Calcomp

Calcomp, originally incorporated as California Computer Products, Inc., was an American computer-peripheral manufacturer established in Anaheim, California, in 1959. The company became one of the early commercial leaders in computer graphics hardware, particularly electromechanical plotters that converted digital design and engineering data into precise drawings. Its products helped establish plotters as practical output devices for computer-aided design, technical documentation, mapping, and other professional applications. Calcomp produced both drum and flatbed plotters, along with digitizers, tablets, scanners, thermal-transfer color printers, thermal plotters, and related graphic input and output equipment. Its product range also included computer-compatible disk and magnetic-tape products. The company’s plotters were used in engineering offices, manufacturing, architecture, scientific work, and government applications, at a time when graphical computer output was generally produced on specialized electromechanical equipment rather than on modern raster printers or displays. The company reached a particularly strong position during the 1960s. Reference material associated with Calcomp states that it produced approximately 80 percent of the world’s plotters in 1969, reflecting the limited number of established suppliers at the time and the importance of its equipment to emerging computer graphics workflows. Calcomp’s products became associated with technical precision, compatibility with computer systems, and professional drafting and visualization. In 1980, Sanders Associates acquired Calcomp. Sanders was subsequently acquired by Lockheed Corporation in 1986 and integrated into Lockheed’s Information Systems Group. Lockheed retained CalComp as a brand name. During the later period of its history, Calcomp expanded or participated in a broader peripheral portfolio, including acquisitions connected with Talos, Summagraphics, and Houston Instruments. Houston Instruments had been known for pen plotters and the DMPL plotting-control language, and its products became part of the wider Calcomp-related business through the Summagraphics acquisition chain. Calcomp also operated a computer division, which it sold in 1987 to a company focused on CAD/CAM. This decision reflected a continuing effort to concentrate on specialized peripheral and graphics technologies rather than maintaining a broader computer-products portfolio. The market subsequently changed substantially as digital displays, laser printers, inkjet systems, workstation graphics, and integrated CAD/CAM solutions reduced the role of traditional pen and drum plotters. Calcomp Technology ceased operations in 1999. Its product lines, technical-support activities, and associated technologies were transferred to several successor companies. CalGraph Technology Services took on technical services and spare parts; CalComp Graphics continued information and support associated with the TechJet 5500 large-format inkjet plotter/printer; GTCO CalComp became associated with digitizers, tablets, and scanners; EcoPro Imaging, later part of OYO Instruments, handled film-imaging systems; and Westcomp took on cutter and sign-making products. These transfers allowed parts of the Calcomp product legacy and Cal-related trademarks to continue after the original company’s shutdown, although Calcomp itself no longer operates as an independent manufacturer.

California Computer Products was established in Anaheim, California, in 1959 and developed into one of the early specialist suppliers of computer graphics peripherals. Its principal products were plotters, electromechanical devices that translated computer-generated instructions into drawings on paper or other media. At a time when interactive displays and affordable high-resolution printers were not yet widely available, plotters were important tools for engineering drawings, maps, scientific charts, and computer-aided design. Calcomp’s product strategy covered multiple plotter configurations, including drum and flatbed designs. It also developed digitizers and related devices that allowed physical drawings or user movements to be converted into computer-readable coordinates. The company later broadened its graphics portfolio with thermal-transfer color printers, thermal plotters, scanners, tablets, film-imaging systems, and other input/output equipment. It additionally produced IBM plug-compatible disk and tape products, including disk systems corresponding to several IBM product classes and a tape system corresponding to the IBM 3420 family. The company was particularly prominent during the 1960s. Available reference material reports that Calcomp produced about 80 percent of the world’s plotters in 1969. Although the precise market definition behind that figure is not specified, it illustrates the company’s position during the formative period of commercial computer graphics. Calcomp hardware was used in professional settings where accuracy, repeatability, and compatibility with mainframe or minicomputer workflows were more important than consumer convenience. Calcomp’s later corporate history was shaped by acquisitions. Sanders Associates acquired the company in 1980. In 1986, Lockheed Corporation purchased Sanders Associates and integrated the organization into Lockheed’s Information Systems Group. Lockheed continued to use CalComp as a commercial brand. During this period, Calcomp’s broader peripheral activities included businesses and technologies associated with Talos and Summagraphics. Summagraphics had acquired Houston Instruments, a competing pen-plotter manufacturer known for equipment using the DMPL plotting-control language. The Houston Instruments product family included numerous DMP-series models, such as the DMP-29, DMP-40, DMP-50, DMP-60, DMP-161, and related variants. In 1987, Calcomp sold its computer division to an organization specializing in CAD/CAM. The divestiture represented a move away from general computer products and toward the company’s established graphics-peripheral capabilities. Calcomp continued to serve professional users through plotters, digitizers, printers, and other specialized systems, but the technological environment was becoming less favorable to traditional pen and drum plotters. Workstations, raster graphics, laser printers, inkjet technology, and increasingly integrated CAD/CAM systems changed how technical information was created and reproduced. Calcomp Technology shut down its operations in 1999. Rather than disappearing as a single unified product organization, its activities were distributed among multiple successor businesses. CalGraph Technology Services assumed technical services and spare-parts responsibilities. CalComp Graphics became associated with the TechJet 5500 large-format inkjet plotter and printer information. GTCO CalComp handled digitizers, tablets, and scanners. EcoPro Imaging, later part of OYO Instruments, was associated with film-imaging systems, while Westcomp received cutter and sign-maker products. Some successor organizations continued using Calcomp or related Cal-branded trademarks, preserving portions of the company’s technical and commercial legacy after the original business had ended.

