Gary K. Starkweather

(Deceased)

53 U.S. Patents

Gary K. Starkweather is an American physicist who invented the world’s first laser printer and pioneered the invention of color management technology.

Mr. Starkweather got his start working for the Bausch & Lomb optical company. In 1964, he went to work for Xerox, and later he transferred to Xerox PARC in California, where he invented the first laser printer. As a result of his invention, in 1977, Xerox launched the 9700 laser printer, which would become one of Xerox’s best-selling products. Making billions of dollars for Xerox, Starkweather’s original laser printer was the most commercially profitable product to come out of the PARC facility.

During that time, he also became a consultant to the film industry, helping the digital effects team on the first Star Wars movie in 1977. He later received an Academy Award for his pioneering work on color film scanning with Lucasfilm and Pixar.

After more than 20 years at Xerox, Mr. Starkweather joined Apple Computer, where he spent about 10 years working on color imaging management, which led to the development of ColorSync technology. He then worked for Microsoft from 1997 until retiring in 2005. After retirement, he settled in Florida where he lectured at colleges such as the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida, inspiring a new generation of innovators.

Mr. Starkweather received his B.S. in Physics from Michigan State University and his M.S. in Optics from the University of Rochester. He is a recipient of the David Richardson Medal. He was a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of Optica (formerly Optical Society of America), and he is a 2012 Inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Mr. Starkweather passed away in Orlando, Florida on December 26, 2019.