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Printing was invented in China during the Tang Dynasty. Someone carved symbols into a wood block that was then inked and pressed on a scroll.
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Printing using wood blocks was extremely difficult and required a lot of labor. However, Chinese printers were able to print the entire works of Confucious and Buddhist and Daoist texts.
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The Chinese began to experiment with movable type. This would make printing much easier and require less work. However, this was difficult to do in China because of the large number of Chinese characters and the blocks are made from wood, which is not strong enough for repeated use.
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During the 1200s in Korea, movable type was created out of bronze. The bronze type is strong enough to be used repeatedly. However, they were using the Chinese alphabet which means there were too many characters to print efficiently.
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Gutenberg is born in the late 14th century, though the exact date is unknown. He is born in Mainz, Germany.
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Wood printing is finally introduced in Europe. The wood printing in Europe suffers from the same problems as in China, it is not strong and requires a lot of work.
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Little is known about Gutenberg's early life. What we do know is that he was exiled from Mainz around 1428 and moved to Strassburg, France.
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The exact date Gutenberg created his printing press is unknown. However, most scholars believe that it was created between 1450 and 1455.
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Gutenberg is believed to have printed his very first book, the Gutenberg Bible, around 1455.
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Once again, the exact date of Gutenberg's death is unknown but most believe that he died around February 3, 1468. His printing press helped bring about a resurgence in education and learning.
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Due to Gutenberg's printing press, printing spreads throughout Europe. Many cities begin to utilize the new technology and create new typefaces.
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Printers begin to use Gutenberg's printing press with illustrations. This leads to printers creating books that look similar to modern magaziners.
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Artist's become interested in using the printing press to create art. In the beginning they create their images by engraving bronze.
