Noritsu

What Noritsu does

Noritsu America Corporation is the US and Canadian operating subsidiary of Noritsu Precision Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Wakayama, Japan), a company with a 60+ year legacy in the photo imaging industry. The company manufactures and sells specialized photo printing systems spanning traditional silver halide wet-process printers (QSS 3904G, QSS-3901G) and modern dry inkjet photo lab solutions (QSS Green IV, Green III, Green R), as well as the 931-BL compact production printer. Its software stack includes the proprietary EZ-Controller workflow management platform and AccuSmart image processing technology with face recognition, scene/density recognition, and Digital ICE/Masking artifact removal. A separate Pharmacy Automation division provides strip packaging and medication compliance solutions to independent and chain pharmacies.

The company operates three business divisions: Photo & Commercial Printers, Pharmacy Automation, and Noritsu Technical Services (NTS). Revenue is generated through capital equipment sales to photo labs, retail stores, and commercial printing operations; recurring consumables (proprietary paper and ink) sold via the Noritsu Online Store and direct channels; technical service contracts and on-site support; and pharmacy automation hardware and software. Customers are predominantly SMBs — independent photo labs, camera shops, and small pharmacies — supplemented by mid-market accounts. Notable customers include Academy Studios, Downtown Camera, Watsons' Family Foto Source, and EverSpringRX, with multiple customers reporting 30-40+ year relationships and repeat equipment purchases.

The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with regional sales teams across the US and Canada, event-driven demand generation (notably the annual PRO Tradeshow), a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel for consumables, and the Local Prints Now mobile app ecosystem that routes consumer print orders to Noritsu-equipped partner labs. In December 2022, Noritsu divested its Medical Imaging Division to Imperial Imaging Technology, refocusing on photo printing, commercial printing, and pharmacy automation. The company claims thousands of system installations in North America and a global presence in 180+ countries (the latter primarily attributable to the parent company's worldwide footprint). Leadership is held by CEO Toshitake Takahashi, with Shiho Tagano serving as Vice President.

Name

Noritsu

Legal name

Noritsu America Corporation

Website

https://noritsu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Noritsu America Corporation, a subsidiary of Noritsu Precision (Japan), manufactures photo printing equipment, commercial printers, and pharmacy automation solutions. It serves photo labs, pharmacies, and professional photographers across the US and Canada, supported by a technical services division and recurring consumables revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photo Printing Equipment

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (323), Photographic Film, Paper, Plate, Chemical, and Copy Toner Manufacturing (325992), Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591), Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790)

akta.pro primary industry

Production & High-Volume Printing Systems (HDACAEAJ)

Keywords

• Photo printing equipment
• Pharmacy automation solutions
• Silver halide printers
• Dry inkjet photo lab
• Commercial printing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Buena Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Photo Printing Equipment Sales: Noritsu manufactures and sells photo printing equipment including the QSS Green dry ink series, traditional silver halide G series printers, and the 931-BL production printer. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales to photo labs, retail stores, and commercial printing operations.
2. Consumables (Paper and Ink): Noritsu sells genuine paper and ink consumables specifically designed for their QSS systems. Products include luster, glossy, and pearlescent paper stocks. Consumables are sold through the Noritsu Online Store and support recurring revenue from the installed equipment base.
3. Technical Services: Noritsu Technical Services (NTS) provides on-site technical support across the US and Canada. Service offerings include warranty extensions, scheduled maintenance, and discounted parts and labor. Revenue generated through service contracts and per-incident support.
4. Pharmacy Automation Solutions: Noritsu Pharmacy Automation division provides pharmacy automation equipment and software solutions including strip packaging automation for medication compliance packaging, targeting independent and chain pharmacies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Noritsu manufactures and sells professional photo printing systems, including traditional silver halide wet-process printers (QSS G Series) and dry inkjet photo lab solutions (QSS Green Series), alongside pharmacy automation equipment. The company also offers proprietary workflow software (EZ-Controller, AccuSmart), genuine paper and ink consumables, and on-site technical services across the US and Canada through Noritsu Technical Services (NTS).

Product overview

Noritsu is a diversified technology company with two main product divisions: Photo and Commercial Printers (hardware and software) and Pharmacy Automation. The Photo division offers a complete portfolio spanning traditional silver halide photo printers (QSS 3904G, QSS-3901G), dry inkjet printers (QSS Green IV, Green III, Green R), production printers (931-BL), and commercial printing (Oki C942). Software includes EZ-Controller for workflow management and AccuSmart for image processing. The portfolio is supported by consumables (paper/ink), accessories (SPB-1 Photo Book Maker), and technical services. The separate Pharmacy Automation division provides solutions for pharmacy workflow and compliance. Noritsu operates across the US and Canada with headquarters in Buena Park, CA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EZ-Controller: Workflow management and printer control software suite with integrated order management, color management, and RAW data support.
• AccuSmart Technology
• Local Prints Now
• QSS Green Series
• QSS 3904G
• QSS 3901G
• SPB-1 Photo Book Maker
• SpiralBind Products
• Pic Drop Easy Print
• Fast Photos

