What Is a Carbon Copy?
The term 'carbon copy' comes from the use of carbon paper to make copies of typed or handwritten documents. As technology advanced, carbon paper and true carbon copies became almost defunct, and the terms have taken on a new meaning and significance in the English language.
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What is Carbon Paper?
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Carbon paper is short for "carbonated paper." When it was first invented, carbon paper was simply tissue-thin paper that was soaked in printers ink, called carbon black, and allowed to dry. As commercial applications for it grew and it became mass produced, it was also coated with a fine coat of wax so that the pigment did not run or bleed.
A sheet of carbon paper was inserted between two sheets of writing paper. As the pen, pencil or typewriter keys applied force to the top sheet of paper, the carbon would rub off onto the second sheet of paper, making an identical copy of the original.
History
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The first carbon paper was invented in the early 1800s and was originally created to allow blind people to write with a metal stylus.
The first successful commercial use of carbon paper was in 1823 when Cyrus P. Dakin began the mass-production of carbon paper for sale exclusively to the Associated Press. The United States War Department began using carbon paper in 1870, but it was the invention of the typewriter in 1872 that launched carbon paper into the mainstream.
Although other forms of copying became available over the years, carbon paper remained the staple for making typewriter copies until the 1960s when Xerox introduced the first photocopier.
There is still a derivative of the carbon paper technology in use today. NCR (No Carbon Required) paper was invented by the National Cash Register Company in the mid 1950s. Rather than use pigment as carbon paper did, they coated paper with chemicals. Two sheets of paper, both coated with different chemicals, were put together. The pressure from a pen or typewriter key caused a chemical reaction on the bottom sheet of paper making an identical copy. The NCR technology is still widely used today on both business forms and cash register receipts.
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Definition
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According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, carbon copy currently has two meanings: "a copy made by carbon paper" and "duplicate". A set of identical twins might be considered carbon copies of each other. The term is also loosely used when comparing two items or people that resemble or mimic each other closely. You may say that a son is a carbon copy of his father, comparing either their looks, personality or habits.
Application
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Shortly after carbon paper began being used commercially, the terms "cc:" (carbon copy) and "bcc:" (blind carbon copy) on typewritten letters became standard. They indicate that a copy of the letter was sent to someone else, and also that the copy is not the original letter.
If you were to write a letter to John Doe and send a carbon copy of it to Mary Smith, at the bottom of the letter you would insert 'cc: Mary Smith'. John Doe would then know that a copy had been sent to someone, and Mary Smith would know that she was not the original recipient.
If you wanted to send a copy to Mary Smith but did not want John Doe to know it, you would insert 'bcc: Mary Smith' on the bottom of the copy only.
This practice remains standard practice today when a letter or memo is sent either in print or via electronic email.
Modern Use
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Most modern email programs have automatic cc: and bcc: functions built into them. If you send a bcc: to someone in an email, it does not reveal his email address to anyone else who receives a copy or blind copy of the email.
Because of this, the bcc: function is commonly used today to send out an email to a list of people without divulging anyone's email address. Place your own email address in as the person that the email is being sent to, and then insert the list of intended recipients' names in the bcc: box.
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References
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