Sunday 10 April 2011

The History of the Printing Press

Milestones of printing- as laid out by http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/printpress.htm

 888- The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture was the first example of black printing that has been dated.
1041 - Bi Sheng - invented movable clay type in China.
1423 - Europeans are using a process of block printing to make books using the art of graving which was known as xylography.
1439 - Gutenberg moves from Mainz to Strasberg
1436 - Gutenberg begins to work on his printing press.
1440 - Gutenberg finishes his wooden press which used metal movable type.
1440 - Laurens Janszoon Koster (Coster) is credited by some for inventing metal movable type.
1444 - Gutenberg returns to his Native maize and sets up a printing shop.
1446 - Gutenberg prints the "Poem of the last Judgment"
1448 - Gutenberg prints the "Calendar for 1448"
1450 - Gutenberg forms a partnership with a wealthy man called Johann Fust.
1450 - Gutenberg begins work on a bible - is first is 40 lines per page.
1452 - Gutenberg beings to work on the 42 lined bible in two volumes.
1454 - Gutenberg prints indulgences which were sold to the Christians by the Pope, pardoning their sins.
1455 - The Biblia Pauperum, the first block-printed Bible was published in Germany.
1455 - Gutenberg completed work on what is estimated to have been 200 copies of the bible.
1455 - Gutenberg became bankrupt which meant that investor Johann Faust gained control of the print business.
1457 - A Psalter introduced by Faust (collection of Psalms for devotional use) was the first known colour printing.
1460 - Gutenberg with the help and aid of Conrad Humery re-established himself in the printing business.
1461 - Albrecht Pfister printed Edelstein, the first illustrated book which featured a number of woodcuts.
1465 - Gutenberg is appointed to the court of Archbishop Adolf of Nassau.
1476 - 200 woodcuts were used in a edition of Aesop's Fables
1476 - First saw the use of copper engravings instead of woodcuts for illustration.
1476 - William Caxton sets up his printing press in Westminster in England.
1499 - Printing had become established in more than 2500 cities around Europe.
1499 - An estimated 15 million have been press printed from around thirty thousand book titles.

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