1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,099 "Goodbye, seeya Monday." "Goodbyeee!" "Good bye dear." 2 00:00:05,134 --> 00:00:20,769 [Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett] 3 00:00:20,770 --> 00:00:32,476 [Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett] [photocopier noises] 4 00:00:32,477 --> 00:00:37,158 Tim: The photocopier has become an indispensable part of any modern office. 5 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,694 Every bit of paper that goes in and out of an office gets copied, 6 00:00:40,695 --> 00:00:42,845 usually more than once. 7 00:00:42,846 --> 00:00:46,893 The machines themselves remain rather mysterious black boxes. 8 00:00:46,928 --> 00:00:51,993 And have an infuriating habit of going wrong just when you want to copy something in a hurry. 9 00:00:52,983 --> 00:00:57,165 In this programme, Rex and I are going to try and, er, demystify 10 00:00:57,166 --> 00:01:01,356 these ingenious, but often infuriating, machines. 11 00:01:01,357 --> 00:01:04,730 Before the photocopier was invented, there were many 12 00:01:04,731 --> 00:01:07,189 different methods of copying documents available. 13 00:01:07,190 --> 00:01:09,803 But they were all slow and inconvenient. [Ding!] 14 00:01:09,804 --> 00:01:15,619 Thermal machines from the '50s involved a complicated sequence of intermediate stages, 15 00:01:15,620 --> 00:01:19,177 and only produced the final copies on special chemical paper. 16 00:01:22,623 --> 00:01:26,024 The most common way of making multiple copies was the duplicator. 17 00:01:26,025 --> 00:01:29,486 But the original had to be specially typed on a wax stencil. 18 00:01:29,887 --> 00:01:34,072 The typing perforated the wax, allowing the ink through onto the copies. 19 00:01:35,243 --> 00:01:37,631 The Victorians invented the copybook. 20 00:01:37,632 --> 00:01:43,603 The page was damp, so it absorbed some of the ink from the original, when pressed against it. [squeaking screw] 21 00:01:43,604 --> 00:01:47,817 Copybooks were still used for legal documents until the 1950s. 22 00:01:47,818 --> 00:01:50,750 But even before the copybook, a chemical process had been 23 00:01:50,751 --> 00:01:53,984 invented for copying engineering drawings. 24 00:01:53,985 --> 00:01:59,626 A mixture of these two chemicals is first, er, spread on a bit of paper... 25 00:02:07,984 --> 00:02:11,586 And then the drawing to be copied is put on top. 26 00:02:11,587 --> 00:02:15,066 And this is now exposed to a very bright light. 27 00:02:15,067 --> 00:02:20,427 Arc lights were often used, early electric arc lights like this. [buzzing of arc] 28 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,463 Well anyway, this actually takes rather a long time, 29 00:02:25,464 --> 00:02:28,819 so I've done one already, that I've prepared earlier. 30 00:02:29,845 --> 00:02:34,587 A bit like a cookery programme(!) Erm... Here it is. 31 00:02:34,588 --> 00:02:37,798 Well it doesn't, er, look very promising, 32 00:02:37,799 --> 00:02:41,614 but if I now spread another chemical on it, 33 00:02:41,615 --> 00:02:47,447 the image should start to appear. 34 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:53,957 And then just have to wash the chemicals all off now. 35 00:02:53,958 --> 00:02:59,877 And a dye, Prussian blue, is left impregnated in paper, 36 00:02:59,878 --> 00:03:02,893 on the bits which have been exposed to the light. 37 00:03:04,043 --> 00:03:07,758 Well the process has actually been obsolete for over 50 years now, 38 00:03:07,759 --> 00:03:11,955 but the word 'blueprint' has become stuck in the language. 