He received from the Society of Arts in 1770 a silver palette for a drawing from a picture, and in 1773, 1775, and 1776 premiums for designs of patterns for calico-printing.
He was a relatively early British user of the à la poupée method of printing in colours, extending the number of colours considerably, and for this received from the Society of Arts in 1776 a bounty of thirty guineas.
Early in 1794, in partnership with James Whittle, he succeeded to the business carried on by Robert Sayer at the Golden Buck in Fleet Street, London as a publisher of engravings, maps, charts, and nautical works.
His son died at 53 Fleet Street, on 19 January 1858, also at the age of 81, leaving two daughters.
[1] Attribution Media related to Robert Laurie at Wikimedia Commons