Computer Networks, Digital Formats Give Copier Makers Clues for Reviving Demand

摘要

There is no substitute for a copier. For centuries, businesses relied on clerks, scribes and others with excellent penmanship to create "fair copies" of legal documents, regulations, bills, deeds, certificates and business letters. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, developers found an electronic technology for making exact duplicates quickly and easily. People were delighted with the results, and copiers quickly became an essential office tool. In the ensuing three or four decades, copiers did not change much — and neither did the way people used copiers. Copier sales grew at a more leisurely pace than before, exhibiting all the signs of a mature market.