The printing press

           The Printing Press 

The printing press – a very useful system in today’s world that we cannot live without. We cannot imagine a world without the printing press, right? So why not dig in a bit deeper – to know the history of the printing press, to how it is being used today? 

The printing press is a mechanical device that transfers ink to a print medium (typically paper) to create multiple copies of text or images. Throughout the time ever since this was invented, it revolutionized the spread of information by empowering mass production of books, newspapers, and other printed materials. 

 

Discovery of the printing press 

Initially, books were copied laboriously by hand, therefore making it difficult to access knowledge. And the work was tedious as well. To overcome this, the printing press was invented so that we could step past the barriers of slow and expensive handwritten texts. 

 

How did this evolve? 

The Gutenberg printing press addressed this issue first by enabling mass production of texts and copies, therefore making the process faster, more accessible and more affordable. 

 

The printing press first evolved from the woodblock printing in China, to the Gutenberg printing press in the 15th century. Movable type and paper were invented in China and the printing with movable type in Korea by the 14th century. But the printing press first became mechanized in Europe, where a lawsuit dated back in 1439 revealed the construction of a press for Johannes Gutenberg and his associates. Johannes Gutenberg is known to have designed and built the first known mechanized printing press in Europe. In 1455, he used it to print the Gutenberg Bible – which is one of the earliest books to be printed in movable form. His movable press marked the beginning of the printing revolution in the western world. 

 

Engineering aspects 

The printing press was built around the traditional screws, a precursor to today’s drill press, along with an added matrix to which individually cast letters and symbols could be arranged to form the desired text. The movable printing press allowed pages of text to be quickly assembled from a previously cast selection of letters and symbols – instead of them being assiduously being carved from a block of wood like how it was before (block printing method). 

 

Impact of the printing press 

In the field of engineering, the printing press played a role as a catalyst for the major advancements in technology by enabling the mass propagation of technical knowledge. It allowed the publishing business to grow rapidly, helping in the spread of knowledge onto a larger scale by allowing thousands of copies of all types of written texts and images to be printed quickly and cheaply. 

 

It also facilitated the scientific revolution by helping in spreading ideas of scientists like Galileo, Newton, etc. And influenced the engineering fields like mechanics, optics, etc. Therefore, evolving engineering from a craft discipline to a science – based discipline. It therefore helped in standardizing language, spreading ideas, increasing literacy and growing the printing industry as a whole. 

 

The evolution of 3D printing has only made it possible for further technological advancements which has impacted industries like construction, medical, and equipment. With more people getting educated due to the availability of books and printed materials, major cities became the centers of knowledge, wealth and business. 

 

Conclusion 

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg has been a very indispensable part of the history of engineering, which has shaped a part of the world to what it is today. It proved to be an asset for the free thinkers and revolutionaries, who could spread ideas freely across the world, and make it accessible for all.