Carbon paper - Revision history

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2025-12-08T17:43:22Z

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← Previous revision		Revision as of 17:43, 8 December 2025
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	{{short description\|Paper used to make copies}}		{{short description\|Paper used to make copies}}
			{{this\|carbon-coated paper for copying\|carbon composites in fuel cells\|Carbon paper (composite)}}
	{{more citations needed\|date=February 2010}}		{{more citations needed\|date=February 2010}}
	[[Image:Carbon paper.jpg\|thumb\|A sheet of carbon paper, with the coating side down]]		[[Image:Carbon paper.jpg\|thumb\|A sheet of carbon paper, with the coating side down]]
	[[File:Karbonkopia 2008.jpg\|thumb\|Handwriting duplicated through carbon paper]]		[[File:Karbonkopia 2008.jpg\|thumb\|Handwriting duplicated through carbon paper]]

	'''Carbon paper''' (originally '''carbonic paper''') consists of sheets of [[paper]] that create one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when inscribed by a [[typewriter]] or [[ballpoint pen]]. The [[email]] term cc which ~~means~~ "[[carbon copy]]" is derived from this use of carbon paper.		'''Carbon paper''' (originally '''carbonic paper''') consists of sheets of [[paper]] that create one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when inscribed by a [[typewriter]] or [[ballpoint pen]]. The [[email]] term ''cc'', which stands for "[[carbon copy]]", is derived from this use of carbon paper.

	== History ==		== History ==
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	\| access-date = 2011-01-25}}</ref> [[Ralph Wedgwood (inventor)\|Ralph Wedgwood]] obtained the first patent for carbon paper in 1806.<ref>{{Cite web\|url =http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627\|title =Ralph Wedgwood: Pioneer of Office Copying\|url-status =dead\|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110517031932/http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627\|archive-date =2011-05-17}}</ref>		\| access-date = 2011-01-25}}</ref> [[Ralph Wedgwood (inventor)\|Ralph Wedgwood]] obtained the first patent for carbon paper in 1806.<ref>{{Cite web\|url =http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627\|title =Ralph Wedgwood: Pioneer of Office Copying\|url-status =dead\|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110517031932/http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627\|archive-date =2011-05-17}}</ref>

	Carbon paper in its original form was paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry ink or pigmented [[coated paper\|coating]], bound with [[wax]]. The manufacture of carbon paper was formerly the largest consumer of [[montan wax]]. In 1954 the Columbia Ribbon & Carbon Manufacturing Company filed a patent for what became known in the trade as solvent carbon paper: the coating was changed from wax-based to polymer-based. The manufacturing process changed from a hot-melt method to a solvent-applied coating or set of coatings. It was then possible to use polyester or other plastic film as a substrate, instead of paper, although the name remained carbon paper.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2872340?oq=solvent+carbon+columbia \|title=Transfer element and method of making the same'' 1959 Patent app. (via Google search) \|access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref>		Carbon paper in its original form was paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry ink or pigmented [[coated paper\|coating]], bound with [[wax]]. The manufacture of carbon paper was formerly the largest consumer of [[montan wax]]. In 1954 the Columbia Ribbon & Carbon Manufacturing Company filed a patent for what became known in the trade as solvent carbon paper: the coating was changed from wax-based to polymer-based. The manufacturing process changed from a hot-melt method to a solvent-applied coating or set of coatings. It was then possible to use polyester or other [[plastic film]] as a substrate, instead of paper, although the name remained carbon paper.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2872340?oq=solvent+carbon+columbia \|title=''Transfer element and method of making the same'' 1959 Patent app. (via Google search) \|access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref>

	Carbon paper was the principal medium of reproduction for [[samizdat]], a publication method used in the former [[Soviet Union]] in order to publish books without having to use state-controlled printing houses and risk the [[censorship]] or imprisonment.		Carbon paper was the principal medium of reproduction for [[samizdat]], a publication method used in the former [[Soviet Union]] in order to publish books without having to use state-controlled printing houses and risk the [[censorship]] or imprisonment.
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	== Modern uses ==		== Modern uses ==

	The advent of word processing and the decline of typewriting meant that any number of copies of a document could be printed on demand, and the decline of carbon paper, which had already been partially superseded by [[photocopying]] and [[carbonless copy paper]], became irrevocable. A few specialist or remnant uses remain. Examples of these are receipts at [[point of sale]] (though they have mostly been relegated to being [[backups]] for when electronic POS devices fail) or for on-the-spot [[fine (penalty)\|fine]] notices, duplicate [[cheque\|checks]], and some [[money orders]] (though the [[United States Postal Service]] has recently{{when\|date=March 2021}} converted to an electronic format), and tracking slips for various expedited mail services requiring multiple copies. In India, form-filling is on a sufficient scale that carbon paper is still widely used.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history \|website=[[Mental Floss]] \|title=Makin' Copies: The Complete History \|date= December 10, 2009 \|author-last=Riggs \|author-first=Ransom \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095430/http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history \|archive-date=November 8, 2017 \|access-date=August 22, 2018 \|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2013, in Canada, only one eight-person company still manufactured carbon paper; in the United Kingdom, one company; and in the United States, only two small companies.<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22525310\|date=2013-05-15\|		The advent of word processing and the decline of typewriting meant that any number of copies of a document could be printed on demand, and the decline of carbon paper, which had already been partially superseded by [[photocopying]] and [[carbonless copy paper]], became irrevocable. A few specialist or remnant uses remain. Examples of these are receipts at [[point of sale]] (though they have mostly been relegated to being [[backups]] for when electronic POS devices fail) or for on-the-spot [[fine (penalty)\|fine]] notices, duplicate [[cheque\|checks]], and some [[money orders]] (though the [[United States Postal Service]] has recently{{when\|date=March 2021}} converted to an electronic format), and tracking slips for various expedited mail services requiring multiple copies. In India, form-filling is on a sufficient scale that carbon paper is still widely used.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history \|website=[[Mental Floss]] \|title=Makin' Copies: The Complete History \|date= December 10, 2009 \|author-last=Riggs \|author-first=Ransom \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095430/http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history \|archive-date=November 8, 2017 \|access-date=August 22, 2018 \|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2013, in Canada, only one eight-person company still manufactured carbon paper; in the United Kingdom, one company; and in the United States, only two small companies.<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-22525310\|date=2013-05-15\|
	access-date=2013-05-15\|title=Inside the UK's last carbon paper factory\|newspaper=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|		access-date=2013-05-15\|title=Inside the UK's last carbon paper factory\|newspaper=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|
	url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/07/copy_this_north_yorks_formmate_is_the_last_supplier_of_carbon_paper_in_canada.html.html\|		url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/07/copy_this_north_yorks_formmate_is_the_last_supplier_of_carbon_paper_in_canada.html.html\|
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	url-status=dead}}</ref>		url-status=dead}}</ref>

	There have been some experimental uses of carbon paper in art: as a surface for painting and [[mail art]] (to decorate envelopes). Carbon paper is commonly used to transfer patterns onto glass in the creation of [[stained glass]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.glasscrafters.biz/PROD/712\|title=Carbon Paper - Glass Crafters Stained Glass Supplies }}</ref>		There have been some experimental uses of carbon paper in art: as a surface for painting and [[mail art]] (to decorate envelopes). Carbon paper is commonly used to transfer patterns onto glass in the creation of [[stained glass]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.glasscrafters.biz/PROD/712\|title=Carbon Paper - Glass Crafters Stained Glass Supplies\|access-date=2014-10-11\|archive-date=2018-02-05\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205163447/http://www.glasscrafters.biz/PROD/712\|url-status=dead}}</ref>

