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Datacopy Corporation
Company typePublic
FoundedApril 1973; 51 years ago (1973-04) in Palo Alto, California, United States
FounderArmin Miller
DefunctJune 1988; 36 years ago (1988-06)
FateAcquired by Xerox
SuccessorXerox Imaging Systems
Key people
Rolando C. Esteverena, president (1983–1988)
Number of employees
120 (1987, peak)

Datacopy Corporation was an American computer hardware company independently active from 1973 to 1988. The company was a pioneer in the field of digital imaging, especially image scanners for personal computers.[1] It was acquired by Xerox in 1988 and folded into their Xerox Imaging Systems subsidiary.

History

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Datacopy Corporation was founded in April 1973 in Palo Alto, California, by Armin Miller, who previously founded the hard disk drive manufacturer Data Disc in 1962 before leaving that company in 1970.[2] Datacopy spent nearly the first decade of its existence as a consulting firm, developing low-cost digital imaging products for larger companies such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM.[1] One of Datacopy's first developments was the Scan-Trac I, a very early handheld scanner making use of an array of photodiodes, storing its outupt onto magnetic tape.[2] After spending nine years operating Datacopy at a low level, Miller floated the idea of marketing imaging products under the Datacopy name, and in 1982, the company released its first product, which was a document camera for minicomputers and personal computers.[1][3]: 103  In 1983, Miller left Datacopy and was replaced by Rolando C. Esteverena, previously of Zilog, as president.[3]: 103 [4] Datacopy filed its initial public offering in September 1983,[5] by which point none of its original executive officers from before that year remained.[1]

In October 1983, the company introduced the Model 610, a CCD-based document camera with a 4.9-megapixel resolution. It was compatible with the IBM Personal Computer.[6][7] Datacopy later released the first flatbed scanner for the IBM PC, the Datacopy Model 700, in early 1985. The main flatbed unit of the Model 700 was manufactured by Ricoh (originally sold by them as the Ricoh IS20) and was capable of scanning letter-sized documents at a maximum resolution of 200 dpi at 1-bit monochrome using a CCD imaging element.[8]: 32  The Model 700 came with a special interface card for connecting to the PC, and an optional, aftermarket OCR software card and software package were sold for the Model 700.[9][10]: 69 [11] The Model 700 was unveiled at the 1984 COMDEX/Fall in November 1984, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and slated for a January 1985 release.[12] Ricoh later entered a joint development agreement with Datacopy to co-develop image scanners, with Datacopy providing their digital image processing prowess in software and firmware and Ricoh focusing on the hardware.[13]

Datacopy developed a page description language by the name of PreScript, aiming to directly compete with Adobe Systems' PostScript. Introduced in 1986,[14][15] it ultimately failed to gain much uptake in the desktop publishing world.

In mid-1987, Datacopy introduced Microfax, a fax interface for IBM PCs that allowed users to transmit faxes electronically via software, similar to GammaLink's GammaFax. Microfax paired with Datacopy's consumer Jetfax scanner.[16] Within a few months on the market, Datacopy had sold 1,000 Microfax boards, becoming their second-most popular class of product behind their flatbed scanners.[1] It received praise in The New York Times and Byte,[16][17] with the latter publication dubbed Microfax "the standard against which to measure other PC fax cards".[17]

By August 1987, Datacopy was the second-largest image scanner manufacturer for personal computers, trailing only Canon Inc. It reached its first and only profitable year in 1986, earning $120,950, the company otherwise recording losses in excess of $1.3 million between 1982 and 1985.[1][18] It reported another $1.3 million loss in 1987, its final year as an independent company.[18] Employment at Datacopy peaked at 120 workers in 1987, the company's headcount shrinking to 90 by May 1988.[4][18]

