Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. The increasing use of labor-saving devices was a direct response to the challenges created by the Black Death and subsequent outbreaks of the plague, because there were now so few workers that labor-intensive processes had become unviable.
This feels like a strectch. I imagine many people, especially the elite, wanted quicker access to current literature. It wouls be advantageous to be up-to-date on the most current affairs within their land/kingdom. Moreover, they would be able to distrubute their own writing to persuade the populace.
While the Black Death may have made printing more difficult, the techological advancement in printing was perhaps already on its way to developing the printing-press.
