For high-speed assembly of plain paper copiers (PPC), integration of the components into units has been required. In response to this requirement, an optical unit for PPCs which comprises a tungsten halogen lamp and reflectors has been developed. The unit employs a new and simple mechanism capable of easy and effective illuminance distribution control. It performs two functions of PPCs: object illumination and optical erasing of the photoconductor. In addition, illuminance distribution measuring equipment has been developed for high-speed and high-precision evaluation. The new optical unit features compact size, light weight and uniform illuminance. It requires no adjustment in PPC assembly. In services after sale, it allows easy maintenance of PPCs by only replacing the unit.