FRAMINGHAM, Mass., December 3, 2014 – Worldwide hardcopy peripherals (HCP) shipment value increased 3.5% year over year to $14.9 billion in the third quarter of 2014 (3Q14) while unit shipments declined -2.3% year over year to 27.5 million units during the same period, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker.

Some notable accomplishments in the third quarter include:

• Western Europe, one of the biggest regions in terms of HCP shipments, enjoyed its sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The main driver for growth in the region was color MFP products. Inkjet markets continued to show year-on-year increases but demand in consumer markets weakened, while the growth patterns for business inkjets were again strong.
• Two of the top 5 vendors (Epson and Samsung) enjoyed positive year-over-year growth. Most of Epson's growth came from developing regions, while Samsung extended its gains into developed regions like the United States and Western Europe.
• Ricoh continued to gain momentum in the laser space, recording continuous year-over-year growth in unit shipments since the first quarter of 2010.