Reprography is the reproduction and duplication of documents, written materials, drawings, and designs, etc., using any process that utilizes light rays or photographic means, such as offset printing, microfilming, photography, and office duplication. In its most simplest form, reprographics is the printing or digital data reproduction of visual elements such as graphic images and even text documents.

Reprography can be done in a variety of ways, including mechanical and electronic methods. The simple photocopying of a diagram is an example of how xerography and photography are two of the most common processes used in reprography. Technically, reprography also refers to the duplication of text documents, but the term is more commonly used to refer to the reproduction of graphic material.

Types of Reprographic Equipments

There are various reprography equipments that are used to make duplicates of original documents. Within a certain time frame, one can obtain multiple duplicate print copies using computer printers, offset printing machines, electronic scanning, and so on. However, certain factors influence reprography, such as the number of documents to be printed, the time it takes to perform reprography, the output quality required, and the total cost of the reprographic process. Of course, a prudent entrepreneur must take these factors into account before deciding on a particular method of reprography or a specific type of reprographic equipment. These equipments include:-

Photocopier: A photocopier is a machine that rapidly copies documents onto paper through the use of photography.Its also referred to as any electrically operated machine that makes instant copies of written, drawn, or printed material through the use of a photographic method, such as the electrostatic process. A photocopier’s primary function is to create paper copies of documents. The majority of photocopiers employ laser technology, a dry process that involves the transfer of toner onto paper via electrostatic charges on a light-sensitive photoreceptor to form an image.

Printers: A printer is a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and converts it to paper. Printers come in a variety of sizes, speeds, sophistication levels, and cost. The inkjet and laser printers are the most well-known non-impact printers. While the inkjet printer sprays ink from an ink cartridge at a very close range to the paper as it rolls by, the laser printer uses a laser beam reflected off a mirror to attract ink (called toner) to specific areas of the paper as it rolls over a drum.

Scanner: A scanner, in layman’s terms, is an electronic device that scans handwritten or printed documents and photographs and converts them to a digital file formRegardless of the process used all duplicating machines require the preparation of a master copy, from which copies are made by a machine in the same manner. A distinction is thus made between duplicating machines and copying machines, in which copies are made from a source image through an exposure–image-forming process.at.The scanned document can be viewed, shared, and edited on the computer, and it can also be printed from the computer.The scanner’s operation is straightforward, and it is based on the principles of reflection and transmission to operate.There are several different types of scanners available, each with a different resolution. The scanning of images is widely considered to be the most cost-effective and dependable method of transmitting images in the world of electronic data transmission.

Duplicators: A machine or device for making copies of something, especially one that uses fluid ink and a stencil to make copies of documents. In other words a duplicating machine is a device that creates duplicate copies from a master copy of printed, typed, drawn, or other material, employing various reproduction techniques to accomplish this.