History
1876
Meiji 9
Shuei
Shueisha founded in Yazaemon-cho, Sukiyagashi-gomongai (now Ginza, Tokyo)
1877
Meiji 10
Shuei
Printed revised edition of Self-Help (Japan's first domestic printed book using letterpress printing with Western-style binding)
1878
Meiji 11
Shuei
Adopted first company rules, defining printing as a "Civilized Business"
1881
Meiji 14
Shuei
Began casting printing type
1882
Meiji 15
Shuei
Founded Seibundo and began selling printing type
1886
Meiji 19
Shuei
Opened Ichigaya plant in Tokyo
1889
Meiji 22 (1889)
Shuei
Teiichi Sakuma became President
1890
Meiji 23
Shuei
Began printing the Kokumin Shimbun daily newspaper and established a branch factory within Minyusha
1891
Meiji 24 (1891)
Shuei
Teiichi Sakuma established Insatsu Zasshi Co., Ltd. and issues Printing Magazine
1894
Meiji 27
Shuei
Shueisha registered as a joint stock company
1895
Meiji 28
Shuei
Completed expansion of the main factory, Japan's first building using a steel frame and bricks
1899
Meiji 32 (1899)
Shuei
Printed Osaka Municipal port construction bond certificates using intaglio plates
1907
Meiji 40
Nisshin
Nisshin Printing Co., Ltd. established in Enokicho, Ushigome-ku (now Enokicho, Shinjuku-ku)
1910
Meiji 43
Shuei
Seibundo issued Type Specimens
1912
Meiji 45
Taisho 1
Shuei
Revision of Shueitai font completed
1916
Taisho 5
Shuei
Offset printing press for duodecimo installed at Ichigaya Plant (offset printing begins)
1923
Taisho 12
Shuei
The head office and Seibundo in Ginza were destroyed by fire in the Great Kanto Earthquake, head office relocated to Ichigaya Kagacho, Ushigome-ku, Tokyo
1924
Taisho 13
Shuei
Printed King magazine Dai-Nippon Yubenkai Kodansha
1926
Taisho 15
1926
Shuei
Rebuilding of Ichigaya Plant completed, construction of sales office building (currently Ichigaya Letterpress Factory)
Shuei
Printing of Gendai Nihon Bungaku Zenshu ("Complete Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature") by Kaizosha (start of the "one-yen book" boom)
1927
1927
Nisshin
Merger with Ichida Offset Printing Works
Shuei
Opened Ginza type sales office
1928
1928
Nisshin
Nisshin Printing Co., Ltd. acquired Tsujimoto Shashin Kogeisha. Began Japan's first gravure printing in primary colors
1932
1932
Nisshin
Osaki Plant opened
1935
1935
Launch of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. following merger between Shueisha and Nisshin Printing Co., Ltd., Giichi Masuda became President
1941
1941
Hiromu Aoki became President
The Pacific War begins
1943
1943
Chokichiro Sakuma became President
1944
1944
Launched the Technical Research Laboratory
1945
1945
Printing of Nichibei Kaiwa Techo ("Anglo-Japanese Conversation Manual") by Kagaku Kyozaisha.
1946
1946
Four plants placed under the control of the Ministry of Finance to print Bank of Japan notes
Opened Kyoto Plant
1949
1949
Listed shares on Tokyo Stock Exchange
Began printing stock certificates at Enokicho Plant
1950
1950
Established paper container line within Kyoto Plant
1951
1951
Announced five-year reconstruction plan aimed at expanding areas of business
Began printing on vinyl, cellophane, cloth and other materials
Osaki Plant opened as a dedicated paper container production facility
1952
1952
Received order from Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation for printing of cigarette box packaging
Succeeded at producing plates for endless multicolor gravure printing; began printing decorative melamine plates (for Sumitomo Bakelite)
1953
1953
Acquired New Tokyo Securities Printing Co., Ltd. (predecessor of the Oji Plant)
Japan's first supermarket, Kinokuniya, opened in Aoyama, Tokyo
1955
1955
Orie Kitajima became President
Printed Kojien dictionary (Iwanami Shoten) using DNP's original font, Shueitai
1956
1956
Printed Shukan Shincho, the first weekly magazine issued by a publishing company in Japan
Opened Osaka Plant, merger with Nihon Seihan Co., Ltd.
1957
1957
Opened Oji Plant
1958
1958
Became first in Japan to succeed in producing prototypes of shadow masks used in color televisions
1959
1959
1960
1960
Opened plant in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo, specializing in electronics devices
Toshiba Corp. unveiled Japan's first domestically produced color TV; NHK and four other broadcasters began color television broadcasts
1961
1961
Established Dai Nippon Polymer Co., Ltd. (now DNP Technopack Co., Ltd.) and began blow-molding of bottles
Established Central Research Institute
Succeeded in printing in color directly onto metal plate for the first time in Japan
Manufactured photomasks (emulsion masks)
1962
1962
Established Metalprint Co., Ltd. (now DNP Ellio Co., Ltd.) as a joint venture between DNP and Fuji Iron & Steel (now Nippon Steel Corporation)
Began producing paper cups
1963
1963
Established Hokkaido Beverages Co., Ltd. (renamed Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd.)