39 00:03:11,956 --> 00:03:15,136 Wet chemical systems were also developed for the office. [music] 40 00:03:15,137 --> 00:03:18,631 [music] Voiceover: Two minutes is the time needed to deliver the print. 41 00:03:18,632 --> 00:03:21,651 And she'll get not a negative, with all blacks and whites reversed, 42 00:03:21,652 --> 00:03:23,555 but a direct copy of the original. 43 00:03:23,556 --> 00:03:26,276 That's positive. No trays to bother about either, 44 00:03:26,277 --> 00:03:29,926 she just brushes on the developer, then watches while the picture appears. 45 00:03:29,927 --> 00:03:34,924 [music] 46 00:03:34,925 --> 00:03:38,076 Fixed in much the same way, the copy is now squeezed dry. 47 00:03:38,077 --> 00:03:43,709 It's just too bad the outfit doesn't include properly watermarked paper for copying bank notes! 48 00:03:43,710 --> 00:03:45,233 [music] 49 00:03:45,234 --> 00:03:49,488 The idea that revolutionised copying, came from an unassuming 50 00:03:49,489 --> 00:03:52,631 American patent lawyer called Chester Carlson. 51 00:03:53,020 --> 00:03:56,852 Chester: Well, in the course of my patent work I frequently had need 52 00:03:56,853 --> 00:04:01,851 for, er, copies of patent specifications and drawings, and there 53 00:04:01,852 --> 00:04:05,697 was no really convenient way of, er, getting them at that time. 54 00:04:05,698 --> 00:04:08,535 Tim: Carlson started experimenting with a copying process 55 00:04:08,536 --> 00:04:12,328 based on the ancient, but unpredictable, science of static electricity. 56 00:04:12,329 --> 00:04:16,677 [music] 57 00:04:16,678 --> 00:04:22,517 Greek: Oooh Zeus, the lamp is dustios! 58 00:04:22,518 --> 00:04:25,380 Boys! Boys: What is it Master? 59 00:04:25,381 --> 00:04:27,658 Greek: Polish well the lamps! 60 00:04:27,659 --> 00:04:29,691 [squeaking of polishing] Boy: Rub harder Ajax! 61 00:04:29,692 --> 00:04:32,869 Tim: The ancient Greeks first noticed static electricity when they 62 00:04:32,870 --> 00:04:36,947 observed that lamps made of amber attracted dust after being rubbed. 63 00:04:36,948 --> 00:04:41,671 Greek: Preposterous! The lamp is dustiosterous! Boys: But but sir, we... 64 00:04:41,672 --> 00:04:45,119 Greek: Get outside while I administer the usual! 65 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,782 [whip cracks] [whimpering of boys] 66 00:04:49,783 --> 00:04:55,902 [sheep baaaa-ing] Tim: Our word for electricity comes from the Greek for amber, electron. 67 00:04:56,122 --> 00:04:58,928 The Greeks also had trouble with their spinning wheels, 68 00:04:58,929 --> 00:05:00,826 because the bearings were made of amber. 69 00:05:01,311 --> 00:05:03,929 [Baaa-aaa-aaaa] [Crackle ZZZZT!] 70 00:05:04,025 --> 00:05:14,863 [photocopier noise] Modern plastics, like nylon carpets and synthetic shoe soles, work much better than amber. 71 00:05:15,715 --> 00:05:22,027 I'm now charging myself up, and er, it's called static electricity, 72 00:05:22,028 --> 00:05:26,354 because the electricity is literally static, it's trapped inside me. 73 00:05:26,355 --> 00:05:29,256 And I'll stay charged up until I discharge myself, 74 00:05:29,257 --> 00:05:32,305 by holding my finger near something that's earthed. 75 00:05:32,306 --> 00:05:36,799 I might be able to make a tiny spark and give myself an electric shock, on this... 76 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,770 No, nothing. 