Johann Gutenberg

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (born. circa 1398 – died probably February 3, 1468 Mainz) was a German metal-worker and inventor who achieved fame for his contributions to the technology of printing during the 1440s, including a type metal alloy and oil-based inks, a mould for casting type accurately, and a new kind of printing press based on presses used in wine-making. Tradition credits him with inventing movable type in Europe, an improvement on the block printing already in use there. By combining these elements into a production system, he allowed for the rapid printing of written materials and an information explosion in Renaissance Europe.

Printing

Block printing, whereby individual sheets of paper were pressed into wooden blocks with the text and illustrations carved in, was in use in Europe and East Asia long before Gutenberg. The Koreans and Chinese knew about movable metal types at the time, but due to the complex nature of the Chinese writing system, printed material was not as abundant as that of Renaissance Europe.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Writing system

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It is not clear whether Gutenberg knew of these existing techniques or invented them independently, though the former is rather unlikely considering the substantial differences in technique. Some also claim Dutchman Laurens Coster as the first European to invent movable type.

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Gutenberg certainly introduced efficient methods into book production, leading to a boom in the production of texts in Europe, in large part due to the popularity of the Gutenberg Bibles, the first mass-produced work, starting on February 23 1455.

Related Topics:
Gutenberg Bible - February 23 - 1455

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Gutenberg was a poor businessman, and made little money from his printing system.

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Gutenberg began experimenting with metal typography after he had moved from his native town of Mainz to Strassburg (then in Germany, now Strasbourg, France) around 1430. Knowing that wood-block type involved a great deal of time and expense to reproduce because it had to be hand carved, Gutenberg concluded that metal type could be reproduced much more quickly once a single mould had been fashioned. His first efforts enabled him to mass-produce indulgences, printed slips of paper sold by the Catholic Church to remit the temporal punishments in purgatory for sins committed in this life. This, in part, led to Martin Luther's response to indulgences.

Related Topics:
Strassburg - France - 1430 - Catholic Church - Purgatory - Martin Luther's

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