Orell Füssli
Swiss publishing, bookselling, security-printing, and related technology group with origins dating to 1519.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Orell Füssli is a Swiss publishing, bookselling, printing, and security-technology group whose origins are traced to Christoph Froschauer’s printing business in Zurich in 1519. The company developed during the Swiss Reformation as a printer and publisher of religious, political, scientific, historical, and literary works. Over the following centuries, its activities expanded and contracted in response to changes in European publishing, censorship, industrialization, mass communications, and the Swiss financial system. The modern name emerged from the 1770 merger of the businesses associated with Johann Rudolf Füssli and the Orell and Gessner families. The combined company operated a major bookshop and publishing house and entered newspaper publishing in 1780 with the Zürcher Zeitung, which later became the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The newspaper activities were separated into an independent company in 1868. During the nineteenth century, Orell Füssli increasingly emphasized industrial printing, advertising, maps, illustrations, securities, and other high-volume printed products. It produced the Zurich 4 and 6 postage stamps in 1843, among the earliest postage stamps issued anywhere, and developed capabilities in color reproduction and security printing. Security printing became a central business after Orell Füssli received mandates connected with Swiss banknotes. The company printed banknotes for the Swiss National Bank on a trial basis in 1909 and supplied denominations from the second Swiss banknote series introduced in 1911. In the twentieth century, the group invested in intaglio and other specialized printing processes and became the principal printer of Swiss banknotes for several series. This activity remains one of its defining contemporary businesses, alongside secure documents, identity and travel documents, and related production technologies. The group also reorganized substantially during the late twentieth century. Its publishing operation gained an independent market identity as Orell Füssli Verlag, while the company’s commercial printing and cartographic activities were reduced, separated, or sold. The creation of Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs AG with Heinrich Hugendubel in the 1990s re-established the Orell Füssli name in Swiss retail bookselling. The company opened the large Kramhof bookstore in Zurich in 1993 and launched online bookselling through books.ch in 1996. In 1999, the holding-company structure was reorganized so that publishing and security printing operated as distinct subsidiaries. Orell Füssli later broadened its technology activities through the acquisition of Atlantic Zeiser, a German specialist serving card, passport, numbering, and security-printing markets. The group subsequently divested the card business while retaining the Zeiser security-printing component. It also acquired and later disposed of or transferred activities in business information services. In 2020, Orell Füssli merged key subsidiaries and began trading as Orell Füssli AG. It expanded into digital identity and trust technology through Procivis, taking a majority position in 2021, and strengthened educational publishing through the acquisition of hep Verlag in 2022. In 2025 it acquired SKV AG, a provider of learning media for commercial and business education. Today, Orell Füssli combines three closely related areas: security printing and security technologies, educational and specialist publishing, and bookselling. Its identity rests on the combination of Swiss institutional heritage, specialist manufacturing capability, publishing expertise, and access to consumers through physical and digital book retail. The company has been publicly traded in Switzerland since 1897 and is described as the country’s oldest continuously publicly traded company.
History
Orell Füssli’s history begins in Zurich in 1519, when Christoph Froschauer established a printing business after relocating from Altötting. The company became an important printer during the Swiss Reformation and published works associated with major religious and intellectual figures, including Erasmus, Martin Luther, and Huldrych Zwingli. It later broadened its output to historical, medical, scientific, and literary works. Ownership passed among influential Zurich families, and the business changed names several times. In the eighteenth century, Johann Rudolf Füssli joined the enterprise in 1744 and eventually became its sole owner. Separately, Hans Conrad von Orelli and Johann Jakob Bodmer operated Orell & Cie., while the Gessner family brought another printing and bookselling business into that enterprise. The Orell and Gessner business merged with Füssli & Cie. in 1770, creating Orell, Gessner, Füssli & Cie., the direct historical predecessor of the modern group. In 1780, the company entered newspaper publishing with the Zürcher Zeitung, later known as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. That activity became a separate public company in 1868. After the Napoleonic period, competition from German publishers encouraged a shift toward Swiss subjects and industrial printing. The company printed securities by 