Xerox introduced the first successful commercial photocopier, the Xerox 914, in 1959.
The 914 used plain paper and xerography, a dry copying process developed from Chester Carlson’s invention. Its name referred to the maximum paper size it could handle: 9 by 14 inches.
The machine was large, expensive, and capable of producing copies much faster than earlier copying methods. Xerox marketed it through leasing, helping organizations adopt the technology without paying its full purchase price upfront.
The 914 made photocopying a routine office activity and helped turn Haloid, its manufacturer, into Xerox Corporation. It is sometimes confused with later Xerox products, but the 914 was the breakthrough model that established the company’s reputation.