adobe

Adobe was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. The company name came from Adobe Creek which ran behind the house of one of the company's founders.

In 1985 Apple Computer licensed PostScript for their LaserWriter printers, helping it set off the desktop publishing revolution. The next designed product was the digital font  released in a proprietary format called Type 1. Apple countered with its TrueType Font. Eventually Adobe and Microsoft developed the OpenType font format and Adobe completed converting its Type 1 library to OpenType in 2003.

Adobe's first foray into the consumer software market was in 1987 with the release of Adobe Illustrator, a vector-based drawing program, that helped popularize the PostScript enabled laser printers. Then in 1989, Adobe introduced what would become its flagship product, Adobe Photoshop.

With the acquisition of PageMaker, After Effects, FrameMaker, and the Macromedia line of products, then pairing them with other Adobe developed products, Adobe developed the highly successful Adobe Creative Suites boasting six configurations targeted at different audiences.

With the continued improvements of Photoshop, and the development of products like Adobe Lightroom, a product aimed specifically for photographers, Adobe continues to be a forward-thinking company expanding on its success.