Its discovery, in a single step, completely rewrote what we thought we knew about the development of the printing press. It was a very simple process and used carved wooden blocks to press ink onto sheets of paper.įorgotten for centuries an example text from the time, The Diamond Sutra (that was created in around 868 AD), was discovered inside a cave near Dunhuang, China in 1907 by explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein. More than 600 years before Guttenberg's press, Chinese monks were printing ink on paper using block printing. Tang Dynasty around 700 AD Source: Ian Kiu/Wikimedia Commons Did the Chinese invent the printing press? Both were a painstakingly slow and laborious process that effectively meant access to the printed word was limited to those who could afford their high price tags. In fact, the history of the printing press stretches back to the 3rd Century (the technique of woodblock printing but on textiles) with its adaptation for printing text in wide use during the Tang Dynasty of China ( 6th-10th Century AD).ĭespite this fact, Guttenberg rightfully deserves his place in history for producing a machine that allowed for the mass-production of books for the first time in history.īefore his invention books were transcribed by hand or 'printed' using wooden blocks. Whilst his invention was revolutionary in its own right it wasn't in fact, the first printing press to be developed. When someone mentions the printing press most will instinctively think of Johannes Guttenberg and his revolution 15th Century (1440 AD) technology. As the prices of book production fell, less wealthy members of society could suddenly gain access to this exclusive and rare luxury item. They have historically been used primarily for texts, but not exclusively, and its invention revolutionized bookmaking and distribution around the world. It was an enormous improvement on previous methodologies, like transcribing by hand using a 'pen' and ink or brushing and rubbing repeatedly to achieve ink transfer. In this sense, it is a means of transferring ink from an inked surface and the medium. For its part in providing literature and information to the masses, Gutenberg's press is regarded as key to the European Renaissance and as one of the greatest inventions of the second millenium.What does the printing press do and why is so important?Ī printing press is any form of technology that applies pressure between an inked surface and a print medium (like paper or cloth). Gutenberg's printing developments coincided with other circumstances (such as the abundance of paper supplies and a growing middle-class with time and money to collect books) to create a pivotal point in Western history. He later used his expertise to develop a printing press with movable type, a machine that added great speed, quality, and economy to the printing process. Gutenberg's printing developments coincided with other circumstances (such as the abundance of paper supplies a In the 1430s, German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg began experimenting with printing from handset type casts. In the 1430s, German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg began experimenting with printing from handset type casts.
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