77 00:05:39,771 --> 00:05:47,149 Erm, static electricity experiments, er, only really work when the air's very dry. 78 00:05:47,150 --> 00:05:50,306 And in any case they seem to be incredibly unpredictable, 79 00:05:50,307 --> 00:05:53,985 I hope these work better. Erm... 80 00:05:53,986 --> 00:06:00,042 If I charge up this bit of plastic... 81 00:06:00,077 --> 00:06:03,880 I should be able to make some bits of tin foil dance around... 82 00:06:05,344 --> 00:06:08,523 Oh yes! That's not working too badly. 83 00:06:08,524 --> 00:06:16,704 Erm, static electricity can also make, er, dust fly up and stick to things. 84 00:06:18,301 --> 00:06:21,023 Pour some dust on there... 85 00:06:21,673 --> 00:06:26,691 Yes! It's this effect of attracting small particles that's used in the photocopier. 86 00:06:26,692 --> 00:06:29,860 Carlson did his early experiments in his kitchen, 87 00:06:29,861 --> 00:06:34,926 in fact we found the only place we could reliably repeat them was in Rex's kitchen. 88 00:06:34,927 --> 00:06:39,933 Cos he's got under-floor central hearing and so it's extremely dry. 89 00:06:41,404 --> 00:06:43,809 Tim: Is this going to work alright? Rex: I think so. 90 00:06:43,810 --> 00:06:47,157 Tim: Carlson started by casting blocks of sulphur, 91 00:06:47,158 --> 00:06:56,125 after reading that sulphur lost it's electrostatic charge when it was, um, exposed to bright light. 92 00:06:56,126 --> 00:07:00,424 Erm, yeah it does look good. It's not easy casting these plates of sulphur, 93 00:07:00,425 --> 00:07:02,577 and it makes an awful smell as well. 94 00:07:02,578 --> 00:07:06,357 Tim: Erm, well we've got to leave that one to cool, haven't we? So err... Rex: Yes. 95 00:07:06,358 --> 00:07:09,489 So perhaps we'd better try it with one of the other ones? 96 00:07:09,490 --> 00:07:13,256 What Carlson did was to charge the plates up, 97 00:07:13,257 --> 00:07:16,370 by rubbing them... Rex: Don't rub too hard. 98 00:07:20,069 --> 00:07:27,310 Tim: Alright then, er, so now we have to put some sort of an image on top of it. That's it... 99 00:07:27,311 --> 00:07:30,600 Now we'll expose it... Okay. 100 00:07:30,601 --> 00:07:35,612 The sulphur is now losing it's electrostatic charge as it's exposed to the light. 101 00:07:35,613 --> 00:07:43,248 So it's now only the areas under the black letters, protected from the light, that are still charged. 102 00:07:43,249 --> 00:07:47,832 If a fine powder is now dusted over the surface, Carlson used lycopodium, 103 00:07:47,833 --> 00:07:52,226 it would be attracted only to the charged parts, revealing the image. 104 00:07:52,227 --> 00:07:56,032 Tim: There's an 'A'... Rex: It's coming out quite good. 105 00:07:56,033 --> 00:08:01,494 Tim: Although our result isn't very impressive, Carlson himself didn't do much better. 106 00:08:01,495 --> 00:08:05,768 No one was very impressed at the time, October the 22nd 1938. 107 00:08:05,769 --> 00:08:11,682 But he somehow managed to persuade a research institute to try and develop his idea. 108 00:08:11,683 --> 00:08:14,723 The Battelle institute replaced Carlson's sulphur 109 00:08:14,724 --> 00:08:18,536 with plates made by vacuum depositing thin layers of selenium. 110 00:08:19,369 --> 00:08:23,368 In the late '40s in conjunction with a small company called Haloid, 111 00:08:23,369 --> 00:08:26,339 the first electrostatic copiers appeared. 112 00:08:26,340 --> 00:08:29,468 Including one model called the 1385. 113 00:08:30,025 --> 00:08:34,032 This is one of the few surviving 1385s in Britain, 114 00:08:34,033 --> 00:08:38,122 and er, it's a magnificent contraption. 