Houston Instrument
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer peripherals |
| Predecessor | California Computer Products, Inc. |
| Founded | January 1, 1959 in Anaheim, California, United States |
| Fate | Operations ended in 1999; product lines distributed among several companies |
| Headquarters | Anaheim , United States |
| Products | Plotters, digitizers, thermal transfer color printers, thermal plotters, graphic input/output hardware, disk and tape storage devices |
| Parent | Lockheed Corporation (from 1986, via Sanders Associates) |
Calcomp Technology, Inc., often referred to as Calcomp or CalComp, was a leading producer of Calcomp plotter devices.
History
Established in 1959 under the name California Computer Products, Inc in Anaheim, California, the company focused on developing computer peripheral equipment. In 1980, it became part of Sanders Associates, Inc.. Subsequently, Sanders Associates was acquired by the Lockheed Corporation in 1986 and incorporated into Lockheed's Information Systems Group, while the CalComp brand name remained in use.
Closure
Operations at Calcomp Technology ended in 1999, with its product lines being distributed among several companies that continue to utilize the "Calcomp" or other related "Cal-" brand identities:
- Technical support and spare components: CalGraph Technology Services, Inc.
- TechJet 5500 Large Format Inkjet Plotter / Printer: CalComp Graphics
- Digitizers, tablets, and scanners: GTCO CalComp, Inc.
- Film Imaging Systems: EcoPro Imaging (currently part of OYO Instruments)
- Cutter and signage manufacturing equipment: Westcomp
Product Range
Calcomp offered an extensive selection of devices including drum and flat-bed plotters, digitizers, thermal transfer color printers, thermal plotters, and various graphic input/output hardware. By 1969, the company was responsible for nearly 80% of worldwide plotter production.
Additionally, Calcomp produced IBM-compatible (PCM) disk and tape storage devices, covering disk models from equivalents of the 2311 through 3350 series as well as a tape drive comparable to the 3420.
Growth was achieved through acquisitions like Talos and Summagraphics—the latter having previously acquired Houston Instruments.
Houston Instruments
Houston Instruments specialized in pen plotters utilizing the DMPL control language for plotting. These products competed with Hewlett Packard’s offerings such as the HP 7470. The company was eventually absorbed by Summagraphics. Notable models included the DMP lineup: from DMP-29; DMP-40 through DMP-42; DMP-50 to DMP-56; DMP-60 to DMP-65C; and higher-end units like the DMP-161 through DMP-162R.
Computer Division
In 1987, CalComp divested its computer division to a company focused on CAD/CAM, signaling a strategic move away from manufacturing computer hardware.