Worldwide Printer/Copier Shipments Down 1.2 Percent in Third-Quarter
The worldwide hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market declined 1.2 percent year-over-year to approximately 25 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2018 (3Q18), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker. Both inkjet and laser unit shipments experienced a year-over-year decline in the quarter, falling 1.5 percent and 0.7 percent respectively.
Note that in its research, IDC tracks A2-A4 devices for its Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker. Hardcopy peripherals include single-function printers, multifunctional systems (MFPs), and single-function digital copiers (SF DC).
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 percent 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 inkjet printers, which saw a 22.1 percent increase. This was the first quarter in which ink-tank inkjet shipments were greater than ink-cartridge inkjet printers, making ink-tank printers the leading product in the inkjet market for the APeJ region with 51.1 percent share.
- Color laser’s year-over-year growth of 2.3 percent was helped by strong performances by 21-30 ppm and 31-44 pm devices. Four of the top-five companies (in terms of unit shipments), including HP Inc., Canon Group, Brother, and Ricoh Group, recorded year-over-year expansion in color-laser shipments.
- The Canon Group outperformed all the other companies in the top-five with year-over-year shipment growth of 7.7 percent to approximately 5.3 million units. The U.S. market was one of the key contributors to the company’s results, delivering a 20 percent increase in inkjet and 41% percent expansion in the laser market.
| Worldwide Hardcopy Peripherals Market, Unit Shipments, Company Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q3 2018 (based on unit shipments) | |||||
| Companies | 3Q18 Unit Shipments | 3Q18 Market Share | 3Q17 Unit Shipments | 3Q17 Market Share | 3Q18/3Q17 Growth |
| 1. HP Inc | 10,180,524 | 40.8% | 10,482,001 | 41.5% | -2.9% |
| 2. Canon Group | 5,319,363 | 21.3% | 4,940,185 | 19.6% | +7.7% |
| 3. Epson | 4,441,577 | 17.8% | 4,523,262 | 17.9% | -1.8% |
| 4. Brother | 1,802,325 | 7.2% | 1,841,550 | 7.3% | -2.1% |
| 5. Kyocera Group | 483,712 | 1.9% | 481,254 | 1.9% | +0.5% |
| Others | 2,734,115 | 11.0% | 2,986,409 | 11.8% | -8.4% |
| Total | 24,961,616 | 100.0% | 25,254,661 | 100.0% | -1.2% |
| Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, August 2018 | |||||
For more information about IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, please contact Phuong Hang at phang@idc.com.
More Resources
- August 2018: IDC: Worldwide Printer and Copier Maintains Modest Growth
- May 2018: Sixth Consecutive Quarter of Growth for Worldwide Printer and Copier/MFP Market
- March 2018: Global Managed Print Services Market to Reach $61.36 Billion by 2025
- February 2018: Epson Sees 12.2 Percent Growth in Worldwide Printer Shipments
- November 2017: Slight Uptick for Global Printer and Copier/MFP Market in Third Quarter
- August 2017: IDC: Worldwide Printer and Copier/MFP Shipments Continue to Show Modest Growth in Second Quarter
- June 2017: Global Printer and MFP Shipments See Modest Uptick in First Quarter
- March 2017: IDC: Small Increase in Global Printer and MFP Shipments in Fourth Quarter; Gains for HP, Epson