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In 1911, the Taft Commission on Economy and Efficiency evaluated the use and economics of the Photostat, a brand of photocopier, as part of its investigation of efficiency in office methods. At a cost of $500.00, the apparatus was expensive. . . . While point-of-origin copying was clearly preferable, the commission found the Photostat cost-effective as an alternative to retyping complicated documents (especially tables) or redrawing diagrams.