What GTCO CalComp does

GTCO CalComp is a privately held manufacturer of computer input peripherals headquartered at 14557 N. 82nd Street, Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 1975. The company pioneered pen-based electromagnetic sensing technology and holds the patent for the world's first absolute-position electromagnetic digitizing technology, granted in 1975. Its core product lines center on large-format digitizers (DrawingBoard VI, Super L VI, Roll-Up III with patented Redundant Grid Technology, and Surface-Lit DrawingBoard), small-format graphics tablets, the QuikRuler III estimator's tool, and supporting driver software including TabletWorks and the subscription-based CADriver (Wintab-compatible API for AutoCAD). The company has produced and supported more than one million input systems across 50 countries over its 49-year operating history.

The company sells primarily through a global network of certified resellers and distributors covering North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa/Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, supplemented by direct national account sales in the US (Markie Nielsen, National Account Manager) and Brazil. It serves construction estimators, CAD and design professionals, GIS/mapping users, and textile/apparel manufacturers, with nine disclosed software integration partnerships (The Estimating Edge, Comput-Ability, FastEST, Optitex, Roctek, Tally Systems, Vertigraph, Wendes Systems, Ziatek) anchoring workflow lock-in. In parallel, GTCO CalComp operates a Customized OEM Services business providing screen printing of conductive inks, encapsulated wire flexible circuit production, and wire harness manufacturing for aerospace, commercial, consumer, industrial and medical applications, positioning it as both a specialty hardware OEM and a contract manufacturer for printed electronics.

Revenue is generated through three streams: hardware sales of digitizers and graphics tablets (quote-based, sizes from 12x12 inch tablets to 44x60 inch digitizers), software licenses and subscriptions (CADriver at $95 for a two-year term), and OEM services for printed circuitry and wire harnesses. The company maintains US-based manufacturing and holds product certifications (UL 1950, EN60950, FCC, VCCI, CE, EN55024, EN55022, Industry Canada) on its DrawingBoard VI small-format graphics tablet. No revenue, funding, headcount, or financial disclosures are available beyond scale commentary noting 50-country reach and 1M+ cumulative units produced.

Name

GTCO CalComp

Legal name

GTCO CalComp

Website

https://gtcocalcomp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GTCO CalComp, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, manufactures pen-based electromagnetic digitizers, graphics tablets, and OEM screen-printed conductive circuitry for construction, CAD, textile, medical, and aerospace customers across 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of digitizers including DrawingBoard VI, Super L VI, Roll-Up III, Surface-Lit DrawingBoard, and Graphics Tablets. Products range from small-format 12x12in tablets to large-format 44x60in digitizers.
2. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: TabletWorks driver software and CADriver subscription ($95 two-year subscription). Legacy software versions also available.
3. OEM Services: Customized OEM services including screen printing of conductive inks, production of encapsulated wire flexible circuits, and wire harnesses for aerospace, commercial, consumer, industrial and medical applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

GTCO CalComp develops and manufactures industry-leading computer input peripherals, specializing in large-format electromagnetic digitizers and graphics tablets used for CAD, GIS, design, engineering, construction takeoff, apparel and mapping applications. The company also provides customized OEM services including screen printing of conductive inks, encapsulated wire flexible circuits and wire harnesses for aerospace, commercial, consumer, industrial and medical applications.

Product overview

GTCO CalComp is a manufacturer of computer input peripherals specializing in digitizing technology, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company pioneered pen-based electromagnetic sensing technology and holds a patent for the world's first absolute-position electromagnetic digitizing technology. The product portfolio centers on Large-Format Digitizers (DrawingBoard VI, Super L VI, Roll-Up III, Surface-Lit DrawingBoard) and Graphics Tablets (DrawingBoard VI Small Format), complemented by the QuikRuler III Estimator's Tool for blueprint measurements. Supporting software includes TabletWorks (driver/software for digitizer control), TabletWorks CTS (for Citrix/Terminal Services), and CADriver (for AutoCAD). The company also provides Customized OEM Services including screen printing of conductive inks and flexible circuit manufacturing for aerospace, commercial, consumer, industrial and medical applications. GTCO CalComp serves design, engineering, construction, graphics, apparel, medical, and GIS/mapping sectors across 50 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DrawingBoard VI: Large-format digitizer series for CAD, GIS, engineering, textile and apparel applications with integrated USB and RS-232 connections.
• Super L VI
• Roll-Up III
• Surface-Lit Drawing Board
• QuikRuler III
• TabletWorks
• VersaTable

