On the web pages of WhatTheyThink.com, Creo has made headlines with their part in the creation of Printcafe and last year's acquisition of ScenicSoft. Most recently, the company received plenty of virtual ink as the whole EFI/Printcafe/Creo saga unfolded.

To understand Creo on a different level, WTT correspondent, Gail Nickel-Kailing, visited Creo’s headquarters and manufacturing plant in British Columbia. She spoke with key executives, met with two of Creo’s customers and compiled important analysis from the investment community which offers insight into the company's financial condition.

In this series:
Part 1 - The Company - Structure and Financials
Part 2 – The People – Empowering Customers and Employees
Part 3 – The Analysts’ View

Part 1 – Creo: The Company – Structure and Financials

Founded in 1983 by Dan Gelbart and Ken Spencer, Creo was initially a manufacturer of optical tape recorder (OTR) devices to store huge graphic images on reels of tape. It was just a short step from satellite images to the myriad types of images used in the graphic arts industry and Creo became a vendor of laser imaging engines to the printing industry. The company has leveraged its optical data storage technology as the platform on which it has built full CTP systems.

In the early 1990s, rather than OEM technology to other manufacturers, the company chose to deliver technology directly to the industry as a full-system CTP provider.