Why Is It Called Carbon Copy?

Marcus Vance
Marcus Vance
• • 6 min read

The Term Is Borrowed from the Days of the Mechanical Andlater the Electronic Typewriter (Circa 1879-1979) Whencopies of Typed Sheets of Paper Were Made...

Why Is It Called Carbon Copy?
The term is borrowed from the days of the mechanical andlater the electronic typewriter (circa 1879-1979) whencopies of typed sheets of paper were made byinserting a special sheet of inked paper called carbon paperinto the typewriter. Today, the term courtesy copy issometimes used instead.

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Simply so, where does the term carbon copy come from?

Stands for "Carbon Copy." The term comes fromcarbon copying, in which a piece of carbon paper copieswriting from one paper to another (often used when fillingout forms). However, the term is now commonly used inreference to e-mail.

Also Know, what is another word for Carbon Copy? Synonyms of carbon copy alter ego, carbon, clone, counterpart,doppelgänger (or doppelganger), double, duplicate,duplication, facsimile, fetch, image, likeness, look-alike, match,mirror image, picture, replica, ringer, spit, spitting image,twin.

Then, why is it called blind carbon copy?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Blind carbon copy (abbreviated Bcc:) allows thesender of a message to conceal the person entered in theBcc: field from the other recipients. This conceptoriginally applied to paper correspondence and now alsoapplies to email.

What does it mean to carbon copy an email?

Stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." When you send amessage to more than one person, you have the option to enteraddresses in the "Cc:" and "Bcc:" fields. "Cc"stands for "Carbon Copy," while "Bcc" stands for"Blind Carbon Copy." A carbon copy, or "Cc'd"message is an e-mail that is copied to one or morerecipients.

Related Question Answers

What is CC in letter writing?

Originally used in business letters, theabbreviation cc stands for carbon copy. These copies werecalled "carbon copies." By inserting a sheet of carbon paperbetween two sheets of regular paper, and then writing ortyping on the top sheet, a carbon copy would be made on the nextsheet.

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Is CC or BCC hidden?

CC vs. BCC
BCC stands for “blind carbon copy.”Unlike with CC, no one but the sender can see the list ofBCC recipients. However, the BCC list issecret—no one can see this list except the sender. If aperson is on the BCC list, they'll see only their own emailon the BCC list.
Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher
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Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.