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Company History

Our long tradition of introducing efficient, precise products will continue into the future – with the continued development of some of the most advanced micromechantronics capabilities for ultra-fine, high-precision processing.

1942 - 1969

May 1942

Daiwa Kogyo Ltd. (the predecessor of Seiko Epson Corporation) is established on the shore of Lake Suwa in Nagano, Japan.

Oct 1964

The Seiko Group develops the compact tabletop quartz clock, the Crystal Chronometer QC-951 and the printing timer play for sports events.

Sept 1968

EP-101, the world's first miniprinter, is launched, from which the Epson brand was later born.

1969

The analog quartz watch is introduced.

1970 - 1989

1970

The SAM-D samarium-cobalt rare-earth bonded magnet becomes the progenitor of Epson's (known as Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd.) magnet business.

Apr 1971

The introduction of the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit that acted as a catalyst for the development of Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd's semiconductor business.

Jul 1975

In 1975, Epson (Son of EP or Electronic Printer) was formally established as the next generation of printers based on the EP-101.

Jun 1977

The debut of the Epson EX-1, a dedicated accounting computer billed as the world's smallest office computer.

Jul 1978

The SVM 7910 electronic sound-generating device is introduced and is the world's first melody IC. Later used in the Seiko Electronic Melodia, a quartz alarm clock that could produce three types of electronic sounds.

1980

MX-80 serial impact printer is introduced and becomes the "de-facto" industry standard for dot matrix printers.

Jul 1982

The world's first hand-held computer, the HX-20, was created and became an astonishing bestseller, with one-quarter of a million units sold.

Dec 1982

The first television watch is introduced and is recognized by the 1984 Guinness Book of Records as the world's smallest television.

1983

The SSR-H series of industrial robots is introduced and is widely used for assembling watches and printers, and for packaging semiconductors.

Aug 1984

The portable liquid crystal color TV (ET-10) is introduced.

Oct 1984

SQ-2000, the first commercial Epson inkjet printer, is released.

1985

Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd. and Epson Corporation merge to establish Seiko Epson Corporation.

1987

The SG-615 plastic SMD crystal oscillator is introduced and becomes the industry standard.

Dec 1988

Epson makes 'CFC Free Declaration' and begins initiatives to eliminate CFCs by the end of FY1993.

Jan 1989

The first Epson brand 3LCD projector, the VPJ-700, is introduced - giving the world a new application for liquid crystal displays.

1990 - 2009

1990

The TM-930, a terminal module printer for use with PC-POS, makes its first appearance and creates a new market.

1992

Seiko Epson receives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award in recognition of its contribution to eliminate ozone-depleting substances from all manufacturing processes.

Mar 1993

Epson introduces the Stylus 800, the first inkjet printer equipped with MicroPiezo technology.

May 1994

Epson successfully develops the world's first 720dpi color inkjet printer, the Epson Stylus Color.

Dec 1994

Epson revolutionizes data projection with its acclaimed compact, high brightness, and high resolution projector - the ELP-3000.

1996

Epson develops six-color, photo quality printer (EPSON Stylus® Color Photo).

1998

An Epson color inkjet printer is selected by NASA for STS-95 mission (Epson Stylus Color 800).

1998

The TM-H5000, Epson's first hybrid printer is released. Featuring fast, quiet printing and copy functionality.

May 2000

The Epson Stylus Pro 9500 large-format inkjet printer is introduced and uses newly developed ColorFast ink to produce high-quality output on sheets of paper as large as B0+.

2002

Epson receives the Corporate Innovation Recognition Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE).

2003

Epson presents a new innovation for the home theater market with the Livingstation LS57P2 and LS47P2 rear projection LCD TV.

2003

Epson expands its line of home entertainment products by introducing the Powerlite Home Cinema 10, 200 and 500 Projectors.

Mar 2004

Printing goes mobile with the introduction of PictureMate - a compact, easy-to-use portable photo printer.

2004

Epson Introduces the RD-1, the world's first rangefinder digital camera.

