Chester Carlson is credited as the inventor of photocopying. He developed the first successful dry copying process, which became known as xerography and laid the foundation for modern photocopying technology. His invention ultimately led to the creation of the Xerox Corporation.

Photocopying in 3D

Chester Carlson invented xerography, the process eventually used in the original Xerox machines. He first successfully demonstrated the process in 1938

The process of xerography was first demonstrated in 1938.

The first machines using the process were released in the early 1950s and the first fully automatic machine using the process was release in 1959.

The xerographic photocopying process was developed by Chester Carlson in his kitchen, not by a professor in a University. It was further developed by the Battelle Institute, a private research institute in Columbus, Ohio, in conjunction with the Haloid Company. There was no significant university involvement until after the process had been successfully commercialized.