How Did the Printing Press Work

The first-ever print press is still a matter of mystery. How the inverter got inspired to make such the revolutionary machine, how it got updated over time, and most importantly, how one invention had triggered many inventions like a chain reaction is still a matter of surprise.

How Did Gutenberg's Printing Press Work?

The first-ever print press of 1444, named after the inventor Johann Gutenberg, was called Gutenberg’s Printing Press. The machine was quite simple and still preserved in several museums as the pioneer of the print press revolution. 

The Press

The machine was quite simple. It had a panel of wooden blocks where the letters are movable. The block was pressed manually on paper. This method worked for languages where the letters are few, for example, English, Latin and alike alphabet. 

Before this press, the Chinese also had the same idea of print press far back in the 15th century. But they couldn't succeed because of their thousands of symbols, numeric, and alphabets. 

Paper

Only hand-made papers were available during the 15th century. Those papers were rough, thick, and brown in color. Later, a lot of improvement was made on paper as well, to make the results even more flawless. 

Ink Used

Firstly, wine and olive are used as of press ink. The wooden block of Gutenberg’s press was inked with this wine and olive ink and then pressed on paper. Later, many scientists have worked on the ink so that it can dry faster and become smudge-proof. 

Improvements 

After several years, the wooden machine of Gutenberg was replaced by metal, and eventually, after inventing the steam engine, the production of the print press increased by ten folds. During the 19th century, different press machines were invented to print books, newspapers, colorful magazines, and so on. 

Press Nowadays

Now we have machines that can print on clothes, plastic, ceramic, and even 3d objects! The organ printing is still in the research phase and not disclosed for commercial use due to sensitive matters. However, press printing is still used to print books and news in bulk. 

Prepress Job

To print newspapers, at first, the orientation part is done. Where the leading news will be, what will be the image format, and where the advertisement will place-everything is done on the pre-press job section. There are special technicians and skilled people to do this perfectly. 

Printing Press Jobs

Then comes the printing jobs. This part does not need much expertise other than operating the machines. Thankfully, all the machines are automated now. You load the rolls of papers, then turn on the machine. There are people who work on maintenance of the press machines. 

Online Printing Services

There are print shops that provide online services. You need a banner, leaflet, school magazine, letterhead, t-shirt, or photos to print? Just search for the nearest shop online; they will take the order, print it, and deliver it to your doorstep. Special print shops also deliver 3d printed objects as well. 

Final Thought

Printing techniques and services have come a long way from where they began. Now you don’t even need any technical personnel to do the job; everything is automated. Unfortunately, this advancement has eloped old jobs and created new ones that don’t have proper human resources yet.