The laser printer is one of the most impactful inventions in personal computing. It brought high-quality, fast, and affordable printing to offices and homes, transforming how we work with documents. Its roots are directly tied to the photocopy machine — in fact, the laser printer is essentially a photocopier that uses a laser instead of reflected light. In the MicroBasement, the laser printer represents the perfect marriage of xerography and digital computing. This write-up covers its history, how it works, its connection to the Xerox copier, speed and quality improvements, the rise of color lasers, competition from inkjet printers, and why many still consider the laser printer the gold standard.
The laser printer was born from Xerox’s groundbreaking xerography technology. In 1969, Xerox researcher Gary Starkweather had the insight to replace the traditional light-lens system in a copier with a laser beam. He modified a Xerox 7000 copier by adding a laser and digital control system, creating the first laser printer prototype in 1971. Xerox commercialized the technology with the Xerox 9700 (1977), the first high-speed laser printer for data centers. The real revolution came in 1984 when Hewlett-Packard released the HP LaserJet — the first desktop laser printer for personal computers. This machine, based on Canon’s laser engine, made laser printing accessible to individuals and small offices.
A laser printer is essentially a sophisticated photocopier with a digital brain:
The laser’s precision allows for extremely sharp text and graphics, far superior to earlier impact or dot-matrix printers.
Laser printers dramatically increased both speed and quality. Early desktop models printed 8 pages per minute (ppm); modern ones reach 50+ ppm. Print quality jumped from coarse 300 dpi to 1200 dpi or higher, making professional-looking documents possible at home. The dry toner process produced smudge-free, archival-quality prints that didn’t fade like inkjet output often does.
Color laser printers became practical in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They use the same basic technology but with four toner colors (CMYK) and more complex laser and drum systems. While initially expensive, color lasers now offer excellent photo and graphics quality at high speeds, making them ideal for offices that need fast, durable color output.
Laser printers have been somewhat displaced by inkjet printers for home and small-office use. Inkjet printers are cheaper to buy, produce excellent photo quality, and are more compact. However, lasers still dominate in many professional environments because of their speed, lower cost per page, and durability of prints.
Inkjets have several drawbacks compared to lasers:
Lasers, while more expensive upfront, are faster, more reliable for high-volume printing, and produce prints that last longer. Many people (myself included) still consider a good HP LaserJet the gold standard of everyday printing.
The laser printer took the core principle of the Xerox copier and made it digital, personal, and ubiquitous. It helped launch the desktop publishing revolution and remains the go-to choice for crisp, high-volume printing. In the MicroBasement, it stands as a perfect example of how a brilliant idea from one technology (photocopying) can spawn an entirely new category that changes how we work and create.