Printing press

The printing press is a mechanical device for printing multiple copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. It was first invented in China in 1041. It was reinvented in the West by a German goldsmith and eventual printer, Johann Gutenberg in the 1450s. Apart from Gutenberg, the Dutch Laurens Janszoon Coster has also been credited with this invention.

Printing in the industrial age

The Gutenberg press was much more efficient than manual copying, as testament to its effectiveness, it was essentially unchanged from the time of its invention until the Industrial Revolution, some three hundred years later.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The invention of the steam powered press is credited to Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer in 1812 made it possible to print tens of thousands of copies of a page in a day.

Related Topics:
Steam power - Friedrich Koenig - Andreas Friedrich Bauer - 1812

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Koenig and Bauer sold two of their first models to The Times in London in 1814, capable of 1,100 impressions per hour. The first edition so printed was on November 28, 1814. Koenig and Bauer went on to perfect the early model so that it could print on both sides of a sheet at once. This began to make newspapers available to a mass audience, and from the 1820s changed the nature of book production, forcing a greater standardization in titles and other metadata.

Related Topics:
The Times - London - 1814 - Newspaper - 1820 - Book - Metadata

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Koenig and Bauer's press was improved by Applegath and Cooper. The diagram indicates the principle operation of a Cowper and Applegath's Single Machine. The press is built up from a large flat inking table (A) which moves regularly back and forth, the form (B) on the table holds the type. The paper travels clockwise round a large cloth covered cylinder, the impression roller (C), and is pressed against the table. The ductor roller (D) rotates and so draws ink from the attached reservoir. The ink passes from the ductor roller to the vibrating roller (E), this moves, on its arms, in a regular motion between the ductor roller and the table. The ink is spread thinly and evenly by the distributing rollers (F) and then, as the table moves, passes onto the inking rollers (G). The axles of the inking rollers rest in groves, allowing them to rise and fall, they are also position at a slight angle to the table to improve ink distribution. As the table continues to move the form passes alternately under the inking rollers, twice, and then under the impression roller.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later on in the middle of the 19th century the rotary press (invented in 1843 in the United States by Richard M. Hoe) allowed millions of copies of a page in a single day. Mass production of printed works flourished after the transition to rolled paper, as continuous feed allowed the presses to run at a much faster pace.

Related Topics:
Rotary press - 1843 - United States - Richard M. Hoe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Movable type has been credited as the single most important invention of the millennium.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later inventions in this field include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

paper history - paper making http://www.venuspaper.com/paper-history.htm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Lithography
• Offset printing
• Desktop publishing
• Electronic publishing (on CD-ROM or online)
• Computer printer