printing press

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Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition, art: printing press

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printing press

Q: How does the printing press work?

Printing presses push paper against inked movable type materials to transfer text and images from the type onto the paper. Medieval presses used a handle to turn a wooden screw that moved the platen on which the paper was mounted; the platen squeezed the paper against the type, which was locked in place in a frame, or form. Metal presses, developed late in the 18th century, used steam to drive a cylinder press . Flatbed presses , emerging early in the 19th century, used flat beds to hold the type and either a reciprocating platen or a cylinder to hold paper.

Q: Why is the printing press important?

The printing press is a useful tool for communicating and disseminating ideas on paper quickly and at a large scale. Before the advent of radio , television , the Internet , and other forms of mass media, printed materials (such as treatises, books , bulletins, newspapers , and magazines ) were used to share ideas quickly and efficiently for the purposes of informing large numbers of people about current events, business opportunities, and cultural and religious practices and for educational purposes.

Q: When was the printing press invented?

Movable type and paper were invented in China, and printing with movable type was undertaken in Korea by the 14th century, if not earlier. The printing press first became mechanized in Europe. The earliest mention of a printing press in Europe appears in a lawsuit in Strasbourg in 1439. It reveals construction of a press for Johannes Gutenberg and his associates. The earliest European printing presses owed much to the medieval paper press, which was in turn modeled after the ancient wine-and-olive press of the Mediterranean area.

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Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 8, 2024 • Article History

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Key People:: Johannes Gutenberg; John Walter, II; Basil; Robert Hoe; Matthew Basarab

Related Topics:: rotary press; flatbed press; scraper; Dutch press; chase

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How does the printing press work?

Why is the printing press important?

When was the printing press invented?

printing press, machine by which text and images are transferred from movable type to paper or other media by means of ink. Movable type and paper were invented in China, and the oldest known extant book printed from movable type was created in Korea in the 14th century. Printing first became mechanized in Europe during the 15th century. The earliest mention of a mechanized printing press in Europe appears in a lawsuit in Strasbourg in 1439; it reveals construction of a press for Johannes Gutenberg and his associates. Gutenberg’s press and others of its era in Europe owed much to ...(100 of 560 words)

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