115 00:08:38,123 --> 00:08:43,767 Erm, it's all entirely manually operated, and it takes several minutes to make a copy. 116 00:08:44,781 --> 00:08:47,494 It doesn't look anything like Carlson's equipment, but 117 00:08:47,495 --> 00:08:50,496 it actually goes through exactly the same stages. 118 00:08:53,041 --> 00:08:57,091 Er, this is the plate, and the first stage is to charge it up. 119 00:08:57,092 --> 00:09:00,667 So it goes in this slot here, simply have to press the button. 120 00:09:00,668 --> 00:09:05,858 Battelle had replaced Carlson's sulphur with a thin glassy layer of selenium. 121 00:09:05,859 --> 00:09:09,773 That's so sensitive to light that I can only show how it works in a darkroom. 122 00:09:09,774 --> 00:09:16,882 Instead of rubbing it to charge it, Battelle used a very very fine high voltage wire that's inside this casing. 123 00:09:16,883 --> 00:09:20,581 He simply moved it slowly across the plate. 124 00:09:20,582 --> 00:09:27,905 This gives it a very even charge and, er, this is what's happening inside the slot in the 1385. 125 00:09:28,949 --> 00:09:33,290 The next stage is to expose it, so take it over to this camera here. 126 00:09:33,291 --> 00:09:36,663 Erm, slips in the back, 127 00:09:37,505 --> 00:09:41,162 This is the image I'm going to expose. 128 00:09:41,163 --> 00:09:45,763 [click] [ticking noise] It's basically just an old fashioned plate camera, this. 129 00:09:45,764 --> 00:09:49,137 That's it, put the slide back in... 130 00:09:49,138 --> 00:09:51,564 And the next stage is developing it. 131 00:09:51,565 --> 00:09:54,573 And that happens in, in here. 132 00:09:54,574 --> 00:09:58,195 Er, put the plate in here. 133 00:09:58,196 --> 00:10:01,840 Pull the slide out again, 134 00:10:01,841 --> 00:10:06,022 [clunking and clanking] 135 00:10:06,023 --> 00:10:09,654 This reminds me of some sort of magician's cabinet. 136 00:10:09,655 --> 00:10:14,233 Inside, a mixture of sand and toner powder, the equivalent of 137 00:10:14,234 --> 00:10:17,809 Carlson's Lycopodium, runs over the plate. 138 00:10:17,810 --> 00:10:21,638 It's only attracted to the parts of the plate that are still charged, 139 00:10:21,639 --> 00:10:24,736 that's the dark parts of the image. 140 00:10:24,737 --> 00:10:29,268 And we should now be left with an image on the plate. 141 00:10:29,269 --> 00:10:31,294 Yes! 142 00:10:31,295 --> 00:10:34,455 Having a lot of trouble getting it as good as that. 143 00:10:34,456 --> 00:10:39,619 The copy paper is then put over the plate so the image can be transferred. 144 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:48,250 The corona wire now charges the paper, transferring the toner powder onto it. 145 00:10:55,239 --> 00:11:00,370 Finally, the toner powder on the copy has to be heated to fix it... 146 00:11:00,371 --> 00:11:04,642 Probably about done now, er? Yes. That's fixed. 147 00:11:06,131 --> 00:11:08,669 And that's the final copy. 148 00:11:08,670 --> 00:11:12,618 Well, this process is obviously rather impractical for an office, 149 00:11:12,619 --> 00:11:17,459 but it found one specialist use for printers, for making short run printing plates. 150 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:19,826 That's why I'm in a printer's now. 151 00:11:19,827 --> 00:11:23,445 Erm, I'm going to.....away and try and print it. 152 00:11:23,446 --> 00:11:26,093 Tim: Here's the plate. Printer: Thank you. 153 00:11:29,201 --> 00:11:33,838 The 1385 already embodied the same technology as today's copiers, 154 00:11:33,839 --> 00:11:37,135 but it still wasn't the machine of Carlson's dreams. 