1827 and introduced high-speed printing equipment. In 1843, it printed the Zurich 4 and 6 stamps for the canton of Zurich. During the second half of the nineteenth century, advertising, railway posters, travel material, maps, and color reproduction became important growth areas. The company also developed a banknote-printing relationship with Swiss institutions, particularly after the establishment of the Swiss National Bank. Art. Institut Orell Füssli became a public limited company in 1890. Shares began trading on the Swiss exchange in 1897. In 1909, the company printed Swiss National Bank banknotes on a trial basis, and it subsequently supplied denominations for Swiss banknote series. A move to Zurich’s Wiedikon district in 1923 provided space for upgraded machinery and broader use of intaglio printing. Publishing gained a separate market identity as Orell Füssli Verlag in 1925. The company changed its corporate name to Orell Füssli Graphische Betriebe AG in 1974, reflecting its industrial printing orientation. The 1990s brought extensive restructuring. Commercial printing was sold, cartographic operations became largely independent, and the security-printing plant was upgraded. The company revived its bookselling identity through Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs AG, established with Heinrich Hugendubel as minority partner. The Kramhof bookstore in Zurich opened in 1993, followed by online bookselling through books.ch in 1996. In 1999, Orell Füssli Graphische Betriebe became Orell Füssli Holding AG and separated publishing and security printing into dedicated subsidiaries. Expansion into technology included the acquisition of Teledata in 2001 and the purchase of a majority stake in Atlantic Zeiser in 2002, followed by full ownership in 2005. Atlantic Zeiser’s exposure to declining telephone-card markets contributed to later difficulties. Its card business was sold to Coesia in 2018, while the Zeiser security-printing component remained within Orell Füssli. Orell Füssli Wirtschaftsinformationen was transferred to Axon Active in 2008 and later acquired by CRIF in 2014. The group simplified its structure in 2020 by merging important subsidiaries. It invested in Procivis, a digital-identity technology company, in 2020 and took majority control in 2021. Educational publishing became more prominent through the 2022 acquisition of hep Verlag and the 2025 acquisition of SKV AG. The current group therefore links a centuries-old publishing tradition with bookselling, educational content, secure-document production, banknote printing, and specialized security technology.
- 2025
SKV AG acquired
[1]Orell Füssli acquired SKV AG, a provider of learning media for commercial and business education.
- 2022
hep Verlag acquired
[1]Orell Füssli acquired Swiss educational and reference publisher hep Verlag AG.
- 2021
Procivis majority takeover
[1]The group completed a majority takeover of Procivis after an initial investment the previous year.
- 2020
Operating subsidiaries merged
[1]Orell Füssli merged key subsidiaries and began operating under the Orell Füssli AG name.
- 2018
Atlantic Zeiser card business sold
[1]The card business was sold to Coesia, while the Zeiser security-printing component remained with Orell Füssli.
- 2005
Atlantic Zeiser fully acquired
[1]Orell Füssli completed the takeover of Atlantic Zeiser.
- 2002
Atlantic Zeiser majority acquisition
[1]Orell Füssli acquired a majority stake in Atlantic Zeiser, expanding its security-technology activities internationally.
- 1999
Holding-company reorganization
[1]Orell Füssli Graphische Betriebe became Orell Füssli Holding AG, with publishing and security printing organized as separate subsidiaries.
- 1996
Online bookselling launched
[1]The company entered online book retail through books.ch.
- 1993
Kramhof bookstore opens in Zurich
[1]Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs AG opened a major bookstore at the Kramhof property in Zurich.
Products and positioning
A heritage Swiss specialist combining trusted security printing, educational and specialist publishing, and omnichannel bookselling.
Secure documents and banknotes
Security printing
Orell Füssli’s security-printing business produces banknotes and other documents requiring specialized substrates, printing processes, authentication features, and controlled production. Its historical work for Swiss monetary authorities made security printing the group’s most distinctive industrial activity. The business also addresses identity, travel, and other secure-document applications.
Educational and specialist publishing · 1925
Orell Füssli Verlag
Orell Füssli Verlag publishes educational, professional, reference, and specialist titles, with a particular connection to Swiss markets. The publishing portfolio has been reinforced by the group’s acquisitions of hep Verlag and SKV AG, expanding its presence in textbooks and learning media for vocational, commercial, and business education.
Book retail · 1993
Orell Füssli bookstores
The Orell Füssli retail business operates Swiss bookstores and digital book retail. Its modern revival dates to the creation of Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs AG with Heinrich Hugendubel and the opening of the Kramhof store in Zurich in 1993. The business combines physical stores with online ordering and broad consumer book distribution.
