Begun on 20 September 1816, The Dundee Courier was issued weekly. The early printing of the paper was undertaken by Thomas Colville, between 1816 and 1823. By 1846, each Tuesday issue was 4 1/2 d. The Proprietor was David Hill. By 1855, publication was each Wednesday. For issue no. 2024 of 27 June 1855, the whole of the front page was devoted to small advertisements. Local and district news was printed on page three. By Electric Telegraph came reports of the war in the Crimea. Page four has an extensive report on the Siege of Sebastopol, followed by Dundee current prices, the average prices of corn, grain markets and the Liverpool wool market. For the cattle market the report was "...the supply of cattle was 960, being 36 less than the last market". The issue was printed and published by Charles Alexander, for the proprietors Hill and Alexander. By May 1862, publication was daily, at a price of 1d. Page four of issue no. 2749 of 3 June 1862 printed extensive reports about the American Civil war, with articles on "The Repulse of the Iron Clad; Gunboats; President Lincoln's Proclamation; President Davis not to give up Virginia; and McCellan's position".

Initially Conservative in outlook, the paper had become more Independent in the later years of the century. By the late 1870s, publication was daily and the price had dropped to a 1/2 d per issue. Small advertisements prevailed on the front pages of all issues. Circulation in 1882 was estimated to be 14,000. For the week of March 1895, the daily issue was priced at a 1/2 d, each issue being of six pages, with seven columns per page, and eight columns per page for the Saturday edition. Articles on page two of issue no. 13014 of 18 March 1895 were printed on Parish Council Elections, on the reopening of the large Parish Church [at Largo], on the retirement of a veteran Postal Official, Mr. Peter Proudfoot, who had been the Chief Clerk at the Dundee Post Office. Page five featured Football Notes, and a report on the draughts match between the staff of the Dundee Courier and the Monifieth Institute, with the pressmen securing victory by twenty games to fourteen. The Proprietors are given as W. & D.C. Thomson.

Publication continued until 1926, when the paper was amalgamated with the daily edition of the Dundee Advertiser .