In 1806, the English inventor Ralph Wedgwood patented 'stylographic writer', a form of carbon paper that used a stylus to create a copy of a document without an inkwell. This invention allowed for the simultaneous creation of multiple copies of a text, a crucial development for business and administration. It provided a simpler alternative to the costly and time-consuming process of copying manuscripts by hand.

Carbon paper, though a humble office tool, had a significant indirect impact on literary life. It allowed poets and authors to keep copies of their correspondence and drafts without the labor of manual transcription. This facilitated more extensive exchanges between writers, helping to build literary networks and communities. The ability to easily share and archive drafts also contributed to the preservation of literary history, as scholars have been able to study the revisions and variants of poets' works.