The Man Who Invented The Laser Printer, Gary Starkweather, Dead At 81

“While officially working on a fax machine project, Mr. Starkweather began to experiment in his spare time with copy machines and digital technology, in effect trying to merge the two. … [His] supervisor at Xerox discouraged his experiments, calling lasers ‘toys’ … [and later] and threatened to lay off Mr. Starkweather’s entire staff.” Now, says the company’s chief technology officer, “The laser printer is arguably the greatest invention made in a Xerox research center.” – The Washington Post