User:Jmdaniel2

The very first dated printed book, the “Diamond Sutra” was printed in China in 868 CE. It is said, however, that this type of printing occurred far before it was documented or dated. China can also be held accountable for the movable clay type invented in 1041. Then there was Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith and entrepreneur from the town Mainz in Germany. He aspired to invent a machine that would change printing forever. He borrowed money from a fellow businessman, Johannes Fust and was able to then create the Gutenberg Printing Press in 1440. This printing press was made of movable wooden (later metal) letter pieces. This method of printing is responsible for the lowering of prices of books, and hence the ability of mass production. Mass production therefore promoted a swift development in the sciences, arts and religion through the spread of textbooks. Gutenberg also invented a small hand rolling printing device that rolled over ink and then on paper. Gutenberg is also recognized for the very first printed book using this movable type of press. The book happened to be the Gutenberg Bible. This Gutenberg bible was first printed on September 30, 1452. Over the last few centuries there have since been many more printing press technologies developed but all have been based on Gutenberg’s model.