Online book retail · 1996
books.ch
books.ch is the group’s online bookselling activity, launched in 1996 as part of Orell Füssli’s return to consumer book retail. It complements the bookstore network by providing a digital purchasing channel for books and related media in the Swiss market.
Security-printing technology
Zeiser
Zeiser represents the security-printing technology activities retained after the sale of Atlantic Zeiser’s card business. It provides specialized components and technologies connected with secure document and security-printing production, extending Orell Füssli’s industrial expertise beyond direct printing services.
Digital identity technology · 2020
Procivis solutions
Through its investment and majority ownership of Procivis, Orell Füssli participates in digital identity and trust infrastructure. The activity complements the group’s traditional role in secure documents by addressing digital forms of identification and related public-sector or institutional use cases.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquire SKV AGM&ABackground
Orell Füssli continued to build its learning-media portfolio, particularly in commercial and business education.
Action taken
Orell Füssli acquired SKV AG from the Swiss Commercial Association.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened the group’s position in Swiss learning media and complemented its existing educational publishing operations.
2022
Acquire hep VerlagM&ABackground
Orell Füssli identified educational and reference publishing as an area for portfolio development.
Action taken
The group acquired hep Verlag AG, a Swiss publisher based in Bern.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded the educational publishing business and added a stronger presence in Swiss textbooks and reference materials.
2020
Simplify the operating structureStrategyBackground
Orell Füssli sought to streamline the relationship between its holding company and important operating subsidiaries.
Action taken
Orell Füssli Holding merged with Orell Füssli Security Printing AG and Orell Füssli Dienstleistungs AG, after which the company traded as Orell Füssli AG.
Aftermath
The merger consolidated the operating organization while preserving the group’s publishing, bookselling, and security-technology activities.
2020
Invest in ProcivisM&ABackground
Orell Füssli extended its security and trust-technology interests into digital identity.
Action taken
The company acquired an initial stake in Procivis and increased its position to a majority ownership in 2021.
Aftermath
Procivis added a digital identity dimension to a group historically associated with physical secure documents and banknote printing.
2018
Exit the Atlantic Zeiser card businessStrategyBackground
The decline of telephone cards weakened Atlantic Zeiser’s card-related operations as mobile communications reduced demand for the older product category.
Action taken
Orell Füssli sold the card business to Coesia while retaining the security-printing technology activities under Zeiser.
Aftermath
The divestment reduced exposure to a declining market and preserved the part of the business most closely aligned with Orell Füssli’s security-printing strategy.
2002
Acquire Atlantic ZeiserM&ABackground
Orell Füssli aimed to expand its specialist security-printing expertise and market reach beyond Switzerland.
Action taken
The company acquired a 76 percent stake in Atlantic Zeiser Group, followed by complete ownership in 2005.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened the group’s international technology activities into card, passport, numbering, and related security-printing markets, although the telephone-card downturn later created pressure on the business.
1999
Create a holding structure with specialized operating subsidiariesStrategyBackground
Orell Füssli sought to clarify the roles of its publishing and security-printing businesses after the 1990s restructuring.
Action taken
Orell Füssli Graphische Betriebe became Orell Füssli Holding AG, while publishing and security printing were separated into independent subsidiaries under the holding company.
Aftermath
The structure provided a clearer corporate framework for managing businesses with different customers, technologies, and investment requirements.
1992
Concentrate the portfolio on publishing, bookselling, and security printingStrategyBackground
Competitive and structural changes in commercial printing led Orell Füssli to undertake a major reorganization. The group needed to reduce or separate activities that no longer fit its long-term portfolio while strengthening its specialized security-printing capability.
Action taken
The commercial printing plant was sold to Zürichsee Medien, Orell Füssli Kartographie became largely independent, and the banknote-printing plant was upgraded. The group also rebuilt its bookselling presence through a partnership with Heinrich Hugendubel.
Aftermath
This restructuring established the broad portfolio that later defined the group: security printing, publishing, and bookselling.
Recent events
Orell Füssli makes strategic investment in Procivis[3]
Reported:
Orell Füssli made a strategic investment in Procivis as part of a plan to create a hub for Swiss digital identity services. The amount invested was not disclosed.
Sources3 sources
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