Canon has confirmed that they are now the “No.1 provider” of both A3 Laser MFP and Production Print solutions across the UK & Ireland for Q2 2026, according to IDC Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker Q2 2026 (August), covering markets in the UK and Ireland
Unsurprisingly, the market share claims are aligned to Canon’s Q2 2026 results. For full results, find them here, and in brief:
- Canon delivered record Q2 net sales of ¥1.18 trillion / $7.4bn, up 3.6% year-on-year, driven by strong Imaging performance and growing demand for semiconductor lithography equipment
- Operating profit increased 35.2% to ¥159.2bn / $1.0bn, benefiting from favourable exchange rates and tariff refunds despite ongoing cost inflation.
- Printing sales grew 3.1%, with improving demand for commercial printing systems and digital production equipment. IT services, consumables and solutions continues to grow.
- Imaging sales were up 17.7%. Growth was driven by demand for compact cameras, higher sales of full-frame mirrorless models and network cameras, where revenue increased by more than 20%.
- Demand for memory and AI-related semiconductor equipment is strong, with Canon selling 48 lithography systems during the quarter while continuing development of nanoimprint lithography technology.
Recent IDC Hardcopy Peripherals Market Insights
According to IDC, worldwide hardcopy peripherals shipments declined by 7.0% year over year to 17.2 million shipments in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest release of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker. Value of shipments in the second quarter was $8.1 billion, a 5.8% decline from the prior year.
The Middle East War weighed on oil prices, placing stress on supply chains and causing end users to delay purchasing decisions, suppressing shipments in the second quarter.
“Q2 2026 was marked by geopolitical and economic volatility that left both consumer and commercial buyers cautious, dampening appetite for investment in new products,” said Maggie Tan, Vice President at IDC. “This headwind is likely to persist until the macro picture stabilizes.”
Worldwide hardcopy peripherals highlights in Q2 2026
Ink tank shipments grew year over year, continuing to take share from ink cartridge models globally, as vendors continue to add ink tank models to their portfolio in this growing market segment.
Laser shipments contracted again in Q2 2026, though their decline was less than inkjet. Weakness remained more pronounced in A3 configurations, but A4 declines narrowed the gap. Both color and monochrome laser were down from the prior year, with monochrome posting a steeper decline than color in the second quarter. Within the monochrome category, however, 45-90ppm models bucked the trend, showing slight year-over-year gains.
Full IDC commentary for Q2 can be found here.
