What Is a Digital Copier?

The copier has long been an equipment staple in every office. Old-style analog copiers have gone the way of mimeograph machines and thermal fax machines. Digital technology has changed the way copiers work, making them more versatile and flexible.

History

In 1938, Chester Carlson used static electricity to create the first "electrophotocopy." The machine that created it was cumbersome and messy, and there was little market for it since office managers felt carbon paper worked just fine. In 1947, the Haloid Company obtained the rights to Carlson's invention and dubbed it xerography from the Greek for "dry writing." Haloid named its new equipment Xerox.

Analog Meets Digital

From the first photocopy machine to use ordinary paper (Xerox 914), copiers worked on the principles of photography. A camera inside the copier took a picture of a sheet of paper, and through electrostatic charges transferred the image to a receptor. Toner adhered to the imaged area and was transferred to paper and baked into place. With the advent of laser printers that create images based on computer data and pixels, these technologies merged to become digital copiers. A scanner breaks the image into pixels for printing, thus replacing the camera's analog technology.

Benefits of Digital Copiers

Digital copiers are far more versatile than their analog predecessors in the same way that word processing programs trump even the best electric typewriters. Quality is improved as well as the overall functionality of the machine. Digital copies have an enlargement/reduction range of 25 to 400%--twice that of traditional copiers. When computers became mainstream in the office environment, it was typical to have a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine. The digital copier rolls all of those functions into a single device.

Speed Ranges

Like traditional copiers, digital ones have speeds that run the gamut and can suit every need from personal or home use to high-speed production units. At the low end, nearly every manufacturer offers a copier capable of producing 20 pages per minute. At the extreme opposite end, there are digital presses with top speeds of 180 pages per minute.

Price Ranges

Price ranges for digital copiers are as varied as their speed ranges. Obviously, the high-end digital presses have price tags that match their speed. Depending on their speed and features, it's not unusual for these machines to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the other end of the spectrum, you can purchase small office digital copiers for less than $1,000.

Color

Digital technology also paved the way for color copiers and printers to be commonplace. Canon released the first color photocopier in 1973, but because of the cost of both equipment and supplies, color copies did not gain market share until the early 1990s. Even then, they were typically found only in print shops and reprographic departments. Today, color digital copies and printers are the norm. Toner-based technology provides a quality edge; however, ink-jet technology is incredibly cost-effective. As of 2009, Hewlett Packard is offering a full-color ink-jet copier/scanner/printer for less than $100.