Facsimile reproduction means making an exact copy of anything imprinted on paper by using electronic devices such as copiers, fax machines, and scanners. Material may be reproduced electronically on a computer's monitor (soft copy), or reproduced on paper (hard copy). In reproducing information either electronically or on paper, one wants a quality copy that will be acceptable for the task at hand.

Historical Perspective

The first method used to make a printed copy was carbon paper. Although a Britain named J. W. Swan invented carbon tissue paper coated with gelatin about 1862, it didn't come into general use for office work until the mid-1920s. It provided a somewhat less than perfect copy of typed material. At that time one could choose between very messy carbon paper that made several copies or single-use carbon paper that was much easier to use. The first reverberations of the death...