IDC Reports Mixed Results on Laser, Ink Jet Hard Copy Peripheral Shipments to China

According to Information Data Corporation (IDC), overall shipments to China of hardcopy peripherals decreased in the 1Q2013, compared with 1Q2012. The 2.74 million units shipped represent a decline of 12.4% in comparison with the same period last year, while revenue declined by 5.8%.

Overall shipments of laser printers reached 1.55 million units in the first quarter, for a 2.4% YoY (year-on-year) decrease. The single function printer (SFP) segment is shrinking, having taken a 41.9% share of China’s laser printer market. According to IDC, all major vendors, including HP, Lenovo, Canon, and Samsung, shifted their focus to multi-function printers (MFPs).

In 1Q2013, shipment of monochrome laser printers with speeds of 21-30 ppm and more than 31 ppm, increased 25.1% and 20.8% YoY, respectively Now, monochrome laser printers outputting more than 21 ppm account for 41% of the laser printer market, with a 7.7% YoY growth rate.

Overall shipment of inkjet printers to China reached 610,000, down 32.0%. The inkjet market was sluggish because the demand from home and SMB users remained low. IDC claims, “Since 2012, major inkjet printer vendors have been paying more attention to profit indicators, adjusting product strategy to control sales volume of low-end inkjet printers, and promoting high-yield cartridge printers. High-yield cartridge products such as, Epson-Ink Tank System printers and HP IA and UIA series printers, recorded strong growth with overall shipment of about 90,000 units and a YoY growth rate of 15.7%. This accounts for 14.5% of the overall inkjet printer market, and an increase of 6% compared to the same period last year”.

The shipment of serial dot matrix (SDM) printers hit 570,000 units, a 10.5% decrease compared with the same period last year. Yet, IDC foresees China’s SDM printer market maintaining its market size during the next few years.

Donna Wang, Senior Market Analyst for China’s Hardcopy Peripherals Market research, IDC China, says, “With the tweaking of product lines by major vendors, further expansion of channel structure and refinement of user positioning, IDC expects China’s hardcopy peripherals market to see tremendous growth opportunities in the future.”