Printing was invented by the Chinese in the 6th century. The oldest book still in existence is the scripture of the Wu Zetian (dated at approximately 684 A.D.). Although revolutionary at the time, it was produced using very basic woodblock printing techniques.
There are reports of earlier print works, in the form of other religious Chinese scriptures, around half a century before, but there aren’t any surviving examples of these.
The most ancient printed book in existence is the Chinese 'Diamond Sutra' (dated approximately 868 A.D.). It was produced using a new type of printing technology of the time known as block printing.
The Chinese were also the first country to print currency. In the 10th Century they used copperplate technology to print the first printed notes. This was to commemorate the throne in 1023 of the Song Dynasty.
Many historians believe that European printing technology derived directly from the Chinese, however, there’s little in the way of hard evidence to support this. A German inventor, Johann Gutenberg, was the first to bring printing technology to Europe. In 1440, he invented what is known today as the Guttenberg press. Its design was based on a rather rudimentary wine press that used oil-based inks.
The invention of the European printing press spurred the startup of many commercial printers, resulting in mass newspaper and book production. This revolution in the printing industry was a turning point in global communication and the spreading of the written word.
The 18th century gave us some noteworthy advances in printing technology. The most important being ‘relief etching’ (invented by William Blake in 1788), and ‘lithography’ (invented by Alois Senefelder in 1798).
During the 19th Century we saw the invention of larger-scale more robust presses, which were far faster and more reliable. The introduction of the personal computer in the 20th century gave birth to personal printing and advanced print technologies, such as laser printers and ink-jet printers.
Commercial printing during the 20th and 21st century evolved considerably. Print shops are now able to print huge runs very quickly, using offset printing, or offset lithography as its otherwise known.
There are reports of earlier print works, in the form of other religious Chinese scriptures, around half a century before, but there aren’t any surviving examples of these.
The most ancient printed book in existence is the Chinese 'Diamond Sutra' (dated approximately 868 A.D.). It was produced using a new type of printing technology of the time known as block printing.
The Chinese were also the first country to print currency. In the 10th Century they used copperplate technology to print the first printed notes. This was to commemorate the throne in 1023 of the Song Dynasty.
Many historians believe that European printing technology derived directly from the Chinese, however, there’s little in the way of hard evidence to support this. A German inventor, Johann Gutenberg, was the first to bring printing technology to Europe. In 1440, he invented what is known today as the Guttenberg press. Its design was based on a rather rudimentary wine press that used oil-based inks.
The invention of the European printing press spurred the startup of many commercial printers, resulting in mass newspaper and book production. This revolution in the printing industry was a turning point in global communication and the spreading of the written word.
The 18th century gave us some noteworthy advances in printing technology. The most important being ‘relief etching’ (invented by William Blake in 1788), and ‘lithography’ (invented by Alois Senefelder in 1798).
During the 19th Century we saw the invention of larger-scale more robust presses, which were far faster and more reliable. The introduction of the personal computer in the 20th century gave birth to personal printing and advanced print technologies, such as laser printers and ink-jet printers.
Commercial printing during the 20th and 21st century evolved considerably. Print shops are now able to print huge runs very quickly, using offset printing, or offset lithography as its otherwise known.