Carbon paper (originally
carbonic paper) was originally
paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry
ink or pigmented
coating, bound with
wax, used for making one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when using a
typewriter or a
ballpoint pen. The manufacture of carbon paper was formerly the largest consumer of
montan wax. In 1954 the Columbia Ribbon & Carbon Manufacturing Company filed a patent for what became known in the trade as solvent carbon paper: the coating was changed from wax-based to polymer-based. The manufacturing process changed from a hot-melt method to a solvent-applied coating or set of coatings. It was then possible to use polyester or other plastic film as a substrate, instead of paper, although the name remained carbon paper.