Where would we be without printing equipment? Well, it's actually unimaginable. Our modern world is built around education, access to knowledge through books and other media, fast communication through real and virtual mail, and accurate record keeping. None of these things would be possible without ways to put words and images on paper or other material.
Mankind began to put mental images on visible surfaces early on: lines on the earth, pictures on cave walls, maps on animal skins, and characters on parchment and papyrus. This was done by hand, and copies were not exact. Human error was always a factor, and handwork took a lot of time and effort.
Replication preserves a design and reproduces it without undue effort or the mistakes that are inevitable with copying by hand. The first replication tool was a wood-block carving. An early Chinese print on cloth done in three colors dates back to the third century AD. By the fourth century, this kind of image reproduction was used in the Roman Empire.
Characters that made words were eventually carved into wood in China; the complicated Chinese language made this a slow and impractical method. The earliest real book that history knows of dates from about 869 AD. Printing on cloth was more usual, and paper money was also made with the wood block process.
Movable characters made of clay were the next Chinese advance, later being made of more durable wood and metal. Rearranging and reusing individual characters was a major improvement in the art of reproducing images on cloth or paper. Literature, the mechanical arts, and science all were made easier with this innovation.
Called the greatest advance in the modern world, the Gutenberg printing press, using the much simpler western alphabet, brought images on paper within reach of the common man. Before this, books were the property of monasteries or royalty. The basic design and the metal alloy that Gutenberg used for his typeface are still in use today, even in specialized printers developed to serve science and industry.
Many rulers and religious leaders were afraid of letting knowledge be open to private citizens. Many tried to limit education to upper classes. It was considered the height of folly to allow women to learn to read, and it was illegal to educate slaves in many American states.
Today computer technology is bringing printing equipment to most homes and schools. The history of the printed word or drawing is a fascinating study. This innovation did change the world, both its culture and its industry.
Mankind began to put mental images on visible surfaces early on: lines on the earth, pictures on cave walls, maps on animal skins, and characters on parchment and papyrus. This was done by hand, and copies were not exact. Human error was always a factor, and handwork took a lot of time and effort.
Replication preserves a design and reproduces it without undue effort or the mistakes that are inevitable with copying by hand. The first replication tool was a wood-block carving. An early Chinese print on cloth done in three colors dates back to the third century AD. By the fourth century, this kind of image reproduction was used in the Roman Empire.
Characters that made words were eventually carved into wood in China; the complicated Chinese language made this a slow and impractical method. The earliest real book that history knows of dates from about 869 AD. Printing on cloth was more usual, and paper money was also made with the wood block process.
Movable characters made of clay were the next Chinese advance, later being made of more durable wood and metal. Rearranging and reusing individual characters was a major improvement in the art of reproducing images on cloth or paper. Literature, the mechanical arts, and science all were made easier with this innovation.
Called the greatest advance in the modern world, the Gutenberg printing press, using the much simpler western alphabet, brought images on paper within reach of the common man. Before this, books were the property of monasteries or royalty. The basic design and the metal alloy that Gutenberg used for his typeface are still in use today, even in specialized printers developed to serve science and industry.
Many rulers and religious leaders were afraid of letting knowledge be open to private citizens. Many tried to limit education to upper classes. It was considered the height of folly to allow women to learn to read, and it was illegal to educate slaves in many American states.
Today computer technology is bringing printing equipment to most homes and schools. The history of the printed word or drawing is a fascinating study. This innovation did change the world, both its culture and its industry.
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