# Xerox, photocopy, copy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xerox-photocopy-copy/747409>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 28, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xerox-photocopy-copy/747409 "2016-02-28T17:26:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Majestic\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Majestic\_Lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majestic_Lee)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xerox-photocopy-copy/747409/21 "2016-02-29T23:37:03Z")

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> [@gigi](#):
>
> Looks that way.  
> [List of generic and genericized trademarks - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericized_trademarks)
> 
> The equivalent here is Scotch Tape: “Appears in dictionaries as both generic and trademarked. Trademark Law advises that proper usage is “Scotch brand cellophane tape” to combat “generic tendencies”.”
> 
> ETA: I was wondering about “Elastiplast”. I love that name. 🙂
> 
> My mom used to type forms for a neighbor on our Selectric, where the form was blue and typing would make the letters clear. Mistakes were corrected with a bottle of blue ink. Would that have been the basis of a mimeograph? I thought a ditto was a copy of a regular white page with typing? And I remember them being damp and smelly fresh off the machine. 🙂

Many years ago on holiday/vacation in U.S., I had need of an Elastoplast & I asked someone in Salt Lake City Greyhound bus station for a ‘plaster’ (uk non-brand term) - May as well have been speaking Martian… 😃

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xerox-photocopy-copy/747409/22 "2016-03-01T00:12:55Z")

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> [@Majestic\_Lee](#):
>
> Many years ago on holiday/vacation in U.S., I had need of an Elastoplast & I asked someone in Salt Lake City Greyhound bus station for a ‘plaster’ (uk non-brand term) - May as well have been speaking Martian… 😃

I’ve heard of it only because of “As Time Goes By”. 😃

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