The Revolutionary Movable–Type Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg (1398–1468) was a German blacksmith who is known for the invention of the mechanical movable type printing press. Gutenberg’s printing press is considered as one of the most important inventions of the modern era because of its profound impact in the scholarly world. Invented in 1439, the movable type printing press initiated a revolution in the print industry, with technology that impacted knowledge of the people. Gutenberg’s press allowed manuscripts to be produced at mass and with reasonably affordable costs. This created an easy path for the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, a 42-line work that is Gutenberg’s first most well known print. The 15^th c. extraordinary printing press ultimately led to an “information revolution” that is ultimately connected to the very development of the Internet we use today.

Although many individuals during Gutenberg’s time were developing printing presses, Gutenberg’s stands unique because his work not only contributed to the formation of the movable printing press for mass-production but the press used a selective high quality set of oil-bases. Unlike the typical standard water based inks, the high quality oil was able to transfer from metal to paper effortlessly. Prior to the movable–printing press, books in Europe were handwritten while paper money and other printed works were block–printed, from blocks that were hand–carved into letters, inked and finally transferred to paper. This process required a significant amount of time which made production low along with the availability of written works to the common people. This greatly differs from Gutenberg’s movable type which included metal letters at the end of a metal shaft which enable works to be produced in large quantity and great quality. The handmade press and written texts were both methods of reproduction that were expensive and time–consuming. With the new Gutenberg press the use of oil–based inks and a movable ink operation system the printing of Europe was revolutionized and bookmaking was able to spread vastly throughout the world.  

 Not much is known about Gutenberg’s early life, like the exact year of his birth nor his personal life. What is known is that he was born before the ‘turn’ of the 15^th c. in Mainz, Germany, and later moved to Strasbourg around the 1400s. Gutenberg began his career as a blacksmith inventor who came up with a new technique for polishing gemstones––the very beginning inventions leading up to his printing-press. The skills he learned as a blacksmith contributed to his professional skill with metals and undoubtedly were valuable aspects in his development of the movable–printing press.