Introduced business unit system
1964
1964
Established Dai Nippon Printing (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd.
Printed admission tickets, commemorative stickers, posters, etc. for the Tokyo Olympics
Began producing lead frames
1965
1965
Developed gravure fabric printing technology
Entered into business tie-up with Standard Register, Inc. and started mass production of business forms
1967
1967
Manufactured photomasks (hard masks) for semiconductors
1968
1968
Opened Yokohama Plant, specializing in paper containers
Established the Creative Design Center, specializing in planning and production
Opened New York representative office
1969
1969
Opened representative offices in Sydney and Frankfurt
Established Shikoku Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (now DNP Shikoku Co., Ltd.)
Began producing laminate tubes
1970
1970
Planned and designed nine international pavilions for the Japan World Exposition, including the Saudi Arabia pavilion
Established Dai Nippon Printing (Europa) GmbH (now DNP Europa GmbH) in Düsseldorf, West Germany
1972
1972
Established a joint venture, Dai Nippon Gitakarya Printing Co., Ltd. (now PT DNP Indonesia) in Indonesia
Merger with Futaba Printing Co., Ltd. and began operating it as DNP's Akabane Plant
Established CTS Dai Nippon Co., Ltd. Commercialized computerized typesetting system (CTS) in Japan
Opened Warabi Plant in Saitama Pref. north of Tokyo
1973
1973
Opened Sayama and Tsuruse plants in Saitama Pref.
Opened Nara Plant
Established framework for mass production of magnetic-stripe plastic cards
1974
1974
Established DNP America Inc.
Began full-scale production of magnetic-stripe bank passbooks
Introduced "Curlfit" technology for printing on curved surfaces
1975
1975
Established Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (now Manufacturing Technology Integration Laboratory)
Established retort pouch food packaging technology
Developed wood-grain synchronized embossed finish olefin sheets
1976
1976
Developed liquid paper containers for beverages (L carton system)
Developed aseptic filling system for single-portion packages of Snow Brand Milk Products Co. Ltd.'s coffee whitener
1978
1978
Developed large, three-dimensional holograms that served as prototypes for Lippmann holograms
1979
1979
Opened Neyagawa Plant in Osaka
Yoshitoshi Kitajima became President and Orie Kitajima became Chairman of DNP
1980
1980
Developed aseptic filling system for Bag in Box (BIB) containers
1981
1981
Developed "MD-1" specialized containers for Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt
Developed fully automated photomask manufacturing equipment
1982
1982
Developed carrier tape for transporting precision electronic components
Began producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles
1983
1983
Commercialized "Thermoject" technology for decorating molded plastic products
Opened Kuki Plant in Saitama Pref.
Developed re-writable smart cards (smart card prototype)
Produced the third edition of Kojien dictionary (Iwanami Shoten) using a computerized typesetting system (CTS)
Began producing rear-projection television screens
1984
1984
Developed technology for mass-producing rainbow holograms using transfer printing
Opened electronic products plant in Kyoto City
Established production technology for thermal transfer printing media and began production
1985
1985
Completed construction of our Central Research Institute's Kashiwa Laboratory in Chiba Pref. east of Tokyo
Produced Japan's first CD-ROM dictionary: Dictionary of Science and Technology (Sanshusha Publishing Co., Ltd.)
Developed dye-sublimation thermal transfer printing media technology and began production
Developed technology for producing color filters used in liquid crystal displays
1986
1986
Opened Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg)
Developed material for use in prosthetic joints
1987
1987
Developed urine testing paper using printing technology
1989
1989
1989
Delivered first version of DNP's "High-definition Gallery" image display system to the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu
Established smart card production joint venture Spom Japan Co., Ltd. with Bull SA of France
Established DNP Denmark A/S to manufacture and sell projection TV screens
1990
1990
Established DNP Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Developed "S-Mail" postcards with a full adhesive cover that peels off easily
1991
1991
Opened Tsukuba Center for Integrated Development in Ibaraki Pref. north of Tokyo
Opened Ono Plant in Hyogo Pref. west of Kyoto
Opened Okayama Plant
1992
1992
Developed PET plastic bottle pre-forming method
1993
1993
Launched support services for official J.League (soccer) Data Site
Opened Shiraoka Plant in Saitama Pref.
Opened Mihara Plant in Hiroshima Pref. in western Japan
Developed contactless smart cards
1994
1994
Established Dai Nippon IMS America Corp. (now DNP Imagingcomm America Corp.)
Launched DNP website
1995
1995
Invested in Vietnam reforestation joint venture with Shin Oji Paper Co., Ltd. (now Oji Paper Co., Ltd.) and Nissho Iwai Corp. (now Sojitz Corp.)
Began Media Galaxy internet services
Opened Tanabe Plant in Kyoto Pref. (now Kyotanabe Plant)
1996
1996
Began producing EB-coated paper for use in decorative materials
Established technology for designing AR (Anti-reflection) film for liquid crystal displays
Developed manufacturing technology for electrodes used in lithium-ion batteries
Opened Izumizaki Plant in Fukushima Pref., in northern Japan
1997
1997
Developed inline aseptic filling system for PET plastic bottles
1998
1998
Began selling transparent vapor deposition film, a non-PVC film with excellent barrier properties
Opened Utsunomiya Plant in Tochigi Pref. north of Tokyo
Developed mass production technology for "True Image" full-color Lippmann holograms and began production and sales
Established DNP Taiwan Co., Ltd.
1999
1999
Opened Ushiku Plant in Ibaraki Pref.
Developed smart cards that can be used for both contact and contactless applications
Developed ultra-high density multi-layered substrates for use in semiconductor packages
Commercialized soft packs for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries
2000
2000
Opened Internet Data Center
Developed and began producing contactless "AccuWave" IC tags
Established DNP Korea Co., Ltd.
2001
2001
Succeeded in developing a flexible color organic EL display
Began supplying "FOMA cards" for NTT DoCoMo cell phones
Developed vapor deposition masks (metal masks) for OLED displays
2002
2002
Collaborated with STMicroelectronics to establish DNP Photomask Europe S.p.A. in Italy
2003
2003
Opened Maison des Musées de France in Ginza (now Maison des Musées du Monde)
Developed components for solar battery modules
2004
2004
Developed new screen for use with front projectors
In collaboration with Tokyo Medical and Dental University, succeeded in forming capillary blood vessel patterns
Began selling PrintRush self-service digital photo printing systems
2005
2005
Established DNP International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Opened Kurosaki Plant in Kitakyushu City, in southern Japan
2006
2006
Acquired ID photo and related businesses from Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
Opened Kamiya Solutions Center
Opened the Louvre-DNP Museum Lab, a joint project with the Louvre Museum
2007
2007
Developed Japan's first packaging for Japanese-style space food
2008
2008
Established DNP IMS Netherlands B.V. in the Netherlands (now DNP Imagingcomm Europe B.V.)
Established DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion
TRC Library Service Inc. and Maruzen Co. Ltd. become consolidated subsidiaries
2009
2009
2010
2010
Established CHI Group (now Maruzen CHI Holdings Co., Ltd.); Maruzen Co., Ltd. and TRC Library Service Inc. became subsidiaries of CHI Group
Intelligent Wave becomes a consolidated subsidiary
Began operating a hybrid bookstore network, providing both paper and electronic books
2011
2011
Opened Tobata Plant in Kitakyushu City, in southern Japan
Developed a biomass plastic film for packaging materials
2012
2012
Business tie-up with Nihon Unisys, Ltd. (now BIPROGY)
2013
2013
Opened Vietnam Plant, specializing in flexible packaging
Full-scale start-up of DNP Fine Chemicals Utsunomiya Co., Ltd.
Established Dai Nippon Printing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Opened dye-sublimation thermal transfer printing media plant in Malaysia
Began operations of DNP Kashiwa Data Center
2014
2014
Established a representative office in India
Opened DNP Kyoto Uzumasa Cultural Heritage Gallery
Developed multifunctional insulation box
2015
2015
Developed reflective film for agricultural use
Acquired Tamura Plastic MFG. Co., Ltd. as a consolidated subsidiary under the name DNP Tamura Plastic Co., Ltd.
2016
2016
Held Globes in Motion exhibit in collaboration with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Launched the Cyber Knowledge Academy
Opened DNP Plaza in Ichigaya, Tokyo
2017
2017
Produced a replica of the Japan-Denmark Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation
Began research on the practical application of intestinal organoids (in collaboration with the National Center for Child Health and Development)
Developed educational platforms
2018
2018
Developed an ultra-thin elastic skin display in collaboration with the University of Tokyo
Yoshinari Kitajima appointed President and Yoshitoshi Kitajima appointed Chairman of the Board
Developed mono-material film packaging
2019
2019
2019
Developed sheet-type coil for wireless charging of electric vehicles
Produced high-definition 8K VR content of the national treasure, the Kondo (Golden Hall) of Ninnaji Temple
Launched personal data trust bank system platform (in collaboration with Fujitsu)
2020
Reiwa 2
Developed Vapor Chamber, an ultra-thin heat dissipation component for 5G smartphones
JTB Planning Network became a consolidated subsidiary (Launched DNP Planning Network, Co. Ltd.)
Developed and started selling ultra-low reflection face shield
2021
Reiwa 3
Opened Ichigaya Letterpress Factory
Launched XR communications business to develop community co-creation spaces
Business tie-up with Irimoto Medical
2022
Reiwa 4
Development of film-type antenna for 5G-Sub6 frequency band
Started sales of DNP's high visibility pattern light, a compact lighting device
2023
Reiwa 5
Developed TGV Glass Core Substrate for semiconductor packages
Entered into a business tie-up with SCIVAX in the foundry business for nanoimprint products
Formed business alliance with CMIC Holdings and made CMIC CMO a consolidated subsidiary
Opened Image Archives Lab, offering art images
2024
Reiwa 6
Began offering reflective sheets for solar power plants