Products and services

• Noritsu QSS 3904G High-resolution silver halide photo printer with 100% solid-state laser engine. Produces up to 2120 6x4 or 614 10x8 prints per hour. Features triple magazine configuration or quad magazine system option for high-volume photo lab operations.
• Noritsu QSS-3901G Compact silver halide photo printer with 40% smaller footprint than comparable systems. Produces up to 1480 6x4 prints per hour with double the capacity of legacy systems. Supports full-size posters, panoramics, and square prints for traditional photo labs.
• Noritsu QSS Green IV Compact dry inkjet photo lab printer with 12-inch roll paper path and up to 69.2-inch print advance capability. Supports dual roll configuration for increased speed and efficiency. Prints at 1440 dpi with multiple dot gradation technology for photo labs.
• Noritsu QSS Green III High-capacity dry ink printer producing up to 950 6x4 or 305 10x8 prints per hour. Features 12-inch wide paper path for poster and panoramic prints up to 12x55 inches. Built-in 12-order capacity sorter with color-coded LED sorting system for photo lab environments.
• Noritsu QSS Green R Compact and versatile dry inkjet printer with easily swappable multiple roll paper widths. Creates panoramic and banner prints up to 10x69 inches. Prints at 1440 dpi with multiple dot gradation for smooth prints. No chemicals required for operation.
• Noritsu 931-BL Production Printer Compact production-quality printer with full-bleed edge-to-edge printing capability. Handles media weights 120-324gsm and various paper sizes. 600x600/1200x1200 dpi resolution with auto duplex. Designed for retail stores or back office operations.
• Noritsu SPB-1 Photo Book Maker Paper creaser for creating lay-flat photo books, calendars, and other creative products in-house. Works with photo and dry ink papers of various thicknesses and surfaces, enabling photo labs to offer added-value creative products.
• Genuine Noritsu Paper and Ink Photo printing papers and inks specifically designed for Noritsu QSS systems. Available in Luster, Glossy, and Pearlescent finishes. Features tight slitting tolerances, superior ink quality, and resistance to yellowing. Sold through Noritsu Online Store.
• Noritsu Pharmacy Automation Pharmacy automation and software solutions for increasing compliance and building efficient pharmacy workflows. Includes strip packaging automation for medication dispensing to reduce labor, boost efficiency, and provide safe pouch packaged medications for patients. Targets independent and chain pharmacies.
• Noritsu Technical Services On-site technical service across the US and Canada providing professional technology support for Noritsu products and other equipment. Includes warranty extensions, scheduled maintenance, and discounted parts and labor. Supports the installed base of equipment across North America.

Quantifiable outcome

• QSS 3904G produces up to 2120 6x4 prints per hour
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IPI (Image Photographers International)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIPI photo lab partner providing distribution channel for Noritsu printing products and services in the professional photography market.
• PRO (Photo Retailers & Organizations)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPRO Photo Show and Convention partnership for trade show participation and industry events, connecting Noritsu with photo lab and retail customers at the annual PRO tradeshow.
• Imperial Imaging TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNoritsu sold their Medical Imaging Division to Imperial Imaging Technology in December 2022. Imperial Imaging acquired the Georgia-based medical imaging business, bringing on skilled engineers and sales consultants to continue serving medical imaging customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HP (Production Printing): HP's Indigo and PageWide production presses compete with Noritsu's commercial and production printers in short-run commercial print shops. HP is a broad incumbent with significantly greater scale, channel breadth, and enterprise sales coverage.
• Epson: Epson sells professional photo inkjet printers (SureColor series), large-format production printers, and branded photo paper/ink consumables. It competes with Noritsu in professional photo printing and adjacent commercial print segments, but at a much broader scale across consumer and enterprise markets.
• Canon: Canon's imagePRESS and Colorado production printers compete with Noritsu's 931-BL and Oki C942 in short-run commercial print, and Canon also serves the photo specialty and professional photography market. Canon is a broader incumbent with deeper channel and R&D resources than Noritsu.
• Fujifilm: Fujifilm offers a broad imaging portfolio including Frontier-series photo printing systems, inkjet photo media, and commercial print solutions. While larger and more diversified than Noritsu, Fujifilm overlaps directly in photo lab equipment and silver-halide/dry photo printing consumables.
• Kodak: Kodak remains an incumbent in commercial photo printing with dry labs and workflow software, and its legacy brand competes for the same independent photo lab customers as Noritsu. Kodak's broader portfolio (print, advanced materials, motion picture) makes it a broader incumbent rather than a direct specialist peer.

Direct peers

• HiTi Digital: HiTi manufactures dye-sublimation photo printers and ID/card printing systems sold through retail and professional photo channels. HiTi competes with Noritsu's QSS dry-ink and silver halide printers in the SMB photo lab and event printing segments.
• DNP Photo Imaging (Dai Nippon Printing): DNP is the most direct competitor to Noritsu in dye-sublimation photo printing systems for retail and event photo labs globally. Both companies compete head-to-head on photo printer hardware, consumables, and lab workflow solutions for the photofinishing industry.
• Mitsubishi Electric (Photo Printing Division): Mitsubishi Electric produces professional dye-sublimation photo printing systems used by retail photo labs and on-site event printers. Its CP-D range competes directly with Noritsu's QSS Green and QSS G Series in commercial photo finishing.

Emerging players

• Primera Technology: Primera manufactures specialty desktop printers for CD/DVD, label, and disc printing, overlapping with Noritsu's short-run commercial printing initiatives in retail and small business environments. It is a smaller, niche competitor focused on specialty print applications rather than photo lab equipment.

Others

• Omnicell: Omnicell is a leading provider of pharmacy automation solutions including medication packaging, dispensing, and adherence systems. It is comparable because Noritsu's Pharmacy Automation division competes in the same medication compliance packaging market, but Omnicell serves hospitals and large chains at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NoritsuAmericaCorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/177893875599233
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noritsu-america-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Noritsu