Among the factors critical to print quality in electrophotography are defects on the photoreceptor. For the highest level of print quality, reliable quality control methods must be applied to ensure that the photoconductive coating is free of defects. In production environments today, the most commonly used method for examining photoreceptors for defects is visual inspection. The dominance of this method is due to the speed and sensitivity of the human vision system and its image processing and pattern recognition capabilities. However, the weaknesses of visual inspection — its subjectivity and inconsistency — are also well known. Hence, to improve product quality and reduce manufacturing costs, there is a critical need to develop instrumented defect detection methods suitable for production environments. This paper reviews the requirements for such methods and surveys the technologies available. In particular, recent advances in electrostatic mapping are discussed in detail. The capabilities and limitations of electrostatic mapping are examined critically, and opportunities for future development are discussed.