A history of photocopiers

In fall of 1937, a man named Chester Carlson created a brand-new process known as "electrophotography". He was a patent attorney and he was clearly a man of many talents! After he invented electrophotography, which was later deemed, xerography, he invented the very first photocopier. It was known as the "10-22-38 Astoria" and his new photocopier certainly changed the way that the world did business!

Since his invention was incredibly practical and innovative, it made him an extremely wealthy man. He received tons of accolades and fanfare after designing this amazing invention. He also sparked the creation of an industry which is now a billion dollar niche.

Before he passed away, the altruistic Carlson gave away one hundred million dollars to foundations and charities. His life story is inspiring, as he gave the world a superb invention and then donated so much of his wealth to others.

Xerography Continued to Evolve

When it was first invented, xerography wasn't as popular as it would later become. It took about a decade before Carlson was able to develop his ideas with a mind to mass production of photocopier machines. He achieved his goal by partnering with a company in New York, which was called the Haloid Company. Later on, this company was renamed "Xerox".

During the mid-2090s, the company, which was then known as Haloid Xerox, made a machine known as a "Copyflo". It was the very first automated machine for xerography. By 1958, the company produced another photocopier known as the 914, which was intended for commercial usage. It featured push-button performance.

The 914 was a best-seller that consumers loved. It boosted the company's annual profits exponentially. To put things into perspective, the company earned two million dollars in profits in 1960. After the 914 went on the market, profits soared to twenty-two million dollars per year. After this surge in profits, the company dropped Haloid from its name and Xerox was born. Over the next two decades, Xerox brought twenty-four new products to market.

Other Manufacturers Soon Emerged

Although Xerox is probably the most famous photocopier manufacturer in the world and it remains very successful today, there are other players in this lucrative industry, including Canon, HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Konica Minolta, to name just a few.

Photocopiers produced nowadays feature the very latest in digital technology, as well as mechanisms which are cutting-edge. However, all are inspired by the very first photocopier, which was produced by Carlson way back when. It's possible to buy photocopiers for home or commercial usage. These days, there are styles which range from compact to large and heavy-duty.

So, there is really something for every type of consumer, at every price point. You'll find tons of impressive photocopiers for sale online!