155 00:11:37,136 --> 00:11:43,738 Chester: The idea of developing an office copier which had never been done before. 156 00:11:43,739 --> 00:11:49,980 and I thought of a machine that could be sat on a desk in an office, to which one could 157 00:11:49,981 --> 00:11:58,527 bring an original to be copied, and put it in the machine and push a button and get a copy out. 158 00:11:59,481 --> 00:12:02,723 Tim: His dream finally came true in 1959. 159 00:12:02,724 --> 00:12:08,435 The Haloid company had changed it's name to Xerox and introduced the model 914. 160 00:12:08,436 --> 00:12:10,012 Jones: I can't type. 161 00:12:10,013 --> 00:12:13,075 I don't take dictation. 162 00:12:13,897 --> 00:12:16,914 I won't sharpen pencils. 163 00:12:16,915 --> 00:12:19,755 I can't file. 164 00:12:19,756 --> 00:12:23,525 My boss calls me indispensable! 165 00:12:23,526 --> 00:12:26,316 Boss: Miss Jones? Jones: Just a minute! 166 00:12:26,317 --> 00:12:30,458 Boss: Will you make a copy of this? Jones: Naturally! 167 00:12:33,828 --> 00:12:37,497 I push the button on the Xerox 914. 168 00:12:40,636 --> 00:12:44,382 I make perfect copies of whatever my boss needs, 169 00:12:44,383 --> 00:12:47,645 by just turning a knob and pushing a button. 170 00:12:47,646 --> 00:12:53,384 Anything he can see, I can copy in black and white. On ordinary paper. 171 00:12:53,385 --> 00:12:57,862 And am I fast! I can make 7 copies a minute! 172 00:12:57,863 --> 00:13:01,206 By the way, I never need wet chemicals. 173 00:13:01,207 --> 00:13:05,792 My 914 is a dry machine. Powder dry. 174 00:13:05,793 --> 00:13:09,154 Sometimes my boss asks me, which is the original. 175 00:13:09,155 --> 00:13:11,691 And sometimes, I don't know! 176 00:13:11,692 --> 00:13:15,951 Here, Mr. Smith. I'm going to lunch with Mother. 177 00:13:16,282 --> 00:13:19,319 [squeaking] Man: Easy there, Easy there... 178 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:21,855 [knock knock] Woman: Hello? 179 00:13:21,856 --> 00:13:26,785 Man: Here's your Xerox 914 Ma'am. Woman: Oh Great! 180 00:13:26,786 --> 00:13:38,967 "Just push-uh..." "Push..." "Oh no!" 181 00:13:38,968 --> 00:13:41,553 Man: I reckon Boss, it'll have to go through the window. 182 00:13:41,554 --> 00:13:43,333 [motor] 183 00:13:43,334 --> 00:13:47,131 Tim: Although large and cumbersome, the machine revolutionised office copying. 184 00:13:47,132 --> 00:13:48,565 [CRASH!] 185 00:13:48,566 --> 00:13:52,312 Woman: Oh I just love pressing the button! 186 00:13:52,313 --> 00:13:56,388 Ohh! Copy after copy! They keep coming! 187 00:13:56,389 --> 00:14:00,502 Tim: The key to automating the process was to change the exposure stage. 188 00:14:00,503 --> 00:14:05,898 In the 1385 the camera lit the whole of the original 189 00:14:05,899 --> 00:14:10,447 and exposed it through the lens on to the selenium plate. 190 00:14:11,583 --> 00:14:17,206 In automatic machines, the selenium plate is wrapped, is wrapped round into a drum. 191 00:14:17,207 --> 00:14:29,061 The light is then enclosed in a box, so that it only lights a thin strip of the original at a time. 192 00:14:30,193 --> 00:14:37,788 So now, erm, if you slowly move the original over the light, 193 00:14:37,789 --> 00:14:40,539 or the light over the original, while the drum rotates... 194 00:14:40,540 --> 00:14:43,903 It's exposed a bit at a time. 195 00:14:46,231 --> 00:14:48,709 It can then all become a continuous process: 196 00:14:48,710 --> 00:14:51,763 While one bit of the drum is being charged up, 197 00:14:51,764 --> 00:14:54,136 another is being exposed. 198 00:14:54,137 --> 00:14:56,837 another is being developed with toner powder, 199 00:14:56,838 --> 00:15:00,814 and yet another is transferring its toner to the copy. 200 00:15:02,339 --> 00:15:08,246 The advantage of the drum, is that all the stages of the process can be arranged around it. [motor noise] 201 00:15:11,478 --> 00:15:18,791 The charging stage is a fine wire, a fine corona wire just like in the original manual machines. [more noises] 202 00:15:20,500 --> 00:15:23,348 I think this machine's a bit on its last legs. 203 00:15:23,349 --> 00:15:29,784 Erm, the exposing stage is just like my model: 204 00:15:30,785 --> 00:15:33,397 The original goes on the top here, 205 00:15:33,398 --> 00:15:39,356 and then the bright light moves across it, and the image is exposed 206 00:15:39,357 --> 00:15:43,481 via a couple of mirrors through the lens and onto the drum. 207 00:15:44,355 --> 00:15:48,134 Then the developing stage is in here, it's a bit difficult to get at, 208 00:15:48,135 --> 00:15:50,749 so I've got another developer unit here. 209 00:15:50,750 --> 00:15:57,263 The toner is actually mixed with iron powder, and it sticks to this magnetic roller. 210 00:15:57,264 --> 00:16:02,397 As this rotates, this spreads the toner powder onto the drum. 211 00:16:08,627 --> 00:16:15,375 The copy paper comes along the bottom of the machine. Comes in through, through this end... 212 00:16:15,376 --> 00:16:20,355 Along here, and there's another, corona wire in the bottom here, 213 00:16:20,356 --> 00:16:23,658 that attracts the toner from the drum onto the copy. 214 00:16:27,906 --> 00:16:34,893 Of course when it first gets transferred onto the copy, it's still just a powder. 215 00:16:35,459 --> 00:16:38,146 But the toner's mixed with a plastic, 216 00:16:38,147 --> 00:16:47,483 [roar of blowtorch] That, er, melts at quite a low temperature when its heated up a bit. 217 00:16:53,358 --> 00:16:56,581 In the, in the copier there are a pair of heated rollers. 218 00:16:56,582 --> 00:16:59,760 You can see the element, it switches on every now and then. 219 00:16:59,761 --> 00:17:02,151 And the copy goes between the two of them. 220 00:17:02,152 --> 00:17:06,463 This is what you have to wait for to warm up when you first switch the machine on. 221 00:17:08,526 --> 00:17:13,653 in the back, there's a mass of machinery, gears and cogs and things 222 00:17:13,654 --> 00:17:17,281 Both to pull the light across the original 223 00:17:17,282 --> 00:17:20,592 and to pull the copy paper through the machine. 224 00:17:21,893 --> 00:17:25,726 But despite all this complexity, copiers have progressively got 225 00:17:25,727 --> 00:17:29,215 cheaper and cheaper and smaller and smaller. 226 00:17:29,216 --> 00:17:52,850 [fast paced singing in Japanese] 227 00:17:52,851 --> 00:17:58,833 [voiceover in Japanese] 228 00:17:58,934 --> 00:18:02,266 The Japanese also made colour copying popular. 229 00:18:02,267 --> 00:18:06,814 The machine is extremely complicated, but the basic idea's really quite simple. 230 00:18:08,066 --> 00:18:12,938 At the back there are 4 magnetic rollers with different coloured toner on. 231 00:18:12,939 --> 00:18:14,786 This is the magenta. 232 00:18:14,787 --> 00:18:16,812 Cyan blue. 233 00:18:16,813 --> 00:18:19,033 Yellow. And the black. 234 00:18:19,034 --> 00:18:23,736 The same colours as in colour printing. 235 00:18:23,737 --> 00:18:27,681 And the bit of paper just goes through the machine 4 times, once for each colour. 236 00:18:27,682 --> 00:18:31,842 You should be able to see the different colours appearing on the drum 237 00:18:31,843 --> 00:18:35,043 one after an other by looking in here. 238 00:18:35,044 --> 00:18:39,417 First it's exposed through a magenta filter and deposits the magenta toner. 239 00:18:39,418 --> 00:18:41,437 Then the blue. 240 00:18:41,438 --> 00:18:42,969 Then the yellow. 241 00:18:42,970 --> 00:18:45,785 And err finally the black. 242 00:18:45,786 --> 00:18:50,358 Before it, er, comes out the slot at the end of the machine. 243 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:55,102 In photographic reproduction, the toner powder is much finer than in an ordinary copier, 244 00:18:55,103 --> 00:18:58,469 enabling subtle gradations in each colour. 245 00:18:58,470 --> 00:19:02,922 The fixing stage melts the four layers of toner powder together, 246 00:19:02,923 --> 00:19:06,299 creating the final true colours. 247 00:19:10,945 --> 00:19:14,991 Despite their sophistication, modern copiers still have their drawbacks. 248 00:19:14,992 --> 00:19:20,609 For a start the static electricity creates a certain amount of ozone, which isn't very good for people. 249 00:19:20,610 --> 00:19:23,531 Large copiers are now fitted with carbon filters. 250 00:19:23,532 --> 00:19:28,876 And the static can have the effect of attracting dust inside the machine. 251 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,125 This coats the rollers and the corona wires and the optics, 252 00:19:34,126 --> 00:19:36,189 producing worse and worse copies. 253 00:19:36,190 --> 00:19:40,326 Er, this one's jammed up again... [clanking] 254 00:19:40,327 --> 00:19:42,989 Not a very brilliant copy. 255 00:19:42,990 --> 00:19:47,296 The static also attracts the toner powder, which is terribly messy stuff, 256 00:19:47,297 --> 00:19:52,280 deliberately designed to melt and congeal on everything it touches. 257 00:19:54,135 --> 00:19:58,110 This is basically what makes copiers still so heavily dependent on 258 00:19:58,111 --> 00:20:01,153 regular maintenance and servicing. 259 00:20:01,154 --> 00:20:06,426 Small copiers are now often made with disposable cartridges, 260 00:20:06,427 --> 00:20:12,950 erm, these not only contain the toner, they contain everything including the drum. 261 00:20:12,951 --> 00:20:16,628 And the idea is that when the toner runs out, it all 262 00:20:16,629 --> 00:20:19,864 gets replaced before it has a chance to get dirty. 263 00:20:22,898 --> 00:20:25,464 Then there are problems with the paper. 264 00:20:25,465 --> 00:20:29,019 Paper tends to shrink as it dries out, just like wood, 265 00:20:29,020 --> 00:20:33,408 And often inside the machine it distorts and jams up. 266 00:20:33,409 --> 00:20:35,547 And even without shrinkage, it's impossible to 267 00:20:35,548 --> 00:20:39,283 design a paper-handling system that's totally reliable. 268 00:20:39,284 --> 00:20:46,620 The best that manufacturers can do is to make the machines quite easy to rescue the mess. 269 00:20:48,499 --> 00:20:52,726 With all these problems, it's really a miracle that copiers work at all. 270 00:20:52,727 --> 00:20:55,306 It's partly because of their temperamental qualities that 271 00:20:55,307 --> 00:20:58,349 copiers are so often the focal point of the office. 272 00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:03,011 Brian: Whoops. Boss: I've got a million and one things to write today! 