Canon forecasts greater competition in printer industry Jan 27, 2011 17:23 by Chris Rails

Consumers around the world often buy Canon printer ink cartridges and other products because of brand loyalty.

But Canon believes that competition in the global printer industry is likely to hot up over the next few months and become "increasingly intense".

It will certainly be interesting to see whether people stick with their current preference or have their heads turned by rival firms.

However, Canon itself seems to be pretty confident that it will be able to hold on to its place in the market and perform well in 2011.

Indeed, it believes demand for products such as its laser printers and network digital multifunction devices will go up this year.

The company said sales of these items around the world should increase solidly over the next few months.

Of course, Canon can always stay one step ahead of its rivals by offering pioneering and innovative products.

The company only recently outlined this as an ongoing priority after its printers were handed awards by Buyers Laboratory Inc.