Index / Inventions / Movable Type Printing
Inventions
Movable Type Printing
Gutenberg (c. 1455) · Mainz
Cast lead-tin-antimony type, composed into pages, inked with oil-based ink, and pressed with a modified wine-press. The book — until then copied by hand — became a mass-produced object, and with it, literacy, science, and revolution.
Key specifications
Gutenberg
c. 1455 · Mainz
Prior art
China (Bi Sheng), Korea (Jikji)
Cost drop
~300×
Enabled
Reformation · Enlightenment
Sheet 007 · Plate 1 of 1 · 1:1 infographic
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