William Caxton (c. 1422 – c. 1491) is an English merchant, diplomat, writer, and printer.

He is thought to be the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England, which he does in 1476.

He is also the first English retailer of printed books; his London contemporaries in the trade are all Flemish, German, or French.

In 2002, he is named among the 100 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll.