HP 2680A: The First Laser Printer

Hewlett-Packard introduced its first laser printer, the 2680A, in 1980. It offered high resolution and was capable of merging graphic illustrations and text. The printer system was so good, in fact, that Hewlett-Packard used one to print the user manuals for 2680 customers. With a retail price of about $100,000 and a footprint the size of a hot dog cart, the device was confined to the enterprise market, but the technology would eventually trickle down to consumers.