xerography: Quick Facts

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Light shining on the item to be copied is reflected off a mirror, through a lens, and off a second mirror to form an image on a photosensitive (selenium-coated) drum. The drum's surface charge varies with the light and dark areas of the image. The toner drum delivers tiny black particles (toner) to the dark, charged areas of the image. The toner-based image is then transferred to paper rolled onto the drum, the negatively charged toner particles being attracted by a positive charge under the sheet, and the paper is heated to set the toner. The copy paper itself originally provided the treated surface, but the innovation of the selenium-coated drum permitted the use of ordinary paper. Light projection permits the printed image to be enlarged or reduced by any desired percentage.

First xerographic image

Xerox Model A copier

electrophotography patent

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Key People

Carlson, Chester

Chester F. Carlson

American physicist and inventor

vintage Leica photo camera at KPI Museum, July 24, 2015, in Kiev, Ukraine

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