DEC Ink & Toner Cartridges and Supplies

The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was founded in 1957 and quickly distinguished itself as a leader in the emerging micro-computing industry of the 1960s and 1970s. The company (pronounced "deck") was a small-time operation to begin and got its start by creating computers for the personal and small business market. These computers-most notably, the PDP series-proved incredibly popular, especially with the hacker crowd, for their function and power. DEC was largely ignored by the bigger manufacturers, enabling the company to get ahead without a threat of competition and without notice of its considerable success by those who had an interest in preventing it.

The PDP series enjoyed stunning popularity through its model run, including the PDP-8, considered by many to be the first effective minicomputer, and the PDP-11, which sold over 600,000 units in its lifetime. DEC then moved into creating what were known as "superminis" with their VAX 32-bit systems, many of which could compete with larger mainframe systems such as the IBM System/370. Thanks in large part to the success of the VAX system, DEC went on to take second place in the computer industry in the 1980s, and at one point in time, was the second largest employer in Massachusetts behind the state government. Unfortunately, the birth of the microcomputer in the late 1980s cut heavily into DEC's sales, and despite creating a 64-bit answer to the microcomputer - the Alpha-the company's fortunes began to suffer significantly.

In the wake of the microcomputer revolution, the company began to take heavy losses and attempted to diversify to stay afloat. DEC began developing items such as printers and printer ink as well as database products in order to keep its faltering business alive. Unfortunately, DEC found little success in this, and in 1992, began downsizing. By 1994, the company was selling off divisions to bolster its flagging sales, and in 1997, the printer side of the business was sold to GENICOM, which went on to produce printers and cartridges under the DEC trademark. Now, a host of inkjet, dot matrix and laser printers are produced using the DEC name, one of the longest-lasting creations of the once-great DEC computer company.

DEC printers manufactured by GENICOM and other brands continue to exemplify the spirit of innovation and quality that the original company took pride in, and we are proud to offer a range of printer ink, toner and refill kit options for all DEC printer products. Stop by today and see what we have in stock for your DEC laser or inkjet printer. With a broad supply and stellar prices, we are your one-stop shop for all things printer and all things DEC.