A ' photocopier ' (also known as a copier or copy machine ) is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography , a dry process that uses electrostatic charges on a light-sensitive photoreceptor to first attract and then transfer toner particles (a powder) onto paper in the form of an image. Heat, pressure or a combination of both is then used to fuse the toner onto the paper. (Copiers can also use other technologies such as ink jet , but xerography is standard for office copying.) Earlier versions included the Gestetner stencil duplicator, invented by David Gestetner in 1881. Commercial xerographic office photocopying was introduced by Xerox in 1959, and it gradually replaced copies made by Verifax, Photostat , carbon paper , mimeograph machines , and other duplicating machines . Photocopying is widely used in the business, education, and governm