Sept 2005

The EMP-TWD1, a 1,200-lumen projector is introduced and is capable of projecting crisp images even in bright spaces. It is also equipped with a built-in, high-definition DVD player.

2006

Epson introduces the EMP-6100, a dust-proof projector that keeps particulate matter at bay.

2008

Epson enters the document camera market with the launch of the DC-10s.

2008

Epson enters the sheet-fed document scanner market with the launch of the affordable and compact GT-S50 and GT-S80 desktop scanners.

2008

Epson introduces the WorkForce line of all-in-one printers engineered for small business and home office.

2009

The ULTIMICRON, a high-temperature polysilicon TFT color LCD panel for electronic viewfinders, is developed.

2010 - Present

2010

SurePress L-4033A enters the market and is the first product to apply MicroPiezo technology to industrial label printing.

2011

The TM-T88V-i series of receipt printers is introduced – allowing wireless printing from any computer, smartphone or tablet, regardless of the operating system.

2011

Epson introduces the WorkForce Pro line of inkjet printers for high-volume office and workgroup printing.

2012

The Epson iProjection app launches to Apple App Store and Google Play store.

2012

Epson introduces Moverio Smart Glasses, the world's first Android-based, see-through wearable display.

2013

Epson introduces the F2000 Direct to Garment Printer.

2013

Epson introduces the Omnilink mobile POS System.

2013

Epson Announces PrecisionCore™, a new printhead technology that merges Epson's expertise in high-precision MEMS manufacturing with breakthroughs in material science.

Jan 2014

Epson unveils its newest innovative products at CES: the Moverio BT-200 next generation smart glasses, the LabelWorks™ LW-600P app-enabled label printer, and Pulsense™ wearable technology for activity monitoring.

June 2014

Epson unveils the all new WorkForce Series powered by PrecisionCore®. These groundbreaking business all-in-ones and printers feature innovative printhead technology for performance beyond laser.

Sept 2014

Epson launches the PowerLite Pro Cinema LS10000 laser projector, which combines 3LCD reflective panels and a dual laser light source to produce the blackest blacks and bright, true-to-life colors with one of the widest color gamuts in the industry.

Jan 2015

Epson reveals at CES the revolutionary M-Tracer Golf Swing Analyzer, a light-weight, club-mounted tool designed to help make positive changes to a golfer's game by providing instant access to swing data via a mobile app.

Aug 2015

Epson introduces the new EcoTank line of Supertank all-in-one printers. Featuring revolutionary ink replacement technology that offers an unbeatable combination of convenience and value.

Sept 2016

Epson introduced the FastFoto high-speed photo scanning system. This innovative new photo scanner and custom software help you preserve what’s priceless by quickly scanning your photo collection in a whole new way.

Sept 2017

Epson introduces the Home Cinema LS100 Full HD 3LCD Laser Display — bringing bright, big-screen projection in a smart ultra-short throw design to living rooms.

Sept 2017

Epson introduces LightScene— a new category of laser projection for digital art, spatial design, and signage.

April 2018

Epson America, Inc. merges with sister company, Epson Electronics America, Inc.(EEA) — integrating EEA's micro devices into state-of-the art infrastructure and operational systems.

Aug 2018

Epson launches the Epson Drone Soar App — the first full-featured, augmented reality app for DJI drones on the Epson Moverio smart glass platform.

Sept 2018

Epson announces the SureLab® D700 Professional Minilab — a fast, compact and dynamic printer designed to empower photographic printing labs, event photographers, and e-commerce printers with new levels of productivity.

Sept 2018

Epson opens the first Epson Technology Center, located in Carson, California — offering customers and dealers access to the latest Epson imaging technologies and hands-on product demonstrations.

Oct 2018

Epson Robots announces a new high performance Force Guide — intuitive, high-precision, robot force guidance that takes automation to the next level.

Nov 2018

Epson Connect®-enabled devices are now compatible with Amazon Alexa for hands-free, voice-activated printing.

May 2019

Epson announces the EcoTank® Monochrome printer lineup — all-in-one, cartridge-free printers that produce ultra-sharp text, remarkable image detail, and savings for high-volume black-and-white printing.

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