History and Development of Printing

Since Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press in the 1400s, the printing industry has gone through major changes with both cultural and technological forces shaping its history. Historians suggest that printing has brought about the major changes in politics, science, and all other elements that affect life. However, printing and the printing press is not a one-time invention. They are a result of the aggregation of technologies that existed long before Gutenberg.

In a hypertext document entitled Manuscripts, Books, and Maps: The Printing Press and a Changing World written by Bruce Jones, he cited the other inventions that helped Gutenberg create the printing press. This includes:

-          The adaptation of the screw-type press

-          The adaptation of block-print technology

-          The growth of mass production paper-making techniques

-          The development of oil-based inks

-          The development of punch and mold system

The document Printing: History and Development highlighted the key developments of the printing press, which can be subdivided in the following areas:

-          Chinese era: The development of “rag” paper in A.D. 105 is believed to be the start of the printing press’s evolution. The craft was passed on to the Europeans in the 12^th and 13^th century.

-          Gutenberg and Western Europe:

·         scribal hand-copying

·         Church indulgences

·         movable metal type

·         Gutenberg Bibles

·         the Protestant Reformation

·         William Caxton and print in England

-          Modern printing thought 

·         scientific thinking

·         the scientific community

·         the rise of an intellectual class

·         transformations: oral, written and print cultures

·         privacy and individual rights

-          Print in the U.S:

·         first colonial press in Cambridge

·         the penny press: news for all

-          Modern advances 

·         innovations since the Linotype

·         innovations in contemporary print culture

The history of printing is a long and complex one, but the key events in every era gave the printing industry new possibilities and opportunities. These innovations have truly influenced the way we communicate today.