40 years ago today, Apple introduced the laser printer, which laid the foundation for what would become the desktop publishing revolution. The LaserWriter is Apple's first laser printer and one of the first on the market to feature Adobe PostScript technology, a page description language that enables precise and scalable rendering of text, layout and graphics. This was a major breakthrough compared to the dot matrix printers of the time.
LaserWriter is powered by the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, the same processor used in Macintosh computers. The LaserWriter printer had a built-in programming language, built-in RAM, and a CPU that ran faster than a Macintosh, making it the most powerful of all Apple products at the time.
LaserWriter printers have a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) and print quality that was previously only possible with expensive professional typesetting equipment. The printer sold for $6,995 when it was released (equivalent to nearly $24,000 today).
When Apple launched the LaserWriter printer, it also launched the AppleTalk network protocol, which allowed multiple Macintosh computers to share a printer. This was unprecedented at the time and completely changed the way office printing was done.
The printer works with software such as Macintosh and Aldus PageMaker, allowing users to design and print professional-quality materials such as brochures, newsletters and advertising directly from the desktop. This effectively democratizes the publishing industry, giving small businesses, educators, and independent creators access to tools that were once only available to large printing companies.
Apple has developed the LaserWriter product line into a series of models, including the high-performance LaserWriterPro series and the more affordable PersonalLaserWriter. As competitors such as HP and Canon introduced more cost-effective but equally capable laser printers, and as third-party printers became increasingly compatible with Apple systems, LaserWriter lost its competitive edge. After Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, peripheral products such as printers were deemed non-essential, and the LaserWriter was discontinued.