Computers and Printing: How Digital Printing Was Actually Invented

Every time we describe DTF or litho work as "digital printing," we're using a category of technology that traces back to one engineer at Xerox trying to solve a problem nobody had asked him to solve.

The Accidental Inventor of Laser Printing

Gary Starkweather conceived the idea of a laser printer at Xerox in 1967 and built a working prototype in 1969, against the wishes of managers who saw no need for it. By 1971, his machine, nicknamed "SLOT," was operating at Xerox PARC, capable of around 500 dpi at 60 pages per minute — genuinely remarkable for the era. It took until 1976 for the technology to reach the market commercially, in the IBM 3800, followed by the Xerox 9700 in 1977.

The Machine That Made It Ordinary

Laser printing stayed an expensive, enterprise-only technology for another decade. The HP LaserJet, launched in 1984 at roughly $3,500, finally brought it within reach of ordinary offices and small businesses — the first laser printer genuinely aimed at the mass market rather than corporate print rooms.

1985: The Year Desktop Publishing Was Born

The real revolution came a year later. The Apple LaserWriter, launched in 1985, combined laser printing with Adobe's new PostScript language and Aldus PageMaker software — for the first time, a single desk could hold everything needed to design and print a professional-looking document, without a print shop involved at any stage. "Desktop publishing" wasn't just a marketing phrase; it described something that genuinely hadn't existed the year before.

Inkjet Follows the Same Path

Inkjet printing followed a similar arc: the HP ThinkJet, also launched in 1984, and Canon's early bubble-jet technology brought a second digital printing method to market, cheaper than laser for colour work, and eventually the basis for a huge share of home and small-office printing.

Where This Shows Up in What We Print

Digital printing, the direct descendant of Starkweather's 1969 prototype, is one half of the choice we help customers make every day — see our litho vs digital printing guide for when digital genuinely is the better choice, and when it isn't.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented the laser printer?

Gary Starkweather, an engineer at Xerox, who conceived the idea in 1967 and built a working prototype by 1969, ahead of his own managers' interest in the technology.

When did laser printers reach ordinary businesses?

The HP LaserJet, launched in 1984, was the first laser printer genuinely aimed at the mass market rather than large corporate print rooms.

What was "desktop publishing" and when did it start?

The 1985 combination of the Apple LaserWriter, Adobe PostScript and Aldus PageMaker, which for the first time let a single desk handle professional document design and printing without a print shop.