Keep Making History
The future is yours to create.
We are proud to announce that Wacom celebrates its 40th anniversary starting July 2023
To celebrate, Nobutaka Ide, Representative Director, President and CEO, said this: “We would like to express our sincerest gratitude for the support from our customers, partners, and many others who helped us continue our business and celebrate this milestone.”
He added, “Writing and drawing are a very important part of our daily lives, both in our work and hobbies because we use them for idea creation, learning, and communicating. Wacom will continue to support everyone’s journey of ‘writing and drawing’ through its digital pen and ink technology and pass it on to future generations. We are excited to work with new and existing partners into the future.”.
From the early days to becoming a global player
The 1980s marked the dawn of personal computers, and keyboard-based text input was the norm. In 1984, Wacom launched the world’s first pen tablet with cordless stylus input, the “WT Series,” and took the first step in developing and providing an intuitive interface using a digital pen. In 1987, Wacom commercialized the “SD Series” wireless pen tablet, using electromagnetic resonance (EMR®) technology, which forms the basis of Wacom’s digital pen technology today.
Wacom pen tablets have been used in the design process of a variety of products since 1988. While global sportswear brands and European car manufacturers were among the first to adopt this new technology in their design processes, they were soon followed by leading film and animation studios, bringing our favorite movies, television programs and video games to life. This paved the way for a wider adoption of Wacom pen tablets by artists and designers at every stage of their creative development.
During this period, Wacom also expanded its business worldwide, establishing a sales company for Europe in Neuss, Germany in 1988 and another in Vancouver, Washington, USA in 1991.
Wacom’s pen tablet business has grown over the years thanks to widespread support from designers and creators around the world. While it has continued to refine its technology with numerous digital pen patents, Wacom began providing digital pen components for personal computers on an OEM basis in the late 1990s. Today, Wacom provides digital pen solutions for the products of many IT manufacturers, including Samsung and Lenovo, as well as various stationery manufacturers.
Our commitment to “writing and drawing” through digital technology
In April 2018, Wacom positioned itself as a “technology leadership” company in the field of digital pens and digital ink and adopted the vision of “Life-long Ink” based on the idea and commitment of supporting people’s “writing and drawing” experiences throughout their lives. The act of “writing and drawing” can be seen throughout our daily lives, and there are many businesses, companies, and organizations that form ecosystems. Wacom continues to refine its digital pen and ink technologies, and together with its partners, make the experience of “writing and drawing ” more enjoyable, convenient, and meaningful in our lives through digital technology.
In the coming years, Wacom will also deliver new experiences based on digital pen and ink technologies around artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and security applications. By continuing to collaborate with partners in respective fields, Wacom strives to offer attractive experiences with its product lines and services that support the creativity of designers and creators, as well as businesspeople and students, providing digital pen and ink experiences that fully integrate into people’s daily lives.
Wacom through the years
Happy birthday
Wacom is born in Saitama, Japan! The company’s name stems from combining the Japanese word “Wa,” meaning “harmony,” and “Com” for computer, demonstrating Wacom’s mission: creative harmony between users and their technology.
EMR to the forefront
Under pressure
Taking digital art to the next level
Wacom in the White House
The U.S. Communications Act of 1996 is signed by President Bill Clinton using a Wacom pen, a global first. This major overhaul attempted to bring U.S. law into the 21st century, so a Wacom pen was the perfect tool to finalize it.
The pen tablet of choice for 25 years
A revolutionary digital art experience
Beginners need tools, too
Powerful partners
Leading the way
Tech influencing culture
Only the best for pros
Wacom makes a major performance upgrade to its pen display technology with the release of the Wacom Cintiq Pro 13 and 16 and the Pro Pen 2, bringing the highest-end pen display experience to professional creatives.
Sometimes, bigger is better
The sequel surpasses the original
Performance + accessibility
Wacom One, a creative pen display for beginners, students, and hobbyists, is released. Its entry-level price point makes creative possibilities more accessible than ever before.
Creativity in the classroom
The height of creative perfection
Keeping your art yours
