1. The Foundation: A Nation Built on Ink
In the 1700s, the “printer” wasn’t a machine; it was a person. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps America’s most famous printer, used the press in Philadelphia to disseminate the ideas of liberty.
1844: Richard Hoe of New York invented the rotary press, allowing newspapers to print 8,000 sheets an hour—the first “high-speed” data revolution.
1938: Chester Carlson, a physicist from Seattle, invented Xerography (dry printing). This paved the way for the Xerox Corporation, changing office life forever.

2. The Silicon Age: HP, Xerox, and the Home Office
The late 20th century saw American companies dominate the global market by shrinking industrial technology into desktop devices.
1977: The Xerox 9700 became the first commercial laser printer.
1984: HP (Hewlett-Packard) released the LaserJet, making professional-quality printing accessible to the average American business.
The 1990s: The “Inkjet War” began, as American homes started printing everything from school reports to family photos.

3. State of the Market in 2026: Trends to Watch
Today, the U.S. printer market is shifting away from simple “paper and ink” toward integrated digital ecosystems