The Printing Press (EOTO 1)

     Media is ever changing, and with that, so are its distribution methods. Books and printed works are so easily accessible to us, but this was not always the case. Books and printed media used to have to be hand-copied for distribution. Imagine how long that must have taken! for this reason, only the wealthy owned books and other printed media. I don't know about you, but if someone wanted to buy a handwritten book from me it would cost them quite a bit. However, the invention of the printing press made it so that books and other printed media could be made quicker and cheaper.

History of The Printing Press

    It is unclear who the inventor of the first printing press is; however, we do know that it was invented in China sometime in the first millennium (History.com). The first version of the printing press used a type of printing called wooden block printing (History.com). This type of printing involved carving small block of wood into individual letters, dipping them in ink, and stamping them onto a page one-by-one. Although faster than handwriting, this was still an incredibly slow method of printing. The earliest mention of a mechanized printing press is probably the one we are most familiar with. This is the one invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1448 (Encyclopedia Brittanica). His version of the printing press used metal letters that were arranged on a board, dipped in a special ink, and pressed onto paper using a mechanical wine press. What I found really interesting about this is that, because he used metal letters, the letters were more uniform and did not absorb the ink; but that meant he had to invent his own special ink that would stick to the metal letters. Gutenberg used his printing press to make his first (and only) printed book. This book was a forty-two line version of the bible called The Gutenberg Bible. (Encyclopedia Brittanica). There were only around two hundred copies of this book printed, and very few full copies still exist today.

Impact of The Printing Press

    Previous to the printing press, books and other printed media were only able to be hand-written for distribution. This meant that writing and distribution of printed media was not only expensive, but time consuming as well. Due to this, only the wealthy had the option to own various books and printed media. However, due to the invention of the printing press, printed media could be mass produced at a much faster pace and distributed at a cheaper price. This new ability to mass produce printed media allowed it to spread very quickly across Europe. This gave people access to new ideas giving them the chance to learn and express their opinions (Brilliantio). The spread of knowledge that sparked from this invention led to diversifying perspectives because one culture was allowed a glimpse into another through mass-produced works like books, poetry, and religious works (Brilliantio). Also, the printing press had a huge impact on education. Because the invention of the printing press made books more readily available, more people could afford them. Due to this they taught themselves to read leading to higher literacy rates (Brilliantio).

Conclusion

    In conclusion, this invention paved the way for readily accessible printed media, especially books and other forms of literature. Although we do not know who the inventor of the first printing press is, we do know it originated in China. Then, Johannes Gutenberg made improvements to the original press and mechanized it resulting in quicker, cheaper works. The printing press had significant cultural impact. It caused a rise in literacy, gave the lower-class access to literature, and allowed ideas to spread rapidly across Europe.