Christoph Froschauer founds the company
Christoph Froschauer, an immigrant printer from Bavaria, sets up a print shop in Zurich and is granted citizenship by the City Council.
Copperplate printing is introduced
With the invention of intaglio printing, images and texts can be reproduced in greater precision, improving print quality and enabling knowledge to be spread more widely.
First stamps on the European continent
Orell Füssli prints the first stamps on the European continent: “Zurich 4” and “Zurich 6”. These are the only stamps ever issued by the canton of Zurich.
Orell Füssli prints the first bank note
The 10-guilder note is printed for the “Leih-und Sparkassa des Seebezirks” in Uznach, now Bank Linth. Until 1907, responsibility for printing banknotes lay with the cantons.
Listing on the Zurich Stock Exchange
Today, Orell Füssli is one of the oldest listed companies in Switzerland.
The first banknotes are printed for the Swiss National Bank
Orell Füssli prints the first Swiss banknotes for the Swiss National Bank (SNB), founded in 1905: the 5-franc note and the 20-franc note.
Headquarters in the heart of Zurich
Orell Füssli moves from the old town to its current headquarters on Dietzingerstrasse in the centrally located Wiedikon area of Zurich.
Swiss passports
Orell Füssli is commissioned by the federal government to print Swiss passports. Issued from 1959 onwards, they now have a red cover.
Sixth Swiss banknote series
The 100-franc note of the sixth Swiss banknote series is the first note to be produced entirely in Switzerland. The machines, paper and printing ink are all from Switzerland.
SNB becomes largest single shareholder
The Bührer-Gühl family withdraws from the company. The SNB becomes the largest single shareholder.
Acquisition of Atlantic Zeiser
Orell Füssli acquires a stake in the German Atlantic Zeiser Group. The group focuses on banknote numbering and security documents as well as the production of plastic cards, including credit cards. In 2018 the card business is sold to the Italian company Coesia, allowing Zeiser to focus exclusively again on the security printing market.
Orell Füssli celebrates its 500th anniversary
Orell Füssli celebrates 500 years of corporate history, making it one of the oldest still-existing companies in the world.
Orell Füssli acquires a majority stake in software company Procivis AG
Orell Füssli secures a majority stake in Procivis AG, a leading Swiss technology company in the digitalisation of services in the public sector.
Orell Füssli takes over hep Verlag
Orell Füssli takes over Bern-based publisher, hep Verlag, a key provider of Swiss learning media.