Qume
| File:Qume logo.svg | |
| Formerly | Ancilex |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer peripherals |
| Founded | 1973 in Hayward, California, United States |
| Founders |
|
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Fate | Acquired by Wyse |
Qume was a prominent manufacturer specializing in daisy-wheel printers, initially headquartered in Hayward, California before moving its base to San Jose, California. Around 1980, the company expanded by establishing a manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico. Dominating the daisy-wheel printer sector, Qume later branched out into computer terminal production as printer demand waned throughout the 1980s. Founded in 1973 by entrepreneurs David S. Lee and Robert E. Schroeder, Qume evolved into the largest printer manufacturer worldwide and was purchased by ITT Corporation for $164 million in 1978. It operated as an ITT subsidiary until its acquisition by Wyse Technology prior to 1995. Additionally, Qume developed floppy diskette drives—including 5.25" and 8" variants—that were incorporated into IBM PC models such as the Portable Personal Computer and PCjr.
The company originally operated under the name Ancilex before adopting the Qume brand to create a distinctive corporate identity. Interestingly, one employee at the Puerto Rico facility shared the company's name.
Qume CrystalPrint
During the late 1980s, Qume introduced the CrystalPrint line of printers, designed to rival laser printers by utilizing "liquid crystal shutters" licensed from Casio to regulate drum exposure via a tungsten halide lamp. Each drum line was exposed by roughly 2,500 individual shutters, effectively emulating laser printing technology.
By early 1989, Qume offered two models: the CrystalPrint WP (£900), equipped with 128 KB of RAM and basic daisywheel emulation capabilities, and the CrystalPrint Series II (£1,400), which featured 512 KB of RAM and supported both graphical output and HP LaserJet II emulation; an optional Epson emulation card was also available.
The CrystalPrint Publisher (£3,449), launched in the UK in 1989, marked Qume's first printer compatible with PostScript. This model utilized an economical "PostScript interpreter clone" alongside Bitstream fonts and was powered by a Weitek chipset controller board that handled most PostScript operations through hardware acceleration. While recognized for its strong performance and broad compatibility, it exhibited some constraints regarding paper handling and printer emulation accuracy. A dedicated upgrade board allowed Series II models to gain PostScript compatibility.
Subsequent releases included the Publisher II with improved paper handling features and the CrystalPrint Express network printer, which offered 3 MB of RAM and a resolution of 600 x 300 dpi.
The CrystalPrint mechanism also formed the basis of the Computer Concepts LaserDirect printer (1990), priced at £1,148 and targeted at the Acorn Archimedes platform. This model minimized onboard printer hardware by delegating page rendering tasks to the host computer’s ARM processor through an expansion card, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining competitive printing speeds. Acorn’s RISC OS-compatible driver and scalable font technology enabled consistent font usage between screen display and printed output. Comparable products such as Calligraph’s ArcLaser delivered similar performance levels at prices below those of conventional laser printers.
External links
- Qume product documentation, 1979-1983
- Qume Division – German branch of Wyse promoting monitors under the Qume name
- Pages with broken file links
- 1995 mergers and acquisitions
- American companies established in 1973
- American companies disestablished in 1995
- Companies based in Hayward, California
- Computer companies established in 1973
- Computer companies disestablished in 1995
- Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- Manufacturing companies based in San Jose, California
- Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment