xerography

American  

[zi-rog-ruh-fee] / zɪˈrɒg rə fi /

noun

1. an electrostatic printing process for copying text or graphics whereby areas on a sheet of paper corresponding to the image areas of the original are sensitized with a charge of static electricity so that, when powdered with a toner carrying an opposite charge, only the charged areas retain the toner, which is then fused to the paper to make it permanent.

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xerography British  

/ zɪˈrɒɡrəfɪ, ˌzɪərəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. a photocopying process in which an electrostatic image is formed on a selenium plate or cylinder. The plate or cylinder is dusted with a resinous powder, which adheres to the charged regions, and the image is then transferred to a sheet of paper on which it is fixed by heating

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Other Word Forms

• xerographer
  noun
• xerographic
  adjective
• xerographically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of xerography

First recorded in 1945–50; xero- + -graphy

Example Sentences

In the first stage of the xerography process, the conducting aluminum drum is grounded so that a negative charge is induced under the thin layer of uniformly positively charged selenium.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The other steps for charging the drum and transferring the image to paper are the same as in xerography.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Industry misread the demand for electronic equipment, xerography, synthetics and plastics.

From Time Magazine Archive

Chester Carlson, 62, inventor of xerography, the dry-copying process that changed the routine in countless offices; of a heart attack; in Manhattan.

From Time Magazine Archive

The late Joseph C. Wilson, who steered the company into xerography, saw his firm as dealing not just in copiers but in the broader realm of information and knowledge.

From Time Magazine Archive