The Gestetner is a type of duplicating machine named after its inventor, David Gestetner (1854 – 1939).
The Gestetner was a stencil-method duplicator that used a thin sheet of paper coated with wax, which was written upon with a special stylus that left a broken line through the stencil, removing the paper’s wax coating.
Ink was forced through the stencil (originally by an ink roller), and it left its impression on a white sheet of paper. The stencil-copy method meant only one copy had to be read, as all copies were mechanically identical.
They were often used in schools, churches, and small organizations, where economical copying was in demand for the production of reports, newsletters and worksheets.