The drum turns a page into a charge pattern
A photocopier does not stamp ink directly from the original. In a traditional copier, light reflected from the page falls onto a rotating drum coated with a material that conducts electricity when illuminated. Before the image is made, the drum receives an even electrical charge. Bright areas of the original reflect light onto it, allowing charge to drain away; dark lettering reflects little light, so those areas stay charged.
The result is an invisible electrical image: a map of charged and uncharged patches that matches the page. This is called a latent image because it exists on the drum before any visible toner appears. In many modern copiers, a laser or row of LEDs creates that pattern electronically rather than projecting light from the original, but the charge-based printing principle is similar.
Powder follows the invisible image
Toner is a fine plastic powder given an electrical charge opposite to the charged image on the drum. As the toner passes near the drum, it is attracted to the patterned areas and clings there, revealing the text or picture. The toner image is then transferred from the drum to paper, often with another electrical charge pulling it across.
That transfer is not yet permanent. The paper passes through heated rollers that soften the toner’s plastic particles and press them into the fibers. This is why a fresh copy may feel warm and why its marks resist rubbing off like loose powder.
The drum is ready for another page
After transfer, the copier removes leftover toner and discharges the drum so it can receive a fresh, even charge. The same surface can then form the next image. A page becomes a print through a carefully timed sequence: light writes an electrical pattern, powder makes it visible, and heat fixes it in place.
