Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) is an American multinational public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. Long known for its wide range of photographic film products, Kodak is refocusing on two major markets: digital photography and digital printing.
Kodak’s origins rest with Eastman Dry Plate Company, and the General Aristo Company
, founded by inventor George Eastman and businessman Henry Strong in Rochester, and Jamestown New York. The General Aristo Company was formed in 1899 in Jamestown New York, with George Eastman as treasurer, and this company purchased the stock of American Aristotype Company. In 1901 the Eastman Kodak Company acquired the stock of General Aristo Company. Eventually, the business in Jamestown was moved in its entirety to Rochester, and the plants in Jamestown were razed. The Eastman Dry Plate Company was responsible for the first cameras suitable for nonexpert use. The Kodak company attained its name from the first simple roll film cameras produced by Eastman Dry Plate Company, known as the “Kodak” in its product line. The cameras proved such an enormous success that the word Kodak was incorporated into the company name. George Eastman registered the trademark Kodak on September 4, 1888. The Eastman Kodak Company was founded in 1892. The company is incorporated in New Jersey but has its offices in Rochester, New York. George Eastman, Kodak’s founder, coined the advertising slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.”