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old engraved illustration of the capture of mainz and the destruction of peter schöffer's (german printer, who studied in paris and worked as a manuscript copyist in 1451 before apprenticing with johannes gutenberg) printing press in mayence (mainz) - gutenberg printing press stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images
- Overview
- Life
- Invention of the press
Johannes Gutenberg is known for having designed and built the first known mechanized printing press in Europe. In 1455 he used it to print the Gutenberg Bible, which is one of the earliest books in the world to be printed from movable type.
What did Johannes Gutenberg do to change the world?
The type of mechanized printing press that Johannes Gutenberg created in the 15th century made it possible for the first time in Europe to manufacture large numbers of books for relatively little cost. Books and other printed matter consequently became available to a wide general audience, greatly contributing to the spread of literacy and education in Europe. Gutenberg did not, however, invent printing with movable type, which occurred in Korea in the 14th century.
Where did Johannes Gutenberg work?
Available records indicate that Johannes Gutenberg spent most, if not all, of his working life in the cities of Strassburg (now Strasbourg, France) and Mainz (now in Germany).
Johannes Gutenberg (born 14th century, Mainz [Germany]—died probably February 3, 1468, Mainz) German craftsman and inventor who originated a method of printing from movable type. Elements of his invention are thought to have included a metal alloy that could melt readily and cool quickly to form durable reusable type, an oil-based ink that could be made sufficiently thick to adhere well to metal type and transfer well to vellum or paper, and a new press, likely adapted from those used in producing wine, oil, or paper, for applying firm even pressure to printing surfaces. None of these features existed in the European technique used up to that time for stamping letters on various surfaces or in woodblock printing. Gutenberg’s printing press was considered a history-changing invention, making books widely accessible and ushering in an “information revolution.”
Gutenberg was the son of a patrician of Mainz. What little information exists about him, other than that he had acquired skill in metalwork, comes from documents of financial transactions. Exiled from Mainz in the course of a bitter struggle between the guilds of that city and the patricians, Gutenberg moved to Strassburg (now Strasbourg, France) probably between 1428 and 1430. Records put his presence there from 1434 to 1444. He engaged in such crafts as gem cutting, and he also taught a number of pupils.
Some of his partners, who became aware that Gutenberg was engaged in work that he kept secret from them, insisted that, since they had advanced him considerable sums, they should become partners in these activities as well. Thus, in 1438 a five-year contract was drawn up between him and three other men: Hans Riffe, Andreas Dritzehn, and Andreas Heilmann. It contained a clause whereby in case of the death of one of the partners, his heirs were not to enter the company but were to be compensated financially.
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Inventors and Inventions
When Andreas Dritzehn died at Christmas 1438, his heirs, trying to circumvent the terms of the contract, began a lawsuit against Gutenberg in which they demanded to be made partners. They lost the suit, but the trial revealed that Gutenberg was working on a new invention. Witnesses testified that a carpenter named Conrad Saspach had advanced sums to Andreas Dritzehn for the building of a wooden press, and Hans Dünne, a goldsmith, declared that he had sold to Gutenberg, as early as 1436, 100 guilders’ worth of printing materials. Gutenberg, apparently well along the way to completing his invention, was anxious to keep secret the nature of the enterprise.
After March 12, 1444, Gutenberg’s activities are undocumented for a number of years, but it is doubtful that he returned immediately to Mainz, for the quarrel between patricians and guilds had been renewed in that city. In October 1448, however, Gutenberg was back in Mainz to borrow more money, which he received from a relative. By 1450 his printing experiments had apparently reached a considerable degree of refinement, for he was able to persuade Johann Fust, a wealthy financier, to lend him 800 guilders—a very substantial capital investment, for which the tools and equipment for printing were to act as securities. Two years later Fust made an investment of an additional 800 guilders for a partnership in the enterprise. Fust and Gutenberg eventually became estranged, Fust, apparently, wanting a safe and quick return on his investment, while Gutenberg aimed at perfection rather than promptness.
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Jul 25, 2022 · Johannes Gutenberg (l. c. 1398-1468) was the inventor of the printing press (c. 1450) who seems to have developed the device from wine and oil presses of the time. Gutenberg’s printing press not only revolutionized book making but literally changed the world in that ideas could now be shared over long distances with a wider audience than ever ...
- Joshua J. Mark
- Dave Roos
- A Global News Network Was Launched. Johannes Gutenberg’s first printing press. Gutenberg didn’t live to see the immense impact of his invention. His greatest accomplishment was the first print run of the Bible in Latin, which took three years to print around 200 copies, a miraculously speedy achievement in the day of hand-copied manuscripts.
- The Renaissance Kicked Into High Gear. Sketch of a printing press taken from a notebook by Leonardo Da Vinci. The Italian Renaissance began nearly a century before Gutenberg invented his printing press when 14th-century political leaders in Italian city-states like Rome and Florence set out to revive the Ancient Roman educational system that had produced giants like Caesar, Cicero and Seneca.
- Martin Luther Becomes the First Best-Selling Author. Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg castle church. There’s a famous quote attributed to German religious reformer Martin Luther that sums up the role of the printing press in the Protestant Reformation: “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one.”
- Printing Powers the Scientific Revolution. Tables from Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus' pioneering text “De revolutionibus orbium caelestium” (On the revolution of heavenly spheres), 1543, which represents his complete work.
Gutenberg modified a wine press to create his printing press. With his success of ultimately creating his printing press, he began to look for additional funding from another investor, Johannes Fust. At the time of 1452, Gutenberg entered a business partnership with Fust in order to continue providing funds for his printing experiments. Gutenberg
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The global spread of the printing press began with the invention of the printing press with movable type by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany c. 1439. [ 1] Western printing technology was adopted in all world regions by the end of the 19th century, displacing the manuscript and block printing . In the Western world, the operation of a press ...
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May 7, 2018 · After Germany, Italy became the next recipient of Gutenberg’s invention when the printing press was brought to the country in 1465. By 1470, Italian printers began to make a successful trade in ...
