About This Stamp
The Postal Service issued the 21-cent definitive stamp honoring Chester Carlson, creator of the process later called xerography, on October 21, 1988, in Rochester, New York, in conjunction with events planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his invention. The denomination pays the rate for postcards mailed from the United States to Canada.
Carlson traced his idea to a job that he held with an electronics firm, where he noticed that there were never enough copies of patent specifications and no easy way of getting more. Intrigued by the possibilities, he spent all his spare time in the public library pouring over every available text on imaging processes. In 1938, Carlson revolutionized office copying by developing a method of producing a dry image without a chemical reaction.
This process is now an indispensable business tool used by millions of people around the world. Although Carlson is not a household name, his invention has become one of the most profitable products of all time. But those who knew him remember Carlson more for his determination, kindness, and generosity.
Susan Sanford in Washington, D.C., designed the stamp. The stamps were engraved through the intaglio process (A Press) by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, with 100 stamps per pane.