Tally (company)
| Company type | Private (after 1996 management buyout) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer printers |
| Founded | 1949 in Kent, Washington, United States |
| Founder | Philip Renshaw |
| Fate | Merged with GENICOM in 2003 to form TallyGenicom |
| Headquarters | Elchingen (after 1996) , Germany |
Area served | Worldwide (subsidiaries and partners in more than 130 countries) |
| Products | Punch tape readers, line matrix printers, dot matrix printers, inkjet printers, thermal printers |
Tally was a prominent American producer of computer printers. In 1979, it combined with the printer division of Mannesmann, resulting in the formation of Mannesmann Tally, a brand widely recognized within the sector. Since 2003, its successor has operated under the name TallyGenicom.
History
Established in 1949 in Kent, Washington, United States by Philip Renshaw, Tally originally focused on manufacturing punch tape readers. By the year 1970, the company had advanced to developing line matrix printer technology, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the printing market.
In 1972, Mannesmann Präzisiontechnik was created as a branch of Mannesmann AG, specializing in dot matrix printers. The 1979 fusion between Tally and Mannesmann Präzisiontechnik gave rise to Mannesmann Tally, which became part of the Mannesmann Kienzle computer division. Mannesmann Tally delivered printing products across various key technologies and markets, supported by an extensive service and support infrastructure.
The company manufactured printers capable of processing APL characters through collaboration with I. P. Sharp Associates, facilitating their international timesharing system. This was achieved using a versatile pin-firing technique that allowed the complete APL character set along with an expanded collection of universal symbols. The dot-matrix character designs were created by James C. Field utilizing software methods developed by L. M. Breed.
In 1996, Tally executed a management buyout from Mannesmann with financial backing from Legal & General Ventures. The global headquarters relocated to Elchingen, Germany, while subsidiaries and partners extended across more than 130 countries. Manufacturing of serial dot matrix and professional inkjet printers continued at Elchingen, whereas line printers and color development remained in production at Kent.
The year 2003 saw Tally merge with GENICOM, forming the entity known as TallyGenicom. In 2009, the TallyGenicom brand was acquired by Printronix. Concurrently, intellectual property rights and worldwide distribution for serial matrix, inkjet, and thermal printer technologies were retained by TallyGenicom AG and subsequently purchased by DASCOM in June 2009. Today, DASCOM Europe offers the complete portfolio of former TallyGenicom serial, passbook, and mobile printers under the ‘Tally’ trademark.