• 1999

  Operations end

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  Calcomp Technology shuts down, with product lines, service work, and support responsibilities transferred to several other companies.

• 1987

  Computer division is sold

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  Calcomp divests its computer division to a CAD/CAM-focused company.

• 1986

  Calcomp enters Lockheed’s information-systems organization

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  Lockheed Corporation acquires Sanders Associates, integrates it into the Information Systems Group, and retains CalComp as a brand.

• 1980

  Acquisition by Sanders Associates

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  Sanders Associates acquires Calcomp and becomes the company’s corporate parent.

• 1969

  Calcomp reaches a leading position in plotters

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports that Calcomp produced approximately 80 percent of the world’s plotters, underscoring its influence during the early commercial computer-graphics era.

• 1959

  California Computer Products is founded

  [1]Calcompen.wikipedia.org

  California Computer Products, later widely known as Calcomp, is established in Anaheim, California, as a computer-products and peripheral manufacturer.

Professional computer-graphics and technical-documentation hardware manufacturer serving engineering, CAD, mapping, scientific, and production environments.

• Computer graphics output devices

  Calcomp plotters

  Calcomp’s core product family included drum and flatbed plotters for producing precise technical drawings, charts, maps, and CAD-related output. These systems were designed for professional computer environments where accurate vector-style reproduction was required. They helped make computer-generated graphical output practical before modern high-resolution printers and displays became broadly available.

• Computer graphics input devices

  Calcomp digitizers and tablets

  Digitizers and tablets enabled users to capture coordinates from physical drawings or interact with computer graphics systems. They supported engineering, drafting, mapping, and design workflows and formed an important counterpart to Calcomp’s plotter output devices. Related digitizer, tablet, and scanner product responsibilities later moved to GTCO CalComp.

• Pen plotters

  DMP-series plotters

  The DMP family included numerous pen-plotter models associated with Calcomp and the Houston Instruments product lineage, including DMP-29, DMP-40, DMP-41, DMP-42, DMP-50, DMP-51, DMP-52, DMP-55, DMP-56, DMP-60, DMP-61, DMP-62, DMP-63, DMP-64, DMP-65C, DMP-161, and DMP-162 variants. These machines served technical drawing and computer-aided design applications and, in the Houston Instruments lineage, were associated with the DMPL plotting-control language.

• Large-format inkjet plotter/printer

  TechJet 5500

  The TechJet 5500 was a large-format inkjet plotter and printer associated with Calcomp’s later graphics-output portfolio. Its technology reflected the industry’s transition from traditional pen-based plotters toward raster inkjet systems for technical documents, color graphics, and other large-format output. Product information and support were later associated with CalComp Graphics.

• Computer storage peripherals

  IBM-compatible disk and tape products

  Calcomp produced plug-compatible storage products for IBM computer systems. Its disk range included products corresponding to IBM 2311 through 3350 classes, while its tape offering included a product corresponding to the IBM 3420 family. These systems were separate from the company’s better-known graphics products but demonstrate its broader role in the historical computer-peripherals market.

• 1999

  Shutdown and transfer of product linesOther

  Background

  Traditional plotter and specialized graphics-peripheral businesses were undergoing major technological and market changes.

  Action taken

  Calcomp Technology shut down its operations and distributed different product lines, technical services, and support activities among several successor companies.

  Aftermath

  CalGraph Technology Services, CalComp Graphics, GTCO CalComp, EcoPro Imaging, and Westcomp became associated with different portions of the former product portfolio. Some Calcomp or related Cal-branded trademarks continued after the original company ended.

  Source

• 1987

  Divestiture of the computer divisionStrategy

  Background

  Calcomp maintained activities in both computer products and specialized peripherals, while its strongest historical identity was associated with computer graphics output and input devices.

  Action taken

  The company sold its computer division to a company focused on CAD/CAM.

  Aftermath

  The divestiture concentrated Calcomp’s portfolio more closely on graphics and peripheral technologies, although the company ultimately ceased operations in 1999 as the market moved toward newer printing, display, and integrated CAD/CAM technologies.

  Source

1. 1Calcompen.wikipedia.org
2. 2History of Calcomp (California Computer Products, Inc.)referenceforbusiness.com