	Carbon paper disks are still used in school physics labs as part of experiments on projectile motion and position.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKHXqNTrmVQC&q=carbon+paper+physics&pg=PA7\|title=Practical Physics Labs\|isbn=9780825116834\|last1=Goodwin\|first1=Peter\|year=1990\|publisher=Walch }}</ref>		Carbon paper disks are still used in school physics labs as part of experiments on projectile motion and position.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKHXqNTrmVQC&q=carbon+paper+physics&pg=PA7\|title=Practical Physics Labs\|isbn=9780825116834\|last1=Goodwin\|first1=Peter\|year=1990\|publisher=Walch }}</ref>

	~~== Fuel cell "carbon paper" ==~~

	A substance known as "carbon paper" is also used in [[fuel cell]] applications. However, this carbon paper has nothing to do with the carbon paper used for copying texts. It consists of [[Microfiber\|carbon microfibers]] manufactured into flat sheets. It is used to help as an electrode that facilitates diffusion of reagents across the catalyst layered membrane portion of membrane electrode assembly.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Westerheim\|first=Daniel\|title=What is the Difference Between Carbon Paper and Carbon Cloth Based Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL)?\|url=http://fuelcellsetc.com/2013/03/comparing-gas-diffusion-layers-gdl/\|work=Fuel Cells Etc - Tech Article\|date=8 March 2013}}</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	* [http://www.kevinlaurence.net/essays/cc.php ''The Exciting History of Carbon Paper!'']		* [http://www.kevinlaurence.net/essays/cc.php ''The Exciting History of Carbon Paper!'']
	* [http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Carbon-Paper.html ''How Carbon Paper is Made'']		* [http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Carbon-Paper.html ''How Carbon Paper is Made'']
	* [https://dilbert.com/strip/1993-03-03 A comment on carbon paper]		* [https://dilbert.com/strip/1993-03-03 A comment on carbon paper] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205181958/https://dilbert.com/strip/1993-03-03 \|date=2019-12-05 }}

	{{Paper}}		{{Paper}}

imported>Fgnievinski: /* top */

2025-05-13T03:53:24Z

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{{short description|Paper used to make copies}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2010}}
[[Image:Carbon paper.jpg|thumb|A sheet of carbon paper, with the coating side down]]
[[File:Karbonkopia 2008.jpg|thumb|Handwriting duplicated through carbon paper]]

'''Carbon paper''' (originally '''carbonic paper''') consists of sheets of [[paper]] that create one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when inscribed by a [[typewriter]] or [[ballpoint pen]]. The [[email]] term cc which means "[[carbon copy]]" is derived from this use of carbon paper.

== History ==
In 1801, [[Pellegrino Turri]], an [[Italy|Italian]] inventor, invented carbon paper to provide the ink for his mechanical typing [[machine]], one of the first [[typewriters]].<ref name="Inventors">{{cite web
| title = Italian Inventors and their Inventions
| publisher = YourGuideToItaly.com
| year = 2010
| url = http://www.yourguidetoitaly.com/italian-inventors.html
| access-date = 2011-01-25}}</ref> [[Ralph Wedgwood (inventor)|Ralph Wedgwood]] obtained the first patent for carbon paper in 1806.<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627|title =Ralph Wedgwood: Pioneer of Office Copying|url-status =dead|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110517031932/http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=2627|archive-date =2011-05-17}}</ref>

Carbon paper in its original form was paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry ink or pigmented [[coated paper|coating]], bound with [[wax]]. The manufacture of carbon paper was formerly the largest consumer of [[montan wax]]. In 1954 the Columbia Ribbon & Carbon Manufacturing Company filed a patent for what became known in the trade as solvent carbon paper: the coating was changed from wax-based to polymer-based. The manufacturing process changed from a hot-melt method to a solvent-applied coating or set of coatings. It was then possible to use polyester or other plastic film as a substrate, instead of paper, although the name remained carbon paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2872340?oq=solvent+carbon+columbia |title=Transfer element and method of making the same'' 1959 Patent app. (via Google search) |access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref>

Carbon paper was the principal medium of reproduction for [[samizdat]], a publication method used in the former [[Soviet Union]] in order to publish books without having to use state-controlled printing houses and risk the [[censorship]] or imprisonment.

