Sharp celebrates 50-year history of copier innovation – Channel Info

1972: Sharp launches its first copier, the SF-201. Most copiers at the time employed diazo technology, where copies are initially made on special photosensitive papers. Sharp used the Electrofax (EF) method, where paper is given a static electric charge before being exposed to light reflected from the original document. The EF method provided results without ammonia odour, discoloration, or colour mixing and was so successful, Sharp produced another 10 series models in the four years following its launch.

1974: The industry-first Sharp SF-710 launches, the first plain paper copier to feature IC control in place of complex control mechanisms.

1976: Sharp launches the SF-730, the industry’s first copier to feature a pressure-fixing method for mono-component development toner.

1978: Sharp introduces the SF-810, the industry’s first stationary-platen desktop copier (PPC).

1979: This year sees the launch of the SF-740, the world’s first copier to adopt a sheet metal optical unit. It becomes the first best-selling machine to enable copying onto postcards.

1981: Sharp introduces the SF-750, its smallest and lightest copier to date. It is the first model to utilise an Organic Photoconductor (OPC) sheet.

1984: The trend for minimisation continues as Sharp launches the Z-60, the world’s smallest B4 copier to use cartridge-type consumables.

1986: The Sharp SF-8200 is the first copier from Sharp to feature an OPC drum and subsequently picks up awards throughout the year.

1989: Sharp ups its game in the world of colour copying and launches the CX-7500 – the company’s first full-colour analogue copier to achieve high-quality colour copying. A busy year for Sharp, 1989 also sees the launch of the SF-8300, the first copier to feature automatic rotating drawers to save space.

1991: Sharp introduces SD-2075, which features Sharp’s unique advanced mechanism RDH (recirculating document handler) and the company’s first air-feeding mechanism.

1994: Sharp launches the AR-5040, the company’s first digital copier with an electronic sort function.

1995: Sharp continues to add functionality to its copiers with the introduction of the AR-5030F, Sharp’s first digital copier to offer a fax function.

1996: The AR-5132 is the first digital MFP from Sharp to feature a network printing function.

1999: The AR-C150 introduces digital colour functionality to Sharp’s MFP range, thanks to a colour tandem engine.

2001: The new millennium opened with a host of world firsts. The AR-507 is the first security-certified MFP to achieve Common Criteria Certification. The AR-M450 launches the same year and becomes the first MFP to obtain CC EAL4 security certification.

2007: Sharp launches the MX-4500DS, which proves the ideal MFP for convenience stores. This colour copier supports glossy A4-sized paper and L-sized photo printing and is the first to offer a calendar-making function.

2008: Thanks to its outstanding image reproduction quality, the A3 colour MFP MX-2600N wins a BLI Pick of the Year award. It wasn’t the only Sharp copier to pick up an award that year. Sharp’s first A4 colour MFP, the MX-C381, also wins the BLI Pick of the Year. Innovation remained high on the agenda, with the concept of making high-end digital functions easier to use thanks to a new 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen on Sharp MFPs. The largest touchscreen of its kind at the time, allowed users to make smartphone-like gestures to easily carry out operations, such as print previews and changing document page order.

2013: Sharp continues to shape the copier landscape with the MX-7500N, the company’s first flagship colour MFP for light production environments. In the same year, Sharp launches the MX-C300W, providing high-performance features in one of the industry’s smallest packages.

2016: The award-winning MX-6070N is the first MFP to achieve HCD-PP Certification

2018: Sharp introduces the BP-20C25 another award-winning colour MFP with a compact body designed to fit anywhere. Heading into the close of the decade, 2020’s

2020: Sharp MX-3631DS is a new MFP designed for convenience stores, introducing the industry’s first seal print functionality.

2022: The BP-70C45 is the latest colour MFP from Sharp to include document technologies cultivated over 50 years, and forms part of our latest generation A3 MFP range.

After five decades and more than 30 ground-breaking designs, Sharp continues to release products that set the standard. The brand new ‘Future Workplace A3 MFP Series’ extends its eco-system of smart office tools, helping businesses adapt to meet the demands of hybrid working.