For 61 years, International Printing Week has given printers across the globe an opportunity to celebrate their craft, culture and history. The industry's innovative heritage has led to many technological advancements that have not only changed the modern workplace, but the course of history. Like the invention of Gutenberg's printing press, Chester Carlson's invention of xerography, more than 65 years ago, was an extraordinary milestone in the development of the modern information age. The xerographic copier moved society one giant step forward in the quest toward democratization of knowledge, something that no competing technology would have enabled. Xerox continues to thrive on innovation and with close to 16,000 U.S. patents granted since the company's founding, it is one of the country's most prolific generators of inventions. A long list of innovations stem from Xerox's many research labs, including: the modern computer workstation with its graphical user interface, Ethernet networking which connects computers in local and global networks, laser printing, print-on-demand systems and much more. In fact, Xerox continues to invest about 5 percent of its annual revenue in research and development and it is paying off-the company currently generates two-thirds of its equipment sales from products launched in the last two years. Xerox sees its role today as helping its customers do great work, whether it is in a small business or in a commercial print shop. And technology is an enabler to providing unique value to customers through innovative products, solutions and services.