== Modern uses ==

The advent of word processing and the decline of typewriting meant that any number of copies of a document could be printed on demand, and the decline of carbon paper, which had already been partially superseded by [[photocopying]] and [[carbonless copy paper]], became irrevocable. A few specialist or remnant uses remain. Examples of these are receipts at [[point of sale]] (though they have mostly been relegated to being [[backups]] for when electronic POS devices fail) or for on-the-spot [[fine (penalty)|fine]] notices, duplicate [[cheque|checks]], and some [[money orders]] (though the [[United States Postal Service]] has recently{{when|date=March 2021}} converted to an electronic format), and tracking slips for various expedited mail services requiring multiple copies. In India, form-filling is on a sufficient scale that carbon paper is still widely used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history |website=[[Mental Floss]] |title=Makin' Copies: The Complete History |date= December 10, 2009 |author-last=Riggs |author-first=Ransom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095430/http://mentalfloss.com/article/23463/makin-copies-complete-history |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |access-date=August 22, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2013, in Canada, only one eight-person company still manufactured carbon paper; in the United Kingdom, one company; and in the United States, only two small companies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22525310|date=2013-05-15|
access-date=2013-05-15|title=Inside the UK's last carbon paper factory|newspaper=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/07/copy_this_north_yorks_formmate_is_the_last_supplier_of_carbon_paper_in_canada.html.html|
date=2013-02-08|
access-date=2013-02-09|
title=Copy this: North York's Form-Mate is the last supplier of carbon paper in Canada|
newspaper=Toronto Star|
author=Morgan Campbell|
archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108124457/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/07/copy_this_north_yorks_formmate_is_the_last_supplier_of_carbon_paper_in_canada.html.html|
archive-date=2014-11-08|
url-status=dead}}</ref>

There have been some experimental uses of carbon paper in art: as a surface for painting and [[mail art]] (to decorate envelopes). Carbon paper is commonly used to transfer patterns onto glass in the creation of [[stained glass]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glasscrafters.biz/PROD/712|title=Carbon Paper - Glass Crafters Stained Glass Supplies }}</ref>

Carbon paper disks are still used in school physics labs as part of experiments on projectile motion and position.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKHXqNTrmVQC&q=carbon+paper+physics&pg=PA7|title=Practical Physics Labs|isbn=9780825116834|last1=Goodwin|first1=Peter|year=1990|publisher=Walch }}</ref>

== Fuel cell "carbon paper" ==

A substance known as "carbon paper" is also used in [[fuel cell]] applications. However, this carbon paper has nothing to do with the carbon paper used for copying texts. It consists of [[Microfiber|carbon microfibers]] manufactured into flat sheets. It is used to help as an electrode that facilitates diffusion of reagents across the catalyst layered membrane portion of membrane electrode assembly.<ref>{{cite web|last=Westerheim|first=Daniel|title=What is the Difference Between Carbon Paper and Carbon Cloth Based Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL)?|url=http://fuelcellsetc.com/2013/03/comparing-gas-diffusion-layers-gdl/|work=Fuel Cells Etc - Tech Article|date=8 March 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Carbon copy]]
*[[Carbonless copy paper]]
*[[List of duplicating processes]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://fuelcellsetc.com/2013/03/comparing-gas-diffusion-layers-gdl/ ''Carbon Paper Being Used in Fuel Cells'']
* [http://www.kevinlaurence.net/essays/cc.php ''The Exciting History of Carbon Paper!'']
* [http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Carbon-Paper.html ''How Carbon Paper is Made'']
* [https://dilbert.com/strip/1993-03-03 A comment on carbon paper]

{{Paper}}
{{Typewriter}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Printing and writing paper]]
[[Category:Coated paper]]
[[Category:Italian inventions]]
[[Category:19th-century inventions]]