How Does Carbonless Copy Paper Work?
As we noted, NCR paper is typically a pair of papers that contain different materials from each other. Highly sensitive microcapsules of chemicals that produce color are embedded on the bottom side of the top sheet of paper. The microcapsules release their contents upon the application of force onto the areas containing them. This alone is not enough to produce an additional copy — you cannot reproduce writing if you use just any piece of paper under this sheet. The chemical within the CB can produce color, but it cannot release it without the help of another substance. That is where the bottom sheet of carbonless copy paper comes in. Its top side has a layer — called the CF, which naturally stands for ""coated front"" — containing a reactive sort of clay. When the chemical from the CB is released onto the clay, the latter releases a substance of its own that can bring out the color in the former. The result of the ensuing chemical reaction is the perfect reproduction of writing from the top sheet to the bottom one. All of this happens without the use of carbon black, or any carbon — hence the name.
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