Fotokopien

Fotokopien are physical prints produced by a photocopying process that reproduces graphic and textual content from an original onto plain paper.

The process is based on xerography, a dry electrostatic technique developed by Chester Carlson in the 1930s and commercialized by Xerox in the 1950s. An image is projected onto a photoconductive drum charged with static electricity; light deactivates the charge where the original is light, creating an electrostatic latent image. Toner particles adhere to the charged areas and are transferred to paper, then fused by heat to create a durable copy.

Copiers can produce monochrome black-and-white copies or color copies, and support various paper sizes such as A4, Letter, or A3. Resolution and equipment quality determine sharpness; modern devices range from small desktop machines to high-volume multifunction printers.

Fotokopien are widely used in offices, schools, and libraries for duplicating documents, forms, and reports, as well as for archival copies. Copy quality can be affected by the condition of the original, printing rate, and settings like brightness, contrast, and density.

Legal and ethical considerations include copyright constraints on reproduced texts, privacy concerns when copying personal documents, and data protection when handling sensitive information. Proper handling and disposal are important in regulated environments.

In the digital era, many tasks formerly done by fotokopien are replaced or complemented by scanning and digital storage (PDFs, document management systems). Nevertheless, physical copies remain common for distribution, backup, and quick sharing.