The worldwide hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market declined 1.2% year over year to approximately 25 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2018 (3Q18), according to research firm IDC.
Both inkjet and laser unit shipments experienced a year-over-year decline in the quarter, falling 1.5% and 0.7% respectively.
Notable highlights from the quarter include:
- The Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ) region delivered year-over-year growth in unit shipments for the fifth consecutive quarter, increasing 0.9% in 3Q18. The top three contributors to the region’s growth were China, India, and the Philippines. Inkjet growth in the region was largely driven by ink tank printers, which saw a 22.1% increase. This was the first quarter where ink tank shipments were greater than ink cartridge, making ink tank the leading product in the inkjet market for APeJ with 51.1% share.
- Color laser’s year-over-year growth of 2.3% was helped by strong performances from 21-30 ppm and 31-44 pm devices. Four of the top 5 companies (in terms of units), including HP Inc., Canon Group, Brother, and Ricoh Group, recorded year-over-year expansion in color laser shipments.
- Canon Group outperformed all the other companies in the top 5 with year-over-year shipment growth of 7.7% to approximately 5.3 million units. The US market was one of the key contributors to the company’s results, delivering a 20% increase in inkjet and 41% expansion in the laser market.
