Quin, a hardware company based in Zhuhai, has built a name for itself in overseas markets. Riding the wave of demand for portable printers and other niche devices, its annual revenue has reportedly grown from RMB 4 million (USD 560,000) to RMB 1.8 billion (USD 252 million) over the past 11 years.
But founder Guo Jinpeng still remembers the early struggles. For three consecutive years, Quin operated at a loss. Guo sold one apartment and mortgaged another to keep the company afloat. On some nights, he received calls from team members almost every evening.
Zhuhai is a global manufacturing hub for printer consumables, producing 80% of the world’s printer ribbons. Yet the printer market itself is dominated by US and Japanese companies, which together hold about 80% of global sales. Despite its scale, the industry is mature and increasingly constrained by tighter consumer budgets and volatile macroeconomic conditions. Shipments have been declining for years.
Even in a manufacturing stronghold like Zhuhai, building a business around printers is far from easy.
Quin started out as Aimo, producing label tape and other printing consumables. The market was so niche that its initial exports did not even have a customs code.
In 2015, Quin launched a store on Amazon and began exploring the consumer market. Progress was slow at first, but Guo soon identified an opportunity in home-use printers, a segment largely overlooked by major players.
When portable printers became a breakout category in 2016, Quin’s growth accelerated.
Today, the company operates several in-house brands including Phomemo, Yinxiansen, Aimo, and YCN. Since 2022, it has become the world’s top seller of portable printers.
Rethinking what a printer can be
Anyone who has ever tried to print a document in the office knows the struggle: finicky connections, cryptic error messages. And printing on the go? That often means a frustrating hunt for a copy shop and hoping it works.
Printers have long been built for enterprise use. Most are bulky, boxy, and unfriendly to the average user.
Quin set out to change that. It developed what it claims is the smallest and lightest A4 printer on the market, specifically designed for professionals who work outside of a traditional office. The team aimed for double-sided printing capability and spent nearly a year prototyping. They disassembled more than 20 printers and electronics, experimented with a dozen materials, and eventually built a model weighing just 285 grams.
The lightweight printer unexpectedly caught the eye of customers in the Middle East.
“When we were showcasing products at an expo, some Middle Eastern clients were thrilled to see it,” said Li Xiaohui, Quin’s vice general manager, in an interview with 36Kr. “They have many mobile work scenarios: mobile courts, field inspections, business meetings. Basically wherever documents need to be printed on the spot. A portable printer solves that.”
What began as a solution for mobile professionals in China ended up meeting broader needs abroad.
This focus on identifying niche use cases has become a cornerstone of Quin’s product design.
The company’s first hit product, the Phomemo D30 label printer, followed a similar path.
Traditionally, label printers were used in corporate offices, large factories, and logistics centers. Even compact models used to measure 20–30 centimeters in length. Thermal printing technology, once limited to logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing, was deeply industrial.
Quin adapted that technology for consumer use.
With the D30, Quin removed the need for ink, toners, or cartridges, making it cleaner, more portable, and easier to use. It includes a rechargeable battery and supports Bluetooth connectivity to improve mobility. Seven years later, the D30 remains the bestselling label printer on Amazon.
Following the D30’s success, Quin expanded into other specialized printers for education and home use. It has grown steadily from label makers into a wider array of portable printers, firmly establishing its place in the market.
Printers are no longer just devices
For years, printers were seen as an uninspiring category for startups. The field was dominated by legacy players in the US, Japan, and South Korea, who held tens of thousands of patents that made innovation expensive and risky.
Printers also lacked appeal. Unlike the excitement surrounding 3D printing, traditional printers were viewed as utilitarian. They were workhorse devices, mostly used in offices.
When Quin first began exporting portable printers, it had trouble finding a customer base. With few comparable products on the market, there was little competition, but also little demand.
That changed with one key discovery: overseas users were printing Christmas stickers and gift labels. This insight steered Quin toward DIY and gifting applications.
It turned out that DIY was a large and underserved market.
According to a study by the Association for Creative Industries, 63% of US housewives had engaged in at least one craft or creative activity in 2016. Of those, 40% spent more than 20 hours a week on their projects. The community was large, passionate, and highly engaged.
Quin’s research also found that personalization was a major driver. Different user groups had distinct habits. Some printed custom books as gifts, others used stickers in planners, and some created body art using tattoo paper. Even fortune cookie fans printed personalized messages to fold into cookies.
To support this variety, Quin built a content team of about 100 people whose job is to create an ongoing stream of printable designs.
User feedback also feeds directly into product development.
“Tattoo paper was a customer request,” Li said. “People wanted to print their own designs and bring them to tattoo artists. Once we understood that, we began developing the material, and the results were excellent.”
Quin recognized that the printer itself is just one part of the value proposition. What keeps users engaged is content.
The company leaned into this by building a suite of six specialized apps, each tailored to a specific user group. These apps go far beyond basic setup and tutorials. They offer templates, fonts, illustrations, and other resources to support creativity.
Across all its apps, Quin now has about five million users worldwide. The company is exploring monetization through premium features such as cloud storage, AI-generated content, and print filters.
Outside the app ecosystem, Quin’s Xiwen brand supports community building on platforms like Facebook and Instagram through DIY challenges, product testing, and contests. Its official website hosts a dedicated community page where users can showcase their work and join a Discord server for real-time interaction.
Quin’s growth reflects a new blueprint for hardware startups. Its strength lies not only in physical products but also in the emotional connections built through its content ecosystem.
In a category where technical specifications are often indistinguishable, offering consistent emotional value may be the key to lasting loyalty.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Leslie Zhang for 36Kr.