What does xerography mean?
Xerography is the dry, electrostatic method used to copy documents and print images in photocopiers and many laser printers. Its central mechanism uses electrical charge to attract toner, a powdered material, onto paper, eliminating the need for wet ink during the copying process. The term is especially associated with office technology and the development of fast, reliable document reproduction. It also appears in the history of modern printing and visual art, where artists have explored xerographic processes as a means of producing multiple images. Although everyday language often uses photocopying as the broader description, xerography identifies the particular technology at work. The word is worth knowing because it names the fundamental process behind many devices that transformed copying, publishing, and communication.
nounA printing and copying process that uses electrostatic attraction to transfer toner onto paper. It is the process used in photocopiers and many laser printers.
- The dry, electrostatic process used to reproduce printed or written material, especially by transferring toner onto paper.
"The archive digitized the document using xerography, preserving its fine annotations and faded type."
"The department replaced its old copier with a machine offering faster xerography and sharper text."
"His early work explored xerography as a way to produce inexpensive multiples of photographic images."
Rarely used; xerography is normally treated as an uncountable noun naming a process.
"Separate xerographies were made for each department."
The technology behind photocopiers and many laser printers was once revolutionary because it copied documents without wet ink.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of xerography
Xerography was formed in the twentieth century from Greek roots meaning “dry” and “writing” or “printing.” The combination aptly describes a copying process that does not depend on wet ink. It developed alongside modern photocopiers and became the standard technical term for the electrostatic method used in both office copying and laser printing.
Related word forms
How xerography is actually used
Xerography is chiefly formal or technical. It is more specific than general terms such as copying or printing and is commonly encountered in discussions of office equipment, printing technology, and the history of mass reproduction.
Easily confused with xerography
Photography is the process of recording images with light, whereas xerography is a method of reproducing images and documents using electrostatic toner transfer.
A photocopy is an individual copy produced by a machine, while xerography names the copying process that the machine uses.