In 1662, Kaspar Faber began manufacturing graphite-composition pencils in Nuremberg, Germany. He experimented with mixing powdered graphite with other materials like sulfur and antimony to create a usable pencil lead. This marks the beginning of the commercial pencil industry, which would make pencils widely available to writers, artists, and the general public.

The commercial production of pencils in Nuremberg made this essential writing tool accessible to a wider population, not just the wealthy. For poets, this meant that the cost of writing materials decreased, allowing for greater creative freedom and a wider distribution of their work. The availability of the pencil also democratized the act of writing itself, contributing to the rise of the literate middle class and a broader culture of poetry reading and writing.