The worldwide production print market enjoyed double-digit year-over-year shipment growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 (4Q14). Unit shipments grew 17.1% to approximately 11,650 units (printers and MFPs) and shipment value increased 4.5% to nearly $1.4 billion in the same time period, according to the IDC (www.idc.com) research group.

With exception of Japan, all of IDC's regional markets saw positive year-over-year shipment growth in the production print space. Among the regions, North America grew 19.4% year over year, EMEA grew 23.2%, and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) was up 14.7%.

All categories in the production print market recorded double-digit year-over-year growth. Production had year-over-year shipment growth of 50.1%, followed by Label & Packaging at 25.0% and Mid-Production with 10.2%.

Color laser grew by 44.8% on an annual basis while high speed inkjet saw a 27.9% year-over-year increase and monochrome declined -5.9% compared to 4Q13.

"The worldwide production market saw gains as print service providers across the globe are investing in digital. The United States is still the largest opportunity for the digital production market, but other regions are showing high demand for equipment," says Amy Machado, Senior Research Analyst, Hardcopy Peripheral Solutions, IDC.