In May 1988, Xerox Corporation announced that they were to acquire Datacopy for $31 million in a stock swap, pending approval from Datacopy's board of directors, with Datacopy remaining a brand of Xerox while being a wholly owned subsidrary.[19] With the acquisition, Xerox was poised to become the largest manufacturer of image scanners;[20] it had last acquired Kurzweil Computer Products from Ray Kurzweil in 1980.[18] The acquisition was approved and finalized a month later, and in October 1988, Xerox folded Datacopy into their Kurzweil division to found Xerox Imaging Systems, a division dedicated to digital imaging products.[21] Esteverena was originally retained as president of the division but clashed with Xerox's management style and left shortly afterward.[4] Xerox retained the Datacopy name for products until 1991, when it shut down Datacopy's original facility in the Bay Area.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Gantz, John (August 3, 1987). "Datacopy's 14-Year Wait May Be About to Pay Off". InfoWorld. 9 (31). IDG Publications: 27 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Staff writer (August 23, 1973). "Tiny electronic camera 'reads' printed matter". Palo Alto Times: 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Yasaki, Edward K. (November 1983). "Camera for a CPU" (PDF). Datamation. 29 (11). Technical Publishing Company: 103–105 – via Bitsavers.org.
  4. ^ a b c Rolwing, Rebecca (December 1, 1995). "Exec's gambles put him on top". Phoenix Business Journal. 16 (5). American City Business Journals: 20 – via Gale.
  5. ^ Staff writer (August 5, 1983). "Palo Alto's Datacopy plans to go public". The San Francisco Examiner: C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Ronald (October 4, 1983). "Computer companies are getting the picture and at low cost". The Boston Globe: 60 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Staff writer (October 4, 1983). "High-tech Highlights". Tarrytown Daily News: D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Staff writer (December 17, 1984). "Digitized Line Art and Photos". Seybold Report on Professional Computing. 3 (4). UBM LLC: 30–32 – via Google Books. Gale A661641.
  9. ^ McNeill, Dan (August 1985). "Image Processing: The computer becomes a copier". Personal Computing. 4 (10). McGraw-Hill: 64–66, 124–125 – via the Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Wallis, L. W. (1988). A Concise Chronology of Typesetting Developments, 1886–1986. Severnside Printers. ISBN 0853315388 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Bermant, Charles (December 11, 1984). "Hardware At COMDEX: Peripherals Dominate". PC Magazine. 3 (24). Ziff-Davis: 54–56 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Seymour, Jim (November 16, 1984). "Comdex exhibitors take a breather". Austin American-Statesman: C1, C4 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Staff writer (February 20, 1986). "Today's ledger". The Peninsula Times Tribune: C-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Seither, Mike (October 1986). "Datacopy builds scanning system for desktop-publishing vendors" (PDF). Mini-Micro Systems. XIX (12). Cahners Publishing Company: 33–39 – via Bitsavers.org.
  15. ^ Sheldon, Ken (March 1987). "PreScript". Byte. 12 (3). McGraw-Hill: 197 et seq. – via Gale.
  16. ^ a b Sandberg-Diment, Erik (July 26, 1987). "Making it Easy to Fax from a PC". The New York Times: A14 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ a b Lewis, Peter H. (February 28, 1989). "If You Really Want a Fax Board, Ask About..." The New York Times: C5 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ a b c d Levander, Michelle (May 7, 1988). "Scanner firm broadens Xerox line". Democrat and Chronicle: 12D – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Staff writer (May 7, 1988). "Xerox in Pact to Add Datacopy". The New York Times: 1.39 – via ProQuest.
  20. ^ Parker, Rachel (May 16, 1988). "Xerox to Buy Manufacturer Datacopy". InfoWorld. 10 (20). IDG Publications: 35 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Staff writer (October 14, 1988). "Xerox Combines Two Units to Form Imaging Concern". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company: 1 – via ProQuest.
  22. ^ Buckler, Grant (January 22, 1991). "Xerox Imaging Systems consolidates". Newsbytes. The Washington Post Company: NEW01220025 – via Gale.
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