Electrophotography (EP) was invented by Chester Carlson in 1938. After a variety of business transactions, Xerox introduced the first EP dry plain paper coper in 1959. The introduction of the Xerox DocuTech in 1990, followed by the introduction of the Indigo Eprint and Xeikon continuous-feed in 1993, fostered the growth of production EP printing, and led the migration to digital printing from analog offset, flexo, and gravure over the last three decades. Over time, the EP technology evolution seemed to slow as inkjet and even digitalized offset and flexo developed a beachhead against EP growth. But there is still plenty of growth and innovation so EP will probably be with us for a long while. Especially since digital print in general (EP and inkjet) tend to offer higher margins per volume than the analog print technologies.

There has been continued investment and innovation in EP for decades. In fact, the continued growth of EP in light of inkjet and digitalized analog competition can be attributed to a number of factors. First of all, it is a well-established technology and, as a result, issues with media, finishing, etc., have been resolved over time. Second and probably more importantly, the initial CAPEX of the machine is lower than most of the other technologies, making it less of a barrier to entry. On the limiting side, speed and sheet width are limitations, depending on your application and volume requirements, although some of those limitations are being mitigated by longer sheet length support and newer imaging engine performance.

Production Printing Market Share (2025, Estimated by Revenue)