05/27/2026
Have you ever cc'd someone in an email and wondered what cc stands for? It stands for "carbon copy" derived from the use of carbon paper.
Carbon paper was invented in 1801 in Italy. It consists of a sheet of paper that creates a copy simultaneously with the creation of an original document when inscribed by a typewriter or pen.
With the advent of photocopiers, carbonless paper and computers (specifically word processing), documents can now be copied on demand. But guess what, carbon paper is still being used! In art it is used typically for outlines and patterns, and by some business types who may not have technology handy but still need copies of what they write.
So here we are, still using carbon paper. If you need or want a bit of carbon paper, it can be found in our art section.
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* Wikipedia: Carbon paper