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105 BCE
Paper is Invented
Paper was invented in China by Tsai Lun. This was done through a process omixing substances such as plant fibres with water and then poured through a sieve into a wooden frame. -
Period: 500 to 1300
Handwritten Books
During the Middle Ages books were written by hand on parchment or vellum (stretched animal skin). This process was expensive and writing by hand was time consuming therefore books were expensive. During this period there were mini-Renaissance's in 9th and 12th centuries but without an efficent method of spreading ideas they did not grow. -
700
Block Printing
Blocks of wood where the text had been carved out. Ink was put onto the block and the paper was laid onto the bloc which then absorbed the ink. Europeans got this technology in the 14th century when travellers brought them from China. -
1100
Moveable Type
This was first invented in China initially using clay to make single letters that could then be arranged in any order. By 1300 metal letters were being introduced. -
1440
Printing Press
Johann Gutenburg a goldsmith from Mainz in Germany invented the printing press. It used a screw press, oil based ink and inroduced Europe to metal moveable type, these innovations made printing quick and efficient. -
Period: 1450 to
Spread of the Printing Press in Europe
The first books printed using Gutenburg's printing press were copies of the Bible. By 1465 there were more printing presses set up in Germany and Italy and by 1500 printing presses had spead accross Europe. Printing presses were mainly found in places of learning such as Universities. The development of print allowed for the spread of new ideas that came from the Renaissance such as art, arcitecture, medicine, science, language and philosophy.