Products and services

• DrawingBoard VI (Large-Format) Industry-leading large-format digitizer for demanding CAD, GIS, engineering, textile and apparel applications. Features integrated USB and RS-232 Serial connections, state-of-the-art positioning grid technology, multiple accuracy versions, and integrated mounting channel for accessories. Available in 24x36, 36x48, and 44x60 inch formats.
• Super L VI Large-format digitizer offering greater flexibility and patented electromagnetic sensing technology for high-quality blueprints. Features integrated USB connection, SuperSet Menu for application navigation, and supports emulations of CalComp 3400 and Summagrid formats.
• Roll-Up III Completely mobile digitizer with exclusive Redundant Grid Technology for durability. Only 0.078 in/2.0 mm thick, rolls for storage/transport, features Lexan work surface and flexible dual orientation. Available in 30x36 and 36x48 inch formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• DrawingBoard VI delivers industry-leading accuracy of ±0.005in / ±0.127mm
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Estimating EdgecoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware partner providing EDGE estimating software that integrates with GTCO CalComp digitizers, enabling subcontractors to measure jobs, calculate costs and print reports. Partnership enables seamless integration between digitizing hardware and construction estimating software.
• Comput-Ability, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry leader in estimating software development. Products include VTO (Visual TakeOff+) for multi-source and digitizer takeoff, MIKE for mechanical insulation, IKE for structural steel and commercial interiors, and FES for firestopping. Full integration with GTCO CalComp digitizers.
• FastEST, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloper of FastPIPE Mechanical Estimating Software and FastDUCT HVAC Estimating Software. Software is equipped with comprehensive industry database and operates with GTCO CalComp digitizers for mechanical contractor estimating.
• OptitexcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading provider of 2D and 3D CAD/CAM and Virtual Prototyping software for apparel, automotive, aeronautics, industrial fabrics and upholstery industries. Partnership enables automation and optimization of production manufacturing operations.
• Roctek International Corp.coreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloper of Structural and Excavation Takeoff software for over 20 years. Advanced routines for walls, pads, footings, framing, roofs with 3-D rendition of measurements. Seamless export and print of custom reports with GTCO CalComp digitizers.
• Tally Systems, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationLeader in simple-to-use blueprint measuring systems since 1987. Integrates seamlessly with estimator's Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for quick and accurate takeoffs. Also offers civil packages for site, road and trench excavation.
• Vertigraph, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloper of BidPointXL for measuring items from blueprints directly in Excel. Digitized drawing and measurement saved with workbook cell. Also offers SiteWorx software for grading plans and cut/fill volume calculations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Anoto Group: Anoto develops digital pen and pattern-based input technology for forms, education, and documentation. While not a direct competitor to large-format digitizers, Anoto represents an adjacent digital-pen technology platform that intersects with GTCO CalComp's electromagnetic sensing heritage.
• Adesso: Adesso produces computer peripherals including graphics tablets. It has partial overlap with GTCO CalComp's small-format graphics tablet offerings, primarily targeting entry-level and prosumer users.

Direct peers

• Wacom: Wacom is the dominant global manufacturer of pen-based graphics tablets and interactive pen displays. It is the most direct competitor to GTCO CalComp's DrawingBoard VI and Super L VI digitizer lines, serving overlapping CAD, design, and graphics customers with comparable electromagnetic pen technology.
• XP-Pen: XP-Pen manufactures pen display tablets and graphics tablets for drawing, animation, and design. It overlaps with GTCO CalComp's small-format DrawingBoard VI graphics tablet line, particularly among creative professionals and CAD users seeking pen-input peripherals.
• Huion: Huion is a China-based manufacturer of pen displays and graphics tablets for digital art, education, and design applications. It targets a similar small-format graphics tablet buyer as GTCO CalComp with significantly lower price points.
• Ugee: Ugee produces pen display tablets and graphics tablets targeting digital artists, designers, and entry-level CAD users. It competes with GTCO CalComp in the small-format graphics tablet category with generally lower-priced offerings.

Regional players

• KanDao (and other Chinese pen display makers): KanDao and similar Asian pen display manufacturers focus on emerging markets with budget pen-input devices. They are regional players adjacent to GTCO CalComp's graphics tablet category rather than direct competitors in the US large-format CAD niche.

Broad incumbents

• Samsung (Galaxy Tab S with S Pen): Samsung's Galaxy Tab S series with integrated S Pen offers pen-input functionality for productivity, design, and note-taking. As a broad tablet incumbent with EMR pen technology, Samsung is an indirect substitute for GTCO CalComp's graphics tablet products.
• Apple (iPad Pro + Apple Pencil): Apple's iPad Pro combined with Apple Pencil represents the primary substitution threat to dedicated graphics tablets. As iPad-based CAD and design workflows mature, Apple is increasingly relevant to GTCO CalComp's competitive set even though it does not make a large-format digitizer.
• Microsoft (Surface Pen + Surface Pro): Microsoft's Surface family with Surface Pen provides pen-input computing for enterprise and design users. While not a large-format digitizer, it represents a substitution pathway for customers evaluating whether to invest in dedicated digitizer hardware.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 GTCO CalComp