Large inversion densities in Zn+have been produced by photoionizing inner‐shelldelectrons with the broadband soft‐x‐ray flux from a 1.06‐&mgr;m laser‐produced plasma. This pumping scheme is an effective technique for rapidly producing large population densities (5×1013cm−3) in the 3d9 4s2 2D5/2upper laser level. These large densities (a) produced laser action on a two‐electron transition from thed‐electron manifold to the outer‐electron manifold at 7478 A˚, (b) allowed the isotope shifts on this relatively weak transition to be measured, and (c) may eventually be transferred to other high lying states in Zn+to produce vacuum ultraviolet lasers.