John Dunlap produced the first broadside copies of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Dunlap was the official printer to the Continental Congress. After Congress approved the declaration’s final wording, he printed copies on a single large sheet so the text could be distributed quickly. These sheets are known as the Dunlap broadsides.
The broadside was not the same as the engrossed parchment copy later signed by delegates. It was a printed version intended for circulation, while the engrossed copy was a carefully handwritten official document. Approximately 200 Dunlap broadsides are thought to have been printed, although only a smaller number survive today.
The first public newspaper printing appeared shortly afterward in the Pennsylvania Evening Post. Dunlap’s work helped transform a congressional decision into news that could reach communities throughout the new states and beyond.