Centronics Data Computer Corporation was an American manufacturer of computer printers, now remembered primarily for the

parallel interface In computing, a parallel port is a type of interface found on early computers (personal and otherwise) for connecting peripherals. The name refers to the way the data is sent; parallel ports send multiple bits of data at once (parallel c ...

that bears its name, the

Centronics connector IEEE 1284 is a standard that defines bi-directional parallel communications between computers and other devices. It was originally developed in the 1970s by Centronics, and was widely known as the Centronics port, both before and after its Insti ...

History

Foundations

Centronics began as a division of

Wang Laboratories Wang Laboratories was a US computer company founded in 1951 by An Wang and G. Y. Chu. The company was successively headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1954–1963), Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1963–1976), and finally in Lowell, Massachusett ...

. Founded and initially operated by Robert Howard (president) and Samuel Lang (vice president and owner of the well known K & L Color Photo Service Lab in New York City), the group produced remote terminals and systems for the casino industry. Printers were developed to print receipts and transaction reports. Wang spun off the business in 1971 and Centronics was formed as a corporation in

Hudson, New Hampshire Hudson is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located along the Massachusetts state line. The population was 25,394 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-largest mu ...

with Howard as president and chairman. The Centronics Model 101 was introduced at the 1970 National Computer Conference in May. The print head used an innovative seven-wire solenoid impact system. Based on this design, Centronics later developed the first dot matrix impact printer (while the first such printer was the

OKI Wiredot Dot matrix printing, sometimes called impact matrix printing, is a computer printing process in which ink is applied to a surface using a relatively low-resolution dot matrix for layout. Dot matrix printers typically use a print head that moves ...

in 1968). Howard developed a personal relationship with his neighbor,

Max Hugel Max C. Hugel (May 23, 1925 – February 19, 2007) was an American businessman and political figure. He worked on Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, and briefly served as Deputy Director for Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency b ...

, the founder and president of Brother International, the United States arm of

Brother Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment company headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Its products include printers, multifunction printers, desktop computers, consumer and industrial sewing machines, large machine too ...

, a manufacturer of sewing machines and typewriters. A business relationship developed when Centronics needed reliable manufacturing of the printer mechanisms—a relationship that would help propel Brother into the printer industry. Hugel would later become executive vice president of Centronics. Print heads and electronics were built in Centronics plants in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and Ireland, mechanisms were built in Japan by Brother and the printers were assembled in New Hampshire. In the 1970s, Centronics formed a relationship with

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

to develop non-impact printers. No products were ever produced, but Canon continued to work on laser printers, eventually developing a highly successful series of engines. In 1977, Centronics sued competitor

Mannesmann AG Mannesmann was a German industrial conglomerate. It was originally established as a manufacturer of steel pipes in 1890 under the name "Deutsch-Österreichische Mannesmannröhren-Werke AG". (Loosely translated: "German-Austrian Mannesmann pi ...

in a patent dispute regarding the return spring used in the print actuator. In 1975, Centronics formed an

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

agreement with Tandy and produced DMP and LP series printers for several years. The 6000 series band printers were introduced in 1978. By 1979 company revenues were over $100 million. In 1980, the Mini-Printer Model 770 was introduced—a small, low-cost desktop serial matrix printer. This was the first printer built completely in-house, and there were problems. Flaws in the

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...

led to a recall and a stoppage of manufacturing for a year. During this period,

Epson Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, ...

, Brother and others began to gain market share and Centronics never recovered. 1980 also saw the introduction of the E Series 900 and 1200 LPM band printers.

Change of ownership

In 1982, Control Data Corporation merged their current printer business unit,

CPI A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. Overview A CPI is a statistic ...

, into Centronics and at the same time invested $25 million in the company, effectively taking control from Howard. During 1980-1985 the company lost $80 million. Control Data controlled the company until 1986 when CDC's interest was acquired by a group of investors affiliated with

Drexel Burnham Lambert Drexel Burnham Lambert was an American multinational investment bank that was forced into bankruptcy in 1990 due to its involvement in illegal activities in the junk bond market, driven by senior executive Michael Milken. At its height, it was a ...

