Hektograph

/ˈhɛktəɡræf/ noun

Definition

A machine or process for making multiple copies of a document by using a gelatin surface to transfer ink, an early precursor to modern photocopying.

Etymology

From hecto- (meaning 'hundred,' suggesting the machine could make up to 100 copies) plus -graph (from Greek graphein, 'to write'), named for its ability to reproduce documents multiple times.

Kelly Says

Before Xerox machines revolutionized offices in the 1960s, hektographs were the way teachers and offices made copies—you'd write or type on a special master, lay it on the gelatin surface, and it would transfer to dozens of pages, though they often came out purple or blue.

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