research, individual report licenses, and conference ticket sales. The US entity is part of the Total Specific Solutions (TSS) software/IT solutions group, and the company has executed two acquisitions since 2022—Karstedt Partners, LLC (September 2022) and ProPrintPerformance in Sweden (May 2023)—while expanding into cybersecurity testing for office equipment via a partnership with ACS (October 2022).

Name

Keypoint Intelligence

Legal name

株式会社キーポイントインテリジェンス

Website

https://keypointintelligence.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Keypoint Intelligence is a private market research and consulting firm specializing in digital printing, imaging, and document technology markets, serving major OEMs and print service providers globally with forecasting, custom research, BLI laboratory product testing, and industry conferences across 100+ analyst staff in the US, Europe, China, and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research and Consulting Services for Digital Printing and Document Technology

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Competitive Intelligence & Benchmarking (BPAHALAB), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Print market research
• Document technology consulting
• Printer product testing
• Digital imaging analysis
• Production print forecasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Akasaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual Consulting Services: Ongoing subscription-style service providing continuous market monitoring, forecasts, industry news, white papers, and analyst inquiry access throughout the contract period.
2. Multi-Client Studies: Company-sponsored research studies where multiple client companies participate; early-bird pricing available for advance enrollment; clients can influence research topics during design phase.
3. Custom Research Projects: Project-based custom research tailored to unique client information needs and budgets; uses desk research, interviews, focus groups, surveys, and market modeling methods.
4. Individual Research Reports: Individual reports from annual consulting service or completed multi-client studies sold separately; available through report store.
5. Conference and Event Tickets: Paid attendance tickets for in-person and online hybrid conferences on POD, Wide Format, Workplace Document Technology, AI, and Original Goods markets; priced at tiered early-bird and standard rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Keypoint Intelligence is a market research and consulting firm specializing in digital imaging, printing, and document technology markets. It sells annual consulting subscriptions with ongoing market intelligence and analyst access, multi-client research studies, custom research projects, individual market reports, and independent BLI laboratory testing of printers, MFPs, and scanners via the bliQ portal. It also hosts paid industry conferences covering production printing, wide format, workplace document technology, AI, and related segments.

Product overview

Keypoint Intelligence is a market research and consulting company specializing in digital imaging, printing, and document technology markets. The company was formed through the 2016 merger of InfoTrends (global digital imaging market research) and Buyers Lab (BLI - printer/copier/scanner testing and evaluation services). Their portfolio consists of advisory services rather than a traditional software product: annual consulting services providing continuous market monitoring, multi-client research studies, custom research projects, published market reports and white papers, and industry conference events. The company operates across Japan, Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe with over 100 analysts and support staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• bliQ: Buyer's Laboratory online platform providing product test results and awards (BLI Pick Awards) for office and production printing equipment.

