Epson Celebrates 50 Years of Innovation

Epson has celebrated its 50th anniversary on 12 June 2025.

Tracing its roots back to 1942 in the watchmaking industry, the company has, for more than eight decades, advanced the technologies first developed for timepieces—technologies that remain part of the company’s DNA today.

Epson has continued to innovate across multiple fields by leveraging these core technologies and adhering to the founding principles of “Integrity and Effort” and “Creativity and Challenge”. 
The company’s global footprint includes a comprehensive sales network spanning the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Europe. Its network of manufacturing sites and support organisations has also grown, enabling

Epson to serve an increasingly diverse customer base—extending beyond consumers to business, commercial, and industrial markets.

Epson introduced its first information equipment product—the compact, lightweight EP-101 digital electronic printer—in 1968. This breakthrough laid the foundation for creating the Epson brand in 1975. The brand name itself combines "EP" (electronic printer) and "SON" (to represent offspring or derivatives), symbolising the company’s intent to continue innovating from the original platform.

Notable milestones and firsts
•    1969: Developed the world’s first commercial quartz watch.
•    1975: Released the MP-80, a compact computer printer with ESC/P, a control language that became an industry standard.
•    1982: Introduced a wristwatch with an integrated television.
•    1988: Developed a self-winding quartz watch requiring no battery replacement.
•    1989: Released the VPJ-700, Epson’s first compact full-colour LCD projector.
•    1994: Launched the ELP-3000 projector, offering three times the brightness of conventional models in a compact form factor.
•    1993: Debuted the MJ-500 inkjet printer, featuring Epson’s proprietary Micro Piezo technology.
•    1994: Released the MJ-700V2C, the world’s first affordable high-resolution (720 dpi) printer.
•    2000: Entered the large-format printer market for professional graphics.
•    2003: Launched the Monna Lisa 160B digital textile printer, praised for low waste and high image fidelity.
•    2010: Introduced the SurePress digital label press series and the EcoTank line of high-capacity ink tank printers—now sold in over 170 countries, with over 100 million units sold.
•    2016: Released the EB-L25000U, a 25,000-lumen high-lumen laser projector, the world’s brightest 3LCD model at the time.

Epson has also led in automation technology, developing SCARA robots in the early 1980s to support high-mix, low-volume production systems. Its proprietary Micro Piezo printhead technology evolved into the advanced PrecisionCore platform, which now powers products ranging from home and office printers to high-speed, 100-page-per-minute business-class multifunction devices.
Today, the Epson brand is recognised across home, business, industrial, and professional sectors. The recognition stems from its ongoing dedication to advancing efficient, compact, and precise technologies, core tenets of Epson’s legacy supporting a more sustainable future.