Haloid Company (later Xerox) introduced the Model 914 copier in Rochester, New York, United States, the first plain-paper automatic copying machine. Using xerography technology developed by Chester Carlson, this device produced copies quickly without special paper or chemicals, revolutionizing document reproduction. Though initially expensive and prone to jams, the 914 copier enabled decentralized information distribution and facilitated bureaucratic expansion, becoming ubiquitous in offices worldwide.

The photocopier's ease of reproduction influenced avant-garde poetry's dissemination through zines and underground publications bypassing traditional publishing gatekeepers. Poets exploited copy degradation—fading, distortion, artifacts—as aesthetic elements in visual poetry exploring reproducibility and originality. The technology also inspired meta-poetic reflections on copying, imitation, and the multiplicity of texts, with writers examining how mechanical reproduction affects meaning and authenticity.