mimeograph

A mimeograph (often shortened to "mimeo") was a machine used for making copies of documents before the widespread availability of photocopiers. It operated by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper, creating duplicate prints. The process involved typing or drawing onto a special wax-coated sheet, which created perforations where the letters or marks were. This stencil was then attached to a rotating drum inside the mimeograph machine. As the drum turned, ink was squeezed through the holes in the stencil, transferring the image onto the paper below.

Mimeographs were popular from the late 19th century into much of the 20th century, particularly in schools, churches, offices, and small businesses where many copies were needed at a relatively low cost. People sometimes confuse them with spirit duplicators, which produced the well-known purple "Ditto" pages, but a true mimeograph used ink pushed through a stencil and usually made darker, more durable copies.

The word can refer to the machine, the copying method, or the act of making copies with it. As modern copiers and printers replaced it, the mimeograph became a reminder of an earlier office and classroom world: hand-fed paper, the smell of fresh ink, and stacks of slightly messy but useful copies. Understanding the word gives you a glimpse of how people shared information before quick photocopying became normal.