Gutenberg press
Movable type machine
The Gutenberg press was the first European printing press using movable type, developed by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440.
It revolutionized book production by allowing pages to be assembled from reusable metal letter blocks rather than carved whole.
The term often stands for the broader shift from hand-copied manuscripts to mass-produced printed books: The Gutenberg press changed literacy forever.
- letterpressPrinting from raised surfaces
- movable typeReconfigurable printing components
- metal typeCast printing characters
- typesettingArranging text for print
- black letterAngular medieval script style
ink and paper · printed books · compositors · incunabula · Renaissance · literacy · book trade · 15th century · punchcutting · Reformation · pamphlets · printing revolution · scientific revolution · public libraries · Johannes · publish · pages · paper
Gutenberg presshandwritten manuscripts
Texts inscribed personally, not printed
hand copying · calligraphy · oral tradition · illuminated manuscripts · memorization
Gutenberg pressdigital publishing
Distributing content electronically
e-books · social media · internet · World Wide Web · smartphones