Mechanical Duplicators
Until the late 18th century, if an office wanted to keep a copy of an outgoing letter, a clerk had to write out the copy by hand. This technology continued to be prevalent through most of the 19th century. For this purpose offices employed copy clerks, also known as copyists, scribes, and scriveners.
A few alternatives to hand copying were invented between the mid-17th century and the late 18th century, but none had a significant impact in offices.
Read more about this topic: Duplicating Machines
Famous quotes containing the word mechanical:
“Industry has operated against the artisan in favor of the idler, and also in favor of capital and against labor. Any mechanical invention whatsoever has been more harmful to humanity than a century of war.”
—Rémy De Gourmont (1858–1915)