The Digital Copier Revolution:
The Distinction Between Copiers & Printers

The digital revolution has had a dramatic impact on the copier industry; in fact, few pre-computer industries have seen such changes as the imaging systems industry.

Few realized, when the laser printer was introduced in the early 1980's, what would come from this seemingly innocent invention: printers that copy, copiers that print, the lines have blurred between these two technologies.

A traditional analog copier operates by reflecting a light off of an original onto a photosensitive drum to create a static electric latent image. A special powder called toner is then attracted to the charged area of the drum and then transferred onto the paper. The toner is then fused into the paper with heat and pressure. A laser printer reflects a laser beam, controlled by a computer, to expose the photosensitive drum.

This digital technology is now finding its way into a new generation of copier: the digital copier. A digital copier is, in essence, a laser printer connected to a high-speed scanner. Digital technology has many advantages over traditional analog methods. Digital copiers can "process" the information from the scanner allowing many features, such as reducing multiple originals to one page, or digitally sorting by alternately printing sets on paper running lengthwise then widthwise through the machine. The greatest advantage of digital copiers is their ability to act as both a copier and high-speed network laser printer.

Which would you prefer for that big print job: Your 12 to 24 page per minute laser or that 65 page per minute copier?