. The Drexel interest was acquired by Centronics in 1987. The LineWriter 400 band printer was introduced in 1983, closely followed by the faster LineWriter 800 band printer in 1984. The LineWriter series would continue through 1995. The GLP (Great Little Printer) was a series of low-end serial matrix printers introduced in 1984. The relationship with Brother continued with several of the PrintStation models being produced from rebadged Brother products. Exclusive rights to market Trilog color matrix printers was acquired in 1984, and Trilog was purchased outright in 1985. Advanced Terminals (a manufacturer of sheet feeders) and BDS Computer Australia Pty Ltd were purchased in 1986. The PrintStation 350 series serial matrix printer was highly successful in the

market, sold with the logos of

Data General Data General Corporation was one of the first minicomputer firms of the late 1960s. Three of the four founders were former employees of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Their first product, 1969's Data General Nova, was a 16-bit minicomputer ...

, ITT Courier, NCR,

CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency, under the United S ...

Decision Data Decision Data Computer Corporation, later Decision Industries Corporation and Decision Data Inc., was an American computer hardware company founded in 1969 and based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. History 1970s Decision Data Computer Corporation was f ...

and ISI. Most profitable was the agreement to build the IBM 4214 based on a modified PS350. In 1985, company revenues were $126 million with $65 million from IBM 4214 production. In 1986 the IBM 4214 production ended and revenue dropped. On June 23, 1986, Centronics announced the new corporate logo. The new logo never gained recognition before the sale to GENICOM, and GENICOM used the old logo in continued sales of printers and supplies. The only Centronics

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

product was released in July 1986: the PagePrinter 8. The PP8 used a

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 199 ...

engine identical to an existing Sharp copier, using a 6800 based controller jointly developed by Sharp and Centronics. At $2,495, the PP8 was $500 less than the

HP LaserJet LaserJet as a brand name identifies the line of laser printers marketed by the American computer company Hewlett-Packard (HP). The HP LaserJet was the first popular desktop laser printer. Canon supplies both mechanisms and cartridges for most HP ...

. A faster version was announced, but never materialized.

Printer division sale

In 1987 the Centronics printer business was sold to

GENICOM GENICOM was an American manufacturer of computer printers, based in Chantilly, Virginia. The company operated from 1982 to 2003. The GE years In 1954, General Electric (GE) decided to decentralize the company into separate business units. After re ...

for $87 million. Centronics Data Computer Corporation continued as a

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

company and soon changed its name to Centronics Corporation in 1987. After using the proceeds of the sale to purchase Ekco Housewares in 1988 for $125 million, Centronics changed their name to Ekco Group, Inc.

Centronics 101

The Centronics 101 (introduced 1970) was highly innovative and affordable at its inception. Some selected specifications: * Print speed: 165 characters per second * Weight: 155 pounds (70.3 kg) * Size: 27 ½ " W x 11 ¼ " H x 19 ¼ D (~ 70 cm x 29 cm x 49 cm) * Shipping: 200 pounds (ca 91 kg), wooden crate, unpacked by removal of 36 screws * Characters: 62, 10 numeric, 26 upper case and 26 special characters (no lower case) * Character size: 10 characters per inch * Line spacing: 6 lines per inch * Vertical control: punched tape reader for top of form and vertical tab * Forms thickness: original plus four copies * Interfaces: Centronics parallel, optional RS-232 serial

Legacy

The connectors developed for its parallel interface live on as the "

", used in other computer hardware applications, notably as the printer end of the once ubiquitous parallel-printer cable.

References

External links

Centronics data sheets
{{authority control American companies established in 1971 American companies disestablished in 1987 Computer buses Computer companies established in 1971 Computer companies disestablished in 1987 Computer printer companies Control Data Corporation Defunct companies based in New Hampshire Defunct computer companies of the United States Electronics companies established in 1971 Hudson, New Hampshire