273 00:21:03,012 --> 00:21:05,916 Oh! It's up to it's tricks again! 274 00:21:05,917 --> 00:21:10,598 Polly! Can you sort this out for me? I need 50 copies. 275 00:21:11,356 --> 00:21:13,642 Polly: Oh I hate this machine, it's always going wrong! 276 00:21:16,285 --> 00:21:18,644 Brian! Get Lost! 277 00:21:18,645 --> 00:21:21,187 Brian: *evil laughter* 278 00:21:21,188 --> 00:21:25,564 I see that Jones's promotion isn't on the cards. 279 00:21:26,985 --> 00:21:33,119 Terry: What's up Poll? [beeping] Polly: I can't get it to work Terry! What's wrong? [beeping] 280 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:39,701 Terry: Oh. It needs paper? Oh no, the paper's jammed. Oh, I think it needs toner! 281 00:21:39,702 --> 00:21:43,060 Polly: It needs an expert. 282 00:21:43,061 --> 00:21:51,026 [engineer whistles] 283 00:21:51,027 --> 00:21:56,137 Brenda: Oh, not again! Terry: Oh dear. 284 00:21:56,138 --> 00:21:59,966 Boss: What Is the holdup? 285 00:21:59,967 --> 00:22:04,277 If you want a job done properly, do it yourself! [fingers tapping desk] 286 00:22:06,634 --> 00:22:08,674 Terry: Uh, when's it gonna be fixed? 287 00:22:08,675 --> 00:22:13,725 Engineer: Oh, needs new corona wires. Tomorrow if you're lucky. Terry: Oh, dear. 288 00:22:15,877 --> 00:22:19,115 Polly: They won't let us use this one. Terry: This one's broken as well. 289 00:22:19,116 --> 00:22:23,557 Polly: There's a big queue here! Brenda: It's only 50 copies, there's no need to be so rude. 290 00:22:27,098 --> 00:22:31,644 Tim: The unreliability of copiers leads to many of them being thrown out in disgust. 291 00:22:31,645 --> 00:22:35,977 Which is great for me and Rex, because we both find the parts very useful. 292 00:22:37,558 --> 00:22:43,738 The general has bearings, microswitches, and a solenoid taken out of an old copier. 293 00:22:44,953 --> 00:22:48,640 Almost everything I make has some bit of an old copier inside. 294 00:22:49,732 --> 00:22:52,143 [click] [clank] 295 00:22:52,144 --> 00:22:55,677 Rex recently used the high voltage supply from a copier 296 00:22:55,678 --> 00:22:58,295 in an enormous static electricity machine. 297 00:22:58,296 --> 00:23:01,897 Rex: This weird looking contraption behind me is a Van der Graaf generator. 298 00:23:01,898 --> 00:23:04,742 I built it to explain the principles of electrostatics. 299 00:23:04,743 --> 00:23:10,329 [snap] [snap] [snap] [snap] 300 00:23:10,330 --> 00:23:14,854 Static electricity has got some spectacular effects. 301 00:23:25,977 --> 00:23:29,678 Tim: 10 years ago, there were a lot of predictions about the paperless office. 302 00:23:29,679 --> 00:23:33,860 Computer memories were going to completely replace piles of paper. 303 00:23:33,861 --> 00:23:37,005 And there'd never be any need to print anything out or copy anything. 304 00:23:37,806 --> 00:23:39,837 This doesn't seem to have happened though. 305 00:23:39,838 --> 00:23:45,134 More and more copiers get sold every year, and more and more paper gets used making copies. 306 00:23:45,135 --> 00:23:51,573 It isn't very ecologically sound, although at least some paper, like this, is now recycled. 307 00:23:51,574 --> 00:23:59,507 However, I find copiers much the most useful of all office machines, and I'd be very sad to be without one. 308 00:23:59,572 --> 00:24:02,074 Whoops! 309 00:24:02,075 --> 00:24:08,126 [Jazzy music: 'Take 5' - Dave Brubeck] 310 00:24:08,127 --> 00:24:45,486 [bulldozer engine noise] [Jazzy music: 'Take 5' - Dave Brubeck]