In 1780, a Scottish inventor created a copier hundreds of years before modern-day equipment came into existence. James Watt, who is known for his work on steam engines, also developed a method for copying written letters. He patented a letter copying press in 1780. The device did not work like a modern photocopier. Instead, it used pressure to transfer wet ink from an original page to a thin sheet. The copied writing appeared in reverse and could be read through the sheet from the other side. The invention was developed to help people keep copies of letters without writing them again.
