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The Impact Of Johannes Gutenberg's Printing Press

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Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. His contributions have affected how our lives are today. Printing methods and techniques have changed drastically since then. From the 1400's to now, the printing methods have became more high tech. Though he invented the printing press all the way back in the 1400’s doesn't mean he hasn't left a huge impact on today's printing.
Gutenberg was born in the Mainz, Germany. He was the youngest son of the upper-class merchant Friele Gensfleisch zur Laden, and his second wife, Else Wyrich, who was the daughter of a shopkeeper. He was baptized around the area of his birthplace, of St. Christoph. Friele was a goldsmith for the bishop at Mainz, but most likely, he was involved in the cloth trade. Gutenberg's birth year is not precisely known but was most likely around 1398.
John Lienhard, technology historian, says "Most of Gutenberg's early life is a mystery. His father worked with the ecclesiastic mint. Gutenberg grew up knowing the trade of goldsmithing."

In 1411, …show more content…

This is where his experiments with printing began. He was already familiar with bookmaking. Gutenberg perfected small metal type. He thought that it was more practical than carving complete wood blocks for printing, each type was a single letter or character. Movable type had been used in Asia hundreds of years earlier, but Gutenberg’s renovation was developing a casting system and metal alloys which made production much easier.
In 1439 Johannes Gutenberg was the first European to use the printing press. A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print canvas. His many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type use of oil-based ink for book printing, adjustable molds, mechanical movable type, and a wooden printing press.

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