Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Founded Shueisha. Located at Yasaemon-cho (now Ginza 4-chome) outside Sugiyaki Riverbank

October 9, 1876 (Meiji 9)

Founded

Completed the 'Revised West National Spirit Edition' (Japan's first domestically produced lithographic Western-style book)

Established company rules. Described printing business as 'civilization's commerce'

Started in-house type casting

Established Seimon-do (Shueisha type sales department). Began selling type

Opened a factory in Ichikata, Ushigome-ku

Sakuma Sadakichi became the company president

Contracted to print "Kokumin Shinbun". Established a traveling factory within Minyusha.

Sakuma Sadakichi founded a printing magazine company and launched "Printing Magazine".

Registered the establishment of Shuei-sha Co., Ltd.

Completed the expansion of the main factory. First domestic iron‑beam and brick building.

Printed Osaka City harbor bond certificates using intaglio.

Founded Nisshinkoku Printing. Enokicho, Ushigome Ward (now Enokicho, Shinjuku Ward)

Seibundo published "Live Type Sample Book".

Completed a major re‑type of Shuei type.

Installed a 4‑to‑6 full‑size offset press at Ichiyama factory (offset printing commenced).

The Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed the headquarters and Seibundo. Headquarters relocated to Ushigome‑ku Ichiyama Kagamicho.

Printed the magazine "King" (Daijō Nippon Yūbenkai Kodansha).

Completed reconstruction of Ichiyama factory. Office building finished.

Printed "Modern Japanese Literature Complete Works" (Kaizōsha) (circa the yen‑book boom).

Absorbed and merged with Ichida Offset Printing.

Opened a Ginza office (type‑sale shop).

Acquired Tsuji‑moto Photo Crafts Co., started original color gravure printing (first in Japan).

Opened the Osaki branch factory.

Shuei‑sha merged with Nichi‑Shin Printing to form Dai‑Nippon Printing. Yoshihiro Masuda became president.

Hiroshi Aoki became president.

World War II began

Chōkichi Sakuma became president.

Established the Technical Department Research Laboratory.

Printed "Japan-US Conversation Notebook" (Kagaku Kyōzōsha)

Four factories were designated as Ministry of Finance-managed factories to print Bank of Japan notes

Opened Kyoto factory

Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange

Started printing securities at Enomachi factory

Started printing paper products at Kyoto factory

Announced a "5‑year reconstruction plan" aiming to expand business areas

Started printing on vinyl, cellophane, fabric, and other materials

Made Osaki factory a paper‑product specialty factory

Received an order from the Japan Monopoly Agency to print tobacco outer cartons

Successfully manufactured multi‑color gravure endless plates; began printing melamine‑coated panels (for Sumitomo Bakelite)

Acquired Shin‑Tokyo Securities Printing (predecessor of Ōji factory)

Opened Kinoshita Kuniya, Japan’s first supermarket, in Aoyama, Tokyo

Kojima Oriie became president and director

Printed "Kōjien" (Iwanami Shoten) using Shuei‑tai movable type

Printed "Shūkan Shincho" (Shinchōsha); the first weekly magazine published by a Japanese publisher

Opened Osaka factory (absorbed and merged with Nihon Seiban)

Opened Ōji factory (soft‑packaging factory)

Successfully prototyped a shadow mask for color TV components (first in Japan)

Printed "Shōnen Magazine" (Kodansha) and "Shōnen Sunday" (Shogakukan)

Successfully prototyped a vapor deposition mask for mesa-type transistors

Printed packaging for "Chicken Ramen" (Nissin Foods)

Established an electronics manufacturing plant in Saitama Prefecture

Toshiba announced domestic color TV (first in Japan). Color broadcasting started on five stations including NHK

Founded Daikoku Polymer (now DNP Technopack) and began blown bottle molding

Established the Central Research Institute

Successfully performed direct color printing on steel plates (first in Japan)

Manufactured photo masks (emulsion masks)

Founded Metal Print (now DNP Elio) and formed a joint venture with Fuji Steel (now Nippon Steel)

Commenced production of paper cups

Established Hokkaido Beverage (Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling) in Hokkaido

Introduced a divisional organizational structure

Established Daichi International Printing Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong

Printed tickets, commemorative stickers, posters, etc. for the Tokyo Olympics

Commenced production of lead frames

Developed gravure printing technology for textiles

Partnered with The Standard Register Co., Ltd. and began mass production of business forms

Manufactured photomasks (hard masks) for semiconductors

Opened Yokohama plant (paper goods factory)

Established a creative design center specializing in planning and production

Opened New York branch office

Opened Sydney and Frankfurt branch offices

Established Shikoku Dai Nippon Printing (now DNP Shikoku)

Started production of laminate tubes

Designed nine pavilions, including the Saudi Arabia pavilion, for the Japan World Expo

Established DNP Europe in Düsseldorf, West Germany

Founded the joint venture Daini-pon Gitaraya Printing (now DNP Indonesia) in Indonesia

