Johannes Gutenberg and Printing
Created | Updated Jan 17, 2008
Johannes Gutenberg was born in 1398 and died in 1468. He died in poverty despite inventing movable-type for the printing press, an invention that has shaped the modern world. Because he was a jeweller he had the necessary skills to invent the lead TYPE that allowed easy setting and faster printing of books. It was now possible for him to change a mistake easily without having to recut an entire wooden block.
A common misconception is that Gutenberg invented the printing press. Printing presses had existed for years before Gutenberg invented his lead type. All the blocks were previously cut in wood. This meant that if a mistake was made the entire block had to be recut. This was an incredibly slow and laborious way of making blocks. The lead type Gutenberg invented allowed the changing of just one letter in an entire page.
Type is made of lead. It is cast on a monotype for single letters and a linotype for a line of type (hence the name). The lines are set in a composing stick and are set upside down and back-to-front. The type comes in a variety of typefaces (fonts) and a range of sizes. It is impractical however to set anything in a size less than 12 point. Once the line has been set the excess space is filled with "leads". These come in a number of sizes, an EM, an EN, a THICK, a MID, a THIN, and hairspaces. There are also card spaces which are made of card and are smaller than THINS. To fill the space around the page in the CHASE there is also FURNITURE. The CHASE is a metal square which the page of type is put in and locked up with QUOINS.
A common misconception is that Gutenberg invented the printing press. Printing presses had existed for years before Gutenberg invented his lead type. All the blocks were previously cut in wood. This meant that if a mistake was made the entire block had to be recut. This was an incredibly slow and laborious way of making blocks. The lead type Gutenberg invented allowed the changing of just one letter in an entire page.
Type is made of lead. It is cast on a monotype for single letters and a linotype for a line of type (hence the name). The lines are set in a composing stick and are set upside down and back-to-front. The type comes in a variety of typefaces (fonts) and a range of sizes. It is impractical however to set anything in a size less than 12 point. Once the line has been set the excess space is filled with "leads". These come in a number of sizes, an EM, an EN, a THICK, a MID, a THIN, and hairspaces. There are also card spaces which are made of card and are smaller than THINS. To fill the space around the page in the CHASE there is also FURNITURE. The CHASE is a metal square which the page of type is put in and locked up with QUOINS.
