The Birth of Photocopier.

admin 30/09/2022 Information 0

Chester Carlson, who worked in a patent office some decades ago, found it exhausting and time consuming to produce multiple copies of a single document. He no longer wanted to utilise carbon paper or other manual duplicating machines. He tried to think of ways to shorten the document copying process because it was an important aspect of his job. This is where the concept of photocopying originated. Then, in 1938, he was able to create the first duplicate with the assistance of his assistant Otto Kornei. This cleared the door for Xerography, one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century.

However, Carlson’s invention didn’t take off right then and there. It took 10 years before a company, the Haloid Company (now known as Xerox), agreed to develop it. During this period, photocopying was called electrophotography. The initial process was crude using a zinc plate, sulphur and a bright light source. Over the years, the process was improved and the rise of the photocopying industry began.

According to records, what catapulted xerography to the world stage is the 914. Released in 1958, the 914 was the very first push button copy machine. This commercial photocopier raked in millions in sales and turned Xerox into a very profitable company.

The phenomenal success of Xerox and the growing demand for photocopying machines and services paved the way for competitors and new products. In 1985, Canon became the world’s top photocopier company and eventually released the first-ever colour copier.

Nowadays, photocopiers are essential in many offices. In fact, they’re considered one of the heavily used office machines. Also, other copier brands have emerged aside from Xerox and Canon. Most importantly, the selection of photocopying machines available in the market these days is vast – black and white to coloured, dedicated types to multifunction copiers, etc. According to experts, innovations in this field won’t stop any time soon, especially since the demand for copy machines is still high.

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