The Printing Press

1
The Printing Press

• These slides tell the story of Johannes
  Gutenbergs printing press
• As you read consider the following questions
  long-term and big picture impact of the printing
  press
• How does having everyday access to books and
  printing material change people?
• How do these changes affect society in general?
• How could these changes be linked to our unit of
  study?

2
Illuminated Manuscripts beautiful but oh so
time consuming
3
The printing press was invented by Johannes
Gutenberg

• Gutenberg was from Mainz, Germany
• He invented a mechanical way of producing books
  that surpassed any existing technology
• His first books were printed in 1454-1455
• Before Gutenberg, every book in Europe had to be
  copied by hand.

4
The Chinese printed books even before the
Europeans.

• The Chinese used movable type, but it was made of
  wood.
• The Chinese did not have a press.

5
Gutenbergs Improvements

• the printer's ink
• the making of type
• the use of a press
• the production process itself

6
The Ink

• It was not really ink at all, more like an oil
  paint
• It is unlike writing-ink, which was water-based
• Water-based ink would have run off the metal
  types. Instead the thick, oil-based varnish stuck
  to them.

7
The Types

• Types Letters, Punctuation marks, and other
  signs
• Gutenberg invented a way of mass-producing them
• They were made out of metal
• They could be put together to form words,
  sentences, and pages
• After printing the page, the types could then be
  reused

8
The Press

• One of Gutenberg's most radical ideas was to use
  a press for printing.
• Presses had been around for a long time, but were
  used for other purposes, notably wine-making.

9
The Production Process

• Faster, more efficient, greater output!

10
The Gutenberg Bible

• The text of the Bible is in Latin.
• The Gutenberg Bible lacks many print features
  that modern readers are accustomed to, such as
  word spacing, indentations, and paragraph breaks.
  
• The Bible has over 1280 pages, and the text was
  laid out in two columns.
• The Bible was also printed in English, French,
  and German.

11
Gutenbergs Impact

• Gutenberg's invention did not make him rich
• It made books easier to produce, cheaper, and
  widely disseminated.
• Books, newspapers and pamphlets are
  mass-produced.
• Ideas spread rapidly.
• People were able to debate and discuss matters
  that concerned them growth of literacy.
• There were more attempts at censorship, as those
  in authority felt threatened by the new abundance
  of information.
• Sparked many religious revolutions. Allowed the
  common man to posses a Bible for his own
  interpretation.
• Everyday men could have their OWN opinions on
  religion