Xeroxed

Xeroxed is the past tense of the verb to Xerox, meaning to make a copy using a xerographic copier. The term originated from the Xerox Corporation brand and has become a common way to describe photocopying in English, especially during the mid- to late 20th century.

Today, xeroxed is considered informal and is often discussed as a genericized trademark. Some style guides discourage its use in favor of more neutral terms such as photographed, photocopied, or copied. Usage can vary by region and context, with some writers capitalizing Xerox when referring to the company or its products.

Xerography is the underlying technology behind xeroxing. It uses a photoconductive surface, toner powder, and electrostatic charge to transfer an image to paper, followed by heat fusing to fix the copy. The process involves charging a surface, exposing it to an image, developing the latent image with toner, transferring the toner to paper, and fusing it.

The technology was devised by Chester Carlson in the 1930s and was commercialized in the United States by Haloid Company (which became Xerox Corporation) in 1959 with the Xerox 914, the first successful office copier. The verb to xerox emerged in popular usage in the 1960s and 1970s as copies became commonplace in offices and homes.

In contemporary contexts, xeroxed may refer to copies produced by modern copiers or scanners, though the brand name is less prominent in everyday language due to shifts toward generic terms. Xerox remains a well-known trademark, and many organizations prefer non-brand terms to avoid trademark issues.