Edward DeWitt Taylor, printmaker, painter, printer and publisher, was born on 17 June 1871 to Agnes Stanford and Edward Robeson Taylor in Sacramento, California. The family moved to San Francisco when he was two years of age. His father, Edward Robeson Taylor, was a mayor of San Francisco and his mother was related to Leland Stanford.

Taylor studied etching and painting in the studio of Armin Hansen and painting with Gottardo Piazzoni. In 1896, he and his brother, Henry, established their printing firm, Taylor & Taylor. After Henrys death in 1937, Edward operated Taylor & Taylor until his retirement in 1948. During the Depression, he was employed by the Federal Art Project. In 1939, he published his book Types, Borders and Miscellany which was considered one of the "bibles" of the printing trade.

Edward DeWitt Taylor was a member of and exhibited with the California Society of Etchers, the San Francisco Art Association, and the American Institute of Graphic Art. His work was included in the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939.

Taylor’s work is included in the collection of the Monterey Museum of Art, California and his papers are in the collection of the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Richard Zumwinkle wrote an essay on Taylor and Taylor and this is an excerpt: "Taylor & Taylor undertakes the designing and printing of books, and only rarely serves as a publisher. Fine works have been produced for such organizations as the Society of California Pioneers, the Book Club of California, the Bohemian Club, the Sierra Club, and the San Francisco Art Association, as well as for private individuals, trade publishers, museums, colleges, and associations. Perhaps less known to bibliophiles are the examples of commercial printing--business histories, annual reports, house magazines, and advertising brochures—which have earned for Taylor & Taylor the high respect of California corporations."

Edward DeWitt Taylor died in San Francisco on November 7, 1962.