Opened the Akabane factory (merged with Futaba Printing)

Established CTS Dai Nippon and promoted the practical use of electronic typesetting systems

Opened the Warabi factory in Saitama Prefecture

Opened the Sayama and Tsuruse factories in Saitama Prefecture

Opened the Nara factory

Established mass production system for magnetic plastic cards

Established DNP America

Commenced full-scale production of magnetic passbooks

Introduced curved printing technology (Karlfit)

Established the Production Technology Research Institute (now the Comprehensive Production Research Institute)

Established retort pouch food packaging technology

Developed wood-grain matching embossing sheet

Developed liquid paper container for beverages (L carton system)

Developed aseptic filling system for coffee cream portion packs (Snow Brand Milk Products)

Developed large 3D hologram (prototype of Ripman hologram)

Opened the Neyagawa factory in Osaka Prefecture

Yoshitoshi Kitajima became CEO and Orie Kitajima became Chairman of the Board

Developed an aseptic filling system for bag-in-box

Developed the dedicated container "MD-1" for Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt

Developed a fully automatic photomask manufacturing device

Developed a carrier tape for transporting precision electronic components

Started production of PET bottles

Commercialized the painting technology "Thermoject" for plastic molded products

Opened a factory in Kuki, Saitama Prefecture

Developed rewritable IC cards (the prototype of IC cards)

Produced the third edition of "Kōjien" (Iwanami Shoten) with CTS

Started production of screens for rear-projection televisions

Developed mass production technology for rainbow holograms using transfer printing

Opened an electronics manufacturing plant in Kyoto City

Established manufacturing technology for molten-type heat transfer recording material and began production

Developed a front projection screen for projectors

Successfully formed capillary patterns in collaboration with Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Launched sales of the photo printer "PrintRush"

Established Diwenpu International Trade (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Opened the Kurosaki factory in Kitakyushu City

Acquired the passport photo business and related operations from Konica Minolta Holdings

Opened the Kamiya Solution Center

Launched the joint project "Louvre - DNP Museum Lab" with the Louvre Museum

Developed packaging material for space Japanese cuisine (first in Japan)

Established DNP IMS Netherlands (now DNP Imaging Com Europe) in the Netherlands

Established the DNP Cultural Promotion Foundation

Made the Library Distribution Center and Maruzen a consolidated subsidiary

Made JUNKUDO bookstore a consolidated subsidiary

Established DIC Graphics jointly with DIC

Established the CHI Group (now Maruzen CHI Holdings). Maruzen and the Library Distribution Center are under its umbrella

Made Intelligent Wave a consolidated subsidiary

Opened the hybrid bookstore "honto" that sells e-books and paper books

Opened the Tobata factory in Kitakyushu City

Developed the biomass plastic film "BioMatte PET" for packaging materials

Entered into a business partnership with Nihon Unisys (now BIPROGY)

Opened a factory in Vietnam (soft packaging factory)

Started operations of DNP Fine Chemical Utsunomiya

Established Dainippon Printing Thailand

Opened a factory for sublimation heat transfer recording material in Malaysia

Open DNP Kashiwa Data Center

Establish Indian Resident Office

Open "DNP Kyoto Taizawa Cultural Heritage Gallery"

Develop "DNP Multi-functional Insulation Box"

Develop reflective film for agriculture

Convert Tamura Plastic Products into a subsidiary (Launch of DNP Tamura Plastic)

Hold joint project "Interactive Globe and Celestial Sphere Exhibition" with the National Library of France

Open "Cyber Knowledge Academy"

Open "DNP Plaza" in Ichiyama

Produce replica of the Japan-Denmark Friendship Trade and Navigation Treaty

Start research toward commercialization of "Mini Intestine" (in collaboration with the National Center for Child Health and Development)

Develop DNP Learning Platform "Real Attendant"

Develop flexible thin skin display (in collaboration with the University of Tokyo)

Yoshinobu Kitajima appointed CEO, Yoshitoshi Kitajima appointed Chairman

Develop single-material film package

Develop seat-type coil for wireless power supply for electric vehicles

Produce high-definition 8K VR content of the National Treasure Ninna-ji Golden Hall

Launch information bank system platform (in partnership with Fujitsu)

Develop thin heat dissipation component "Vapor Chamber" for 5G smartphones

Convert JTB Planning Network into a subsidiary (Launch of DNP Planning Network)

Developed and sold DNP ultra-low reflectance face shield

Opened "Michiya no Mori Hon to Katsuzukan"

Launched "XR Communication Business" to develop community co-creation spaces

Partnered with Irimoto Medical

Developed film-type antenna for 5G Sub-6 GHz band

Started sales of small lighting device "DNP High Visibility Pattern Light"

Developed "TGV Glass Core Substrate" for semiconductor packages

Partnered with SCIVAX in nano imprint product foundry business

Partnered with Simic Holdings and consolidated Simic CMO as a subsidiary

Opened "Image Archive Lab" providing art images

Started providing "DNP Solar Power Plant Reflective Sheet"