Gutenberg and the Press

Johannes Gutenberg was one of the great inventors of human history. He introduced printing to Europe from Germany

using his invention; the Gutenburg Printing Press. Gutenberg was born between 1394 and1400 and died in 1468. It helped with the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, and the scientific revolution. It also helped spread knowledge among Europe.

Back then, the only way one could make a book was to hand-write a copy, which took much of their time. This resulted into limited knowledge for the people. It was also very expensive. This invention was introduced to Europe at around 1440 AD. After that, production costs of books went down so it was distributed to anyone who wanted one. This whole invention helped people learn and spread knowledge.

Documents were very valuable and rare before the printing press was created. Almost no one was able to read or write the language they spoke. Books were all hand-copied, rare, expensive, valuable, and almost always written in Latin. Scribes, which were often monks, spent up to a year on just a singular book, which was usually written in Latin. The scribes copied books on processed calfskin called vellum and later used paper.

Gutenberg combined many objects that have been already invented into his printing press to create his very own printing system. The Gutenberg Printing Press inspired many of today's modern inventions, like the internet for example. Gutenberg also invented an oil-based ink, which helped the machine print smoothly onto the paper.

FUN FACTS

• The first 100 years worth of books were about travelling and exploration, not religious matter.
• The device sparked minds that something/robots could do regular stuff for people.
• This was the start of the manufacturing era.

Watch the video for further information about Gutenburg and his Printing Press

AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE PRINTING PRESS

MODERN PRINTING PRESS