Cartoonist Gary Larson has launched the first official home of his The Far Side comic strip, with the website promising new work will come "from the man himself" in 2020.

Key points: Gary Larson said he hoped the website would stop people uploading his content without permission

Gary Larson said he hoped the website would stop people uploading his content without permission He cited advancements in graphics and security concerns as why he hadn't put the comic online previously

He cited advancements in graphics and security concerns as why he hadn't put the comic online previously The last The Far Side cartoon was published on January 1, 1995

The thefarside.com website offers random and themed collections of the offbeat, humorous, single-panel cartoons, as well as unreleased material from Larson's personal sketchbooks.

In a letter published on the website, the American cartoonist said he was hopeful the site would halt fans and advertisers uploading his content without his permission.

Gary Larson wrote a letter to fans explaining why he was now launching an official website. ( thefarside.com: Gary Larson )

"…years ago, when I slowly started realising I had a second publisher and distributor of my work, known as Anyone With a Scanner and Associates, I did find it unsettling enough to write an open letter to whom it may concern, explaining — best as I could — why I preferred that the people doing this would kindly refrain," he wrote.

"So I'm hopeful this official website will help temper the impulses of the infringement-inclined.

"Please, whoever you are, taketh down my cartoons and let this website become your place to stop by for a smile, a laugh, or a good ol' fashioned recoiling. And I won't have to release the Krakencow."

While the website will be the official internet home of Larson's pre-published content, the 69-year-old cartoonist told the New York Times he was "looking forward to slipping in some new things every so often" on the new website.

But he clarified he wasn't "back" to publishing full time.

"Returning to the world of deadlines isn't exactly on my to-do list," he told the New York Times via email.

The first The Far Side cartoon was published in the San Francisco Chronicle on January 1, 1980.

The final The Far Side comic from 1995, published on the new website. ( thefarside.com: Gary Larson )

It attracted a wide following with its depictions of quirky people and animals — particularly cows — and ran for 15 years.

At its peak it appeared in nearly 2,000 newspapers and was translated into more than 17 languages.

More than 40 million The Far Side books and 77 million The Far Side calendars have been sold, according to the website.

Explaining why he did not digitise his work when he was publishing the comics in the 1990s, Larson cited security concerns and graphical limitations.

He wrote on the website that computer graphics in the 1990s were not advanced enough to show the necessary details in his comics, and he was concerned nuances and meaning in his work would be lost.

But he said the advancements in computer graphics in recent years had provided him an incentive for to finally put his work online.

In the letter he thanked his fans for their patience in waiting for his work to be made officially available on the internet.

"I hope all the reasons I've given here help explain why I'm so late to this party. But I'm finally here. And I could use a drink," he wrote.

The last The Far Side cartoon was published on January 1, 1995.