Invention of the Printing Press & Moveable Type

In the mid-15^th Century, the German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the Printing Press and the Moveable Type in Mainz, Germany. The Printing Press was invented with modifications, and increased mechanisation continued to remain the principal means of printing until the late 20^th century. This invention also started a revolution in freedom of speech. In addition, it enhanced the democratisation of knowledge, destabilised the power of political and religious establishments, improved education, and placed the foundation for the modern knowledge-based economy.

Gutenburg had several methods of printing from moveable type, including oil based inks, special press and  metal molds allowed for the mass production of printed books for the first time. A Printing Press is a machine that transfers lettering or images with the use of different forms of inked surfaces onto paper or similar material fed into it; it is used for printing many copies of a text onto paper.

The world’s first known moveable type system for printing was created in China around 1040. Moveable type is a system of printing and typography that uses moveable components to reproduce the elements of a document. The pieces of this device are designed and then cut out into metal pieces to be used in the printing press machine. In this way, the printing text could have designed letters (typefaces).