Research

A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD has been available on the market since October 1982, and remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial audio recordings to the present day. The technology was later adapted and expanded to include data storage CD-ROM, and this was followed by write-once audio and data storage CD-R and rewritable media CD-RW. Other variants were developed including: Video Compact Discs (VCD), Photo CD, and Enhanced CD.

The engineers in the world famous Philips Physics Laboratory (NatLab) start working on digital techniques around 1967. A few years later they research the feasibility of the laser video disc combining images and sound. That brings up the idea of making a laser disc just for music and speech with no images added.

1841: French mathematician Augustin-Louis Cauchy proposed Sampling Theorem, which was used in the conversion of audio into digital format. 1842: An analytical engine for storing and performing calculations developed by Charles Babbage, a British mathematician and inventor.

Printing is a gigantic industry. It employs about 1 million people in the USA, in contrast to the approximately 800,000 working in the automobile industry. It is a slow-growing, traditional industry.

From Hand Printing to Digital Printing When was digital printing invented? The history of digital printing became what it is today through the evolution of printing tools and machines used to copy text and pictures from one place to another usually onto a medium such as paper or canvas. Before any printing presses, machines and stamps were invented, much of the copying was done by hand. It really wasn’t until the demand for printed material drastically increased and specific inventions such as mechanical printing equipment (like the print press) could meet that demand. As a result, we find that the history of digital printing was hallmarked by specific inventions that replaced the time consuming printing technology of era. Technically, the history of digital printing has always been a process of adapting to the printing needs of society.

Ever since 1968, when it developed the EP-101, the world's first digital printer, Epson has been at the forefront of printing innovation. Following this hit product, Epson engineers have strived to create "sons" of the EP that offer high added value to users. These efforts have resulted in Epson products being used in a diverse range of scenarios worldwide.

Although inkjet printers only appeared on the consumer market in the late 1980s, they had been under development for more than twenty years by that time. In the mid-1970s, printer companies realized the potential of the technology that would make dot matrix printers obsolete. The challenge, however, was to come up with a way to create an affordable inkjet printer that would reliably create high-quality printouts.

The Early Days Many people wrongly believe that Hewlett-Packard invented the laser printer. In fact, President George Bush visited the HP printer division in Boise, Idaho in 1990 and gave a speech in which he congratulated HP engineers for inventing the laser printer. He told them they were setting an excellent example for how to keep America competitive. At the time of this writing (1994) HP has used Canon engines for all of its laser printer models except for one very early and unsuccessful model, the 2685A, that used a Ricoh engine. In 1993 and 1994 rumors abounded that HP would soon introduce printers entirely manufactured by itself. Perhaps President Bush's comments had something to do with inspiring such an effort.

Since 1984, GCC Printers has been an innovator in combining reliable hardware and revolutionary software to produce high-performance computer peripherals. From their headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts, GCC has established a commitment to quality and affordability.

This web site tells the story of a group of interrelated printing companies, and primarily records the history of Sun Engraving and Sun Printers, industry pioneers and giants in their field for most of the twentieth century. Essays, pictures, and personal reminiscences document the companies’ significant achievements, the changing times, and many of the experiences of the thousands of men and women who were employed by these firms.