CREDIT: EPSON UK
ONE TO‘ WATCH’: THE INTERESTING ORIGINS OF SEIKO EPSON
The Seiko Group began as a watch and timepiece manufacturer, shifting into the printing business after being the official timekeepers of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
This is because it required a machine that could print out the times gathered from its time-pieces, commissioning printing company Shinshu Seiki to create it.
The result was the EP-101, the first ever electronic miniprinter for printing figures and symbols, weighing only 2.5kg.
In 1975 Shinshu Seiki created the next generation version of this printer, the‘ son’ of EP, or EP-son, creating the Epson brand today.
Epson’ s history as a watch manufacturer set it up perfectly to enter into the world of printers, as Taranpreet Rai, Corporate Sustainability Manager at EPSON UK, explains.
“ The crystal quartz used in watches is used in printers as well,” she says.
“ Inkjet technology is created through the oscillation of these crystals, controlled with an electrical current. This is then connected to an inkjet head, allowing you to essentially blast ink onto a page.
“ Inkjet technology uses a lot less electricity than a laser printer. So, from the beginning, Epson was looking for ways to use technology to make printing more sustainable.”