Sakura Color Products Corporation
Sakura Color Products Corporation is a Japanese manufacturing company headquartered in Morinomiya-chūō, Chūō-ku, Osaka, which produces a variety of stationery products as well a wide range of art materials. Nevertheless, Sakura is mostly known by its marker pens, such as the Pigma line.
History
The company started as a crayons manufacturer in 1921. By 1924, Sakura invented the first-ever oil pastel that combined oil and pigment, which was patented globally as the "Cray-pas" trademark.In 1982, the firm launched its famous Pigma marker pen lines. In 1984, Sakura invented the first gel-based ink, featured in its new ballpoint pens lines. Gel ink pens are currently produced by many stationery companies.
In 1991 Sakura acquired the Dutch company Royal Talens, and in 1997 the Dutch pencil maker.
The North-American division of the company, "Sakura Color Products of America, Inc." was established in Hayward, California in 1986. Other division of Sakura in Asia, "Shanghai Sakura International Trading Co., Ltd. " was established in Shanghai, China in 2002.
Products
The following is a list with the large range of products commercialized by Sakura:| Category | Products |
| Pens | Ballpoint pens, gel ink pens, refills |
| Pencils | Mechanical pencils, colored pencils |
| Markers | Water based and permanent marker pens, highlighters, brush pens |
| Writing accessories | Erasers, whiteboard erasers, glue pens |
| Art materials | Crayons, pastels, oil pastels, water colors, acrylic paints, gouaches, oil paints, water-soluble printing colors, brushes, palettes |