40 Years of Laser Printing - Xerox Celebrates Groundbreaking Invention
Engineer Gary Starkweather worked for Xerox to improve the speed of one of the first fax machines. His research resulted in the invention of laser printing, which immensely changed the way people and businesses communicate around the world.
They say the product launch of the Xerox 9700 in 1977 is the birth of digital printing. Xerox now serves an industry that, according to Smithers Pira, has global sales of more than $120 billion. With generations of laser printers and multifunction devices equipped with the 9700's technology, traditional printing in office environments was pioneered.
Third industrial automation
Last year, KeyPoint Intelligence called the 9700 the product that ushered in the third wave of industrial automation (computer-controlled printers), following steam-powered printing presses in the early 19th century and electric-powered presses later in the 19th century.
"The Xerox 9700 ushered in the transformation of computer-driven automation in the 1970s, leading to change in offices, data centers, copy shops and ultimately the printing industry worldwide," said Jeff Hayes, managing director, KeyPoint Intelligence. "Much of today's printed communications can be attributed to this remarkable product."
High sales
One of the most successful products in Xerox history, the 9700 regularly generated annual sales of more than $1 billion. Most households in North America have probably come into contact with this product at some point. The 9700 was the printer of choice for bills and credit card and bank account statements in the decade following its launch. It also led the market in speed and high volume printing for other document types that use transactional data, including insurance policies and investment reports.
"The laser printer is arguably the most important invention ever made by a Xerox research center," said Steve Hoover, chief technology officer, Xerox Corporation. "The 9700 was the first of a whole line of products that would not have been possible without Gary Starkweather's invention, including the DocuTech and today's iGen family."
The 9700's 20-year market leadership ended when production ceased in 1997, but many of its forward-thinking features are still relevant today, including:
- a print speed of 120 pages/minute;
- automatic double-sided printing;
- Sheetfed;
- standard resolution of 300 dpi; and
- the ability to print graphics.
The 9700 also paved the way for variable data printing, through individual personalization of documents within a production run. The printer could also be equipped with Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR), a special toner for printing checks.
After inventing laser printing technology, Starkweather moved to Xerox's then-new research center, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in Palo Alto, California.
In recognition of his invention, Starkweather was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2012. He is now retired and lives in Lake Mary, Florida. Looking back, he says he knew his invention would play an important role, however, he was unaware of its magnitude. "At the time, the future of paper was uncertain and the question was how printers would survive in a future where people were using new kinds of displays and the like," Starkweather said. "Forty years later, laser printing still plays an important role."
