What was the copy machine before Xerox?

By the early 20th century, the state of the art was the mimeograph machine, which used ink to produce a small set of copies that got weaker with each duplication. It was imperfect. Then in 1959, Xerox released the “914”—the first easy-to-use photocopier.

How did teachers use to make copies?

They worked by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. Teachers had to create the stencils using a sharp pen or typewriter, then ink the machine and crank the copies by hand—usually very messy hands by the time you were done.

How did the first copy machine work?

The first modern photocopier worked by placing an original on a glass pane and press a button. This created a single copy on plain paper. One of the first two Xerox 914s caught fire, but the second one worked fine. The product was an insane success!

When was the copying machine invented?

Oct. 22, 1938
Inventor Chester Carlson used static electricity created with a handkerchief, light and dry powder to make the first copy on Oct. 22, 1938. The copier didn’t get on to the market until 1959, more than 20 years later. When it did, the Xerox machine prompted a dramatic change in the workplace.

When were copy machines invented?

How did the photocopy machine impact and change the society?

Transcending the office environment, photocopiers even helped to transform the world of politics and art in the 20th century, providing people with mass information in an incredibly short time frame. To put it simply, getting your message out to a wide audience had never been easier.

Why was the copy machine invented?

While working in New York in a patent department, Carlson found that he was wasting lots of time and money on creating carbon copies of documents. He longed for a better way. For months, Carlson conducted research and experiments to create a new device that could copy documents with the push of a single button.

Who made the first copy machine?

James Watt
Chester Carlson
Photocopier/Inventors