The worldwide hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market increased 1.2% year over year to nearly 28.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2017 (4Q17), according IDC (www.idc.com).

The growth was driven by a solid performance in the inkjet market, which grew 3.3% year-over-year, adds the research group. Shipment value, on the other hand, decreased 1.0% year over year to $13.7 billion in the quarter.

Three out of the top five companies saw year-over-year shipment growth in 4Q17, with Epson leading the way at 12.2%, followed by Brother at 5.2% and Canon Group's 1.4%. Top-ranked HP Inc. recorded a year-over-year decline of 3.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017 (4Q17). For the full year 2017, HP's shipments of more than 39 million units remained unchanged from 2016 while Epson, Brother, and Canon Group posted positive year-over-year growth of 4.6%, 3.6%, and 1.3%, respectively.