Products and services

• Annual Consulting Service Subscription-style annual service providing continuous market monitoring, multi-year market size forecasts, industry news, white papers, analysis reports, and ongoing analyst inquiry (Q&A) access throughout the contract period. Targeted at OEMs, PSPs, and brand owners seeking ongoing market intelligence in office and production printing, wide format, label/packaging, textile, and scanner markets.
• Multi-Client Studies Pre-sponsored research studies where multiple client companies participate to share costs and findings. Clients enrolling early receive early-bird pricing discounts and can influence research topics during the design phase. Used for market sizing, technology roadmaps, and investment planning across label, packaging, industrial, textile, and wide format segments.
• Custom Research Projects Project-based bespoke research tailored to unique client information needs and budgets. Methodology includes desk research, individual interviews, focus groups, web surveys, telephone surveys, and market modeling. Delivered as discrete projects for enterprise clients needing tailored market, vendor, or technology assessments.
• Individual Research Reports Individual published research reports covering specific market segments, available for one-time purchase through the Keypoint Intelligence report store. Reports are drawn from annual consulting service deliverables or completed multi-client studies, allowing buyers to acquire single-topic intelligence without a full subscription.
• BLI Product Testing (bliQ) Independent laboratory testing of printers, multifunction devices (MFPs), scanners, and related software, evaluating output quality, durability, productivity, media compatibility, and ease of use. Test results, ratings, and BLI Pick/PRO Awards are published through the bliQ online portal. Used by OEMs, resellers, and procurement teams for product benchmarking and marketing award programs.
• Industry Conferences (POD, Wide Format & Textile, Workplace Document Technology, AI, Original Goods) Paid hybrid (in-person and online) analyst-led conferences covering Production (POD), Wide Format & Textile, Workplace Document Technology (WDT), AI, and Original Goods markets. Sold at tiered pricing with early-bird discounts (e.g., ¥94,800 early-bird vs. ¥99,800 standard per attendee, excluding 10% JCT). Targeted at print service providers, OEMs, brand owners, and other industry buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• BLI awards are used by Canon, Fuji Film BI, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Xerox, HP, Dell, Brother, Sharp, Kodak Alaris in marketing their products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ProPrintPerformanceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2023Keypoint Intelligence acquired ProPrintPerformance, a Swedish company, in May 2023, expanding its European presence and consulting capabilities in the production print market.
• ACS (Agile Cyber Security Solutions)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2022Keypoint Intelligence announced partnership with ACS in October 2022, expanding cybersecurity expertise within its product testing and consulting portfolio for the office document technology market.
• Karstedt Partners, LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2022Keypoint Intelligence acquired Karstedt Partners, LLC in September 2022, strengthening its consulting and advisory capabilities.
• Buyers Lab (BLI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2015InfoTrends and Buyers Lab (BLI) integrated in November 2016 to form Keypoint Intelligence. BLI contributed over 50 years of independent printer/MFP testing; InfoTrends contributed Asia Pacific and global primary research capabilities. The combined entity has 100+ analyst and support staff globally.
• Nanjing Enjoy Print Co. Ltd.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNanjing Enjoy Print Co. Ltd. (China's leading DTF printer manufacturer) is a sponsor of the Original Goods Conference 2025, presenting on China's DTF market and technology.
• ainkjetminorGTM or Marketing Partnerainkjet sponsored the Original Goods Conference 2025 and Wide Format & Textile Conference 2025.
• Adobe K.K. (Japan)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdobe K.K. sponsored the Wide Format & Textile Conference 2025, 2023, 2022, and WDT Conference 2025. Provides speakers for conference sessions on Adobe PDF Print Engine and print workflow technology. Also sponsor of POD Conference 2026.
• Tokyo Outdoor Advertising Art Cooperative (東京屋外広告美術協同組合)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-supports/backs Wide Format & Textile Printing Conference annually; leverages member network of sign & display companies as conference audience.
• Epson Sales Japan CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEpson co-sponsored the Wide Format Printing Conference 2021 and provided guest speakers on color management topics.
• EFI (E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEFI sponsored Wide Format conferences (2019, 2018, 2017, 2015) and provided speakers on digital printing workflow and software topics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• IDC: IDC is a global market intelligence firm covering IT, imaging, and printing markets among many other technology segments. Broader incumbent with overlapping printer/MFP coverage, but lacks Keypoint's specialized product testing laboratories and deep print vertical focus.
• Gartner: Gartner provides broad technology research and advisory services to enterprises worldwide, including coverage of print and document technology within its workplace and IT infrastructure practices. Operates at much larger scale with significantly broader scope.
• Forrester: Forrester Research is a major technology and market research firm with overlapping coverage of enterprise content management, workplace technology, and printing. Comparable in subscription research and advisory model, but operates across much broader technology verticals.
• ARC Advisory Group: ARC Advisory Group is an industrial market research firm with overlapping coverage of industrial printing, manufacturing technology, and supply chain markets. Comparable in research subscription model but with broader industrial focus beyond print.

Emerging players

• MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets is a global market research firm that publishes syndicated reports on printing, packaging, and digital imaging markets. Comparable in covering similar end markets, but primarily operates a high-volume low-cost syndicated report model rather than Keypoint's consultative subscription approach.

Direct peers

• Quocirca: Quocirca is a print and digital workplace industry analyst firm providing research, vendor evaluation, and market intelligence to OEMs and enterprise buyers. Directly comparable in target customer base (print OEMs and large enterprises) and subscription research model.
• NAPCO Research: NAPCO Research provides market intelligence and strategic research for the printing, publishing, and graphic arts industries. Direct peer to Keypoint's InfoTrends heritage, serving similar OEM, PSP, and print buyer audiences with syndicated research and benchmarking.
• Smithers: Smithers is a leading independent provider of market research, testing, and consulting for the print, packaging, and paper industries. Directly comparable to Keypoint's BLI/InfoTrends business, with overlapping coverage of digital printing, labels, and packaging forecasts.
• I.T. Strategies: I.T. Strategies is a consulting firm focused on digital printing, production workflow, and the print service provider market. Comparable to Keypoint's custom research and consulting arm, with similar OEM and PSP customer base in production print.

Others

• PRINTING United Alliance: PRINTING United Alliance (formerly SGIA and NAPCO) is the major US printing industry association providing market data, events, and education. Adjacent to Keypoint's research mission, serving overlapping PSP and OEM audiences with industry data and benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/infotrends_jp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@keypointintelligence1259
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keypoint-intelligence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keypoint Intelligence