The pandemic has seen online and offline demand for printers surge because of lifestyle changes, while supply chain disruptions have created shortages in the market.
Printer makers Canon and Brother are working together for the first time to promote the use of genuine printing ink to ward off technical problems that could happen with printers.
"The lockdown has increased demand in the local printer market because of the rise of remote studying and working from home, while people who are jobless are starting their own businesses, which in turn pushes up demand for new printers," said Teerawut Suppapunpinyo, managing director of Brother Commercial Thailand.
An average of 1 million printers are sold in Thailand per year and the demand uptick makes it unlikely the market will contract this year despite economic woes.
There is a small inventory of printers in the market as the supply chain has not been fully functional since April.
"In other countries, the pandemic is getting worse," said Mr Teerawut. Brother has printer factories in the Philippines and Vietnam.
Online sales of printers have surged 60% from January to September because of varying lockdowns, according to market research firm GfK.
The rise in printer demand also supports sales of ink and toner, he said.
The printer market is rife with off-brand ink products available for both inkjet and laser printers, said Mr Teerawut.
Online shoppers may lack the knowledge of the advantages of using genuine products, he said.
He said non-genuine products are about 10-20% cheaper, which lures buyers to purchase cheaper ones, "but they may need to get their printers repaired later".
Brother's genuine toner accounts for 70% of the total market and genuine ink makes up of 60% of the total market.
The company's revenue from printers is on par with earnings from ink products.
To tackle the use of non-genuine ink or toner, Brother has joined Canon to launch the campaign "Only the Genuine Will Know" to encourage consumers to use only genuine printer cartridges.
The campaign is meant to create awareness of the possible disadvantages of using incompatible or counterfeit products.
Mr Teerawut said genuine printing products help ensure the quality of printing, the cost of printing, ease of use as well as health and environmental safety.
Hiroshi Yokota, president and chief executive of Canon Marketing Thailand, said despite being rivals, Brother and Canon share the same philosophy of customer care and protection.
The two work together to address the use of non-genuine printing products, which could have an impact on people's awareness.
"Brother leads the laser printer market and Canon leads in inkjet printers," Mr Yokota said.
"Together, the two have 60% of the combined market share to leverage in reaching out to consumers in this campaign."