We all
know the value of print in day to day activities. We all know how to use
printing machines. Yet only a few knows how
printing really started.
“Diamond Sutra” is
considered as the earliest completely printed book to be printed in history. It
was printed in China in 868. The Sutra is composed of 7 strips of paper printed
from carved wooden blocks pasted together to form a scroll. The text is written
in Chinese but the book is mostly about the Buddhist faith.
Most books
printed before Gutenberg was limited
in number and were mostly hand copied by members of religious orders. When the printing
press was invented in 1440s, printing has become much cheaper and quicker.
This has made book production easier which in turn fostered the development of
science, art, and religion. Since then came the various printing processes
which has shaped the print production we know today.
