The History Of Printing

Printing was invented around 3000 BC, when Mesopotamian civilization used clay tablets to transfer images using "cylinder seals". The first dated book that was created with a printer is the "Diamond Sutra" which was created in 868 CE in China.

Experiments with movable type in China date back as early as the 11th century, but since Chinese characters have too any characters, it was too complex for the time. Their printers also used clay which was too fragile for that purpose.

An early printing press was developed by Johannes Gutenberg, a German inventor and craftsman. He was best known for his Gutenberg press. This machine used movable type. This made printing affordable and was the standard until about the 20th century. Gutenberg was also responsible for creating the first book using his movable type machine, the "Gutenberg Bible". Gutenberg was in a business relationship with Andreas Dritzehn. Dritzehn funded all of his experiments with printing. After this, Gutenberg paired with Johannes Fust, who helped Gutenberg create a larger Gutenberg Press, which they used to print the "Gutenberg Bible".

The first Italian press was founded in 1464. Around 1470 it arrived in Paris, Utrecht and Venice. By the end of the 14th century, the craft was well established in most European kingdoms, excluding Russia. The first illustrated books were created in 15th - 16th century AD and were produced using the method Eastern printers had originally used. Shapes were carved onto wooden blocks. Block books usually told simple stories from the Bible and were sold at fairs. Germans and the Dutch were particularly fond of these.

Eventually, engraving and etching became available. Printers excavated grooves from surfaces of copper plates. Slivers of metal were taken out of the copper with sharp tools during engraving. Etching used acid to eat through lines drawn with a wax coating. Prince Rupert of the Rhine pioneered the first printing process that achieved a fully tonal effect. They called this mezzo-tint. A copper plate would be roughened all over using a metal blade that was curved with sharp teeth on the surface. Because of the tones, you could finally see convincing pictures reproduced in large numbers.

There were a lot of further advancements over the years, from carving into blocks to printing with computers. They slowly advanced over the years and created printers you can put on your desk. The history of printing is rich and full of technological invention and ingenuity.

By: Mark J Gregory

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Mark Gregory is writing on behalf of the Cascade Group, who offer pull up banner stand and pop up exhibition stand