The Invention of Printing
Created | Updated Jul 14, 2002
[entry not complete yet]
Printing is an ancient invention and the first of the mass communiction technologies that continue to develop today. This entry explains where the various elements of printing were invented, and when.
Printing was commonplace in many parts of Earth by the 1400's, but had been practised since at least 518BC (source: http://www.cgan.com.hk/english/cpg/engcp10.htm ). This early wood-block printing was followed by the use of clay and metal. Then came movable type, and typography. Mechanical printing presses completed the process which led to the widespread availability of printed documents.
European readers in particular should be aware that this entry attempts to assign credit to the first implementation of each element of printing, even where the invention took place outside Europe. This differs from some European histories which have not been updated to take account of the history of Asian printing. [footnote about paris, some of which was not publicised until the 1970's]
In addition to the stages of printing technology described above, effective inks and paper were of course required. [...] [Oldest paper]
[Money]
WOOD BLOCK AND CLAY PRINTING
METAL TYPE PRINTING
Beginning in the thirteenth century Korean texts were printed using metal characters, while in China wooden characters were used in the same century. (source: http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/late_imperial_china/17.1chartier.html )
MOVABLE TYPE PRINTING
Moveable type in terracotta was used in China since the eleventh century (source: http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/late_imperial_china/17.1chartier.html ) However, terracotta [didn't last very long].
The earliest documented example was printed in Korea between 1234 and 1241, and a still-existing copy was printed in 1337. [sources? what about china?] However, Chinese ideographs were used for writing in both China and Korea until the 1450's [check], and this limited the impact of metal movable type. One of the main advantages of the technology is that it allows the use of fonts: a selection of letters that can be assembled rapidly to form words. Since the Chinese written system uses thousands of ideographs, rather than an alphabet, the advantages of movable metal type could not yet be realised.
[how fixed in -- ligatures etc]
An example from 1337 still exists.
TYPOGRAPHY
In 1443 the ruler of Korea, King Sejong, changed the writing system from Chinese ideographs to a simple 28[check] letter alphabet, in order to "improve the quality of life of all people". This quickly led to the first typography as books were printed using this simple alphabet.
Text was split up into characters and punctuation, and printers were able to keep a stock of characters from which to form the printing blocks. By 1446, "Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven" had been published, printed in movable metal type using the 28 letter alphabet. (source: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/eastasian/Korean/korare.html ).
PRINTING PRESSES
DEVELOPMENT OF PRINTING ON OTHER CONTINENTS
Printing technology quickly spread across the globe [from 1450 onwards?] Some elements of the process were copied from the Asian inventions and others were independently rediscovered.
In America[...]
In Europe[...]
Printing is an ancient invention and the first of the mass communiction technologies that continue to develop today. This entry explains where the various elements of printing were invented, and when.
Printing was commonplace in many parts of Earth by the 1400's, but had been practised since at least 518BC (source: http://www.cgan.com.hk/english/cpg/engcp10.htm ). This early wood-block printing was followed by the use of clay and metal. Then came movable type, and typography. Mechanical printing presses completed the process which led to the widespread availability of printed documents.
European readers in particular should be aware that this entry attempts to assign credit to the first implementation of each element of printing, even where the invention took place outside Europe. This differs from some European histories which have not been updated to take account of the history of Asian printing. [footnote about paris, some of which was not publicised until the 1970's]
In addition to the stages of printing technology described above, effective inks and paper were of course required. [...] [Oldest paper]
[Money]
WOOD BLOCK AND CLAY PRINTING
METAL TYPE PRINTING
Beginning in the thirteenth century Korean texts were printed using metal characters, while in China wooden characters were used in the same century. (source: http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/late_imperial_china/17.1chartier.html )
MOVABLE TYPE PRINTING
Moveable type in terracotta was used in China since the eleventh century (source: http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/late_imperial_china/17.1chartier.html ) However, terracotta [didn't last very long].
The earliest documented example was printed in Korea between 1234 and 1241, and a still-existing copy was printed in 1337. [sources? what about china?] However, Chinese ideographs were used for writing in both China and Korea until the 1450's [check], and this limited the impact of metal movable type. One of the main advantages of the technology is that it allows the use of fonts: a selection of letters that can be assembled rapidly to form words. Since the Chinese written system uses thousands of ideographs, rather than an alphabet, the advantages of movable metal type could not yet be realised.
[how fixed in -- ligatures etc]
An example from 1337 still exists.
TYPOGRAPHY
In 1443 the ruler of Korea, King Sejong, changed the writing system from Chinese ideographs to a simple 28[check] letter alphabet, in order to "improve the quality of life of all people". This quickly led to the first typography as books were printed using this simple alphabet.
Text was split up into characters and punctuation, and printers were able to keep a stock of characters from which to form the printing blocks. By 1446, "Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven" had been published, printed in movable metal type using the 28 letter alphabet. (source: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/eastasian/Korean/korare.html ).
PRINTING PRESSES
DEVELOPMENT OF PRINTING ON OTHER CONTINENTS
Printing technology quickly spread across the globe [from 1450 onwards?] Some elements of the process were copied from the Asian inventions and others were independently rediscovered.
In America[...]
In Europe[...]
