The History of Epson Printers
Today, we know Epson as a company that makes printers, computers, scanners, televisions, and other home and office electronics. But the company started as a subsidiary of Seiko, a watch manufacturer.
Seiko itself was opened only about thirty years after Commodore Perry, a diplomat from the U.S. Navy, was sent to Japan on a mission to negotiate with the country to open its doors to Western trade. Prior to Perry’s visit, Japan had been ruled for 250 years by a Shogun family who did not allow the country to participate in foreign trade.
After Perry successfully opened Japan to Western trade, many Japanese companies were founded—including Seiko, originally established as a wall clock manufacturer in 1892. The founder, Kintaro Hattori, was a Japanese entrepreneur who started his company with only ten employees.
The company we know as Epson was founded in 1961 under the name Shinshu Seiki—or Seiki Precision Manufacturing Company, in English. Its role was to provide precision parts for Seiko watches.
In 1964, Epson won a contract to make precision timers for the Olympic Games. The timers required electronic printers in order to print out the results of their timekeeping during the games. The company started development of the EP-101, a small printer that was built into calculators.
In 1975, the company introduced a new version of the EP printer to the market. According to company lore, the printer was nicknamed “Son of EP” after the first version of the printer, which had hit the market in 1968. “Son of EP” became “Epson.” Later that year, the company opened a branch in America under the name Epson America, Inc.
Epson began developing and selling dot-matrix printers to the American market soon after. One of their earliest printers, the TX-80, served as a printer for the Commodore PET, one of the world’s first personal computers. A later version, the MX-80, was released in 1980 and quickly became one of the country’s best-selling printers.
In 1982, Epson began to expand into manufacturing personal computers. It produced what is now recognized as the first laptop, the Epson HX-20. This computer included a built-in printer and a microcassette drive for data storage. It was around this time that the company changed its name to Epson Corporation.
In 1993, the company released its first Inkjet printer. Their printer, the Epson MJ-500, included piezoelectric crystal technology. In these printers, piezoelectric material is located within a chamber that also includes ink. Piezoelectric material is a substance—usually a ceramic or crystal—that generates an electric potential when physical stress is applied to it. Within an Inkjet printer, a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric material within the ink cartridge, causing it to change shape or size. This forces some of the ink in the chamber out of the nozzle.
Epson didn’t go public on the Japanese stock exchange until June of 2003. When it did, the Hattori family—the founders of Epson, as well as Seiko Holdings and Seiko Instruments—retained a major share of the company. As of 2007, the family still retains the majority of control over Epson.
Throughout its existence, Epson has achieved many “firsts,” as well as receiving other recognitions in its industry. In addition to manufacturing the first laptop computer, Epson’s MX-80 printer established the industry standard for dot-matrix printers in the American market during the 80’s. The company was the first to produce low-energy liquid-crystal displays, which are now used in everything from watch displays to computer screens.
In 1988, Epson was the first company to manufacture a printer completely by automation. Ten years later, Epson’s Stylus Color 800 Inkjet printer was chosen by NASA to be used during their STS-95 research mission, with astronauts in orbit around the earth aboard the space shuttle Discovery. In 1999, the Epson Stylus Color 900 won recognition as the world’s fastest Inkjet printer in its class.
From a small clock and watchmaker over a hundred years ago to a worldwide company that employs thousands today, Epson has grown to be one of its industry’s primary innovators. With its strong track record, it’s likely that the company will continue to be an important influence on its industry well into the 21st century.
