Johannes Gutenberg Works - World of Biography

The invention of the printing press

After years of hard work, Gutenberg came up with the first movable type printing press.

Johannes Gutenberg Printing process carried out by Gutenberg consists of three steps, namely,

a) The making of the type

b) Setting of pages

c) Printing

Each of the three steps is described in brief:

a) The making of the type

Gutenberg took small blocks of hard metal and carved out mirror images of alphabets into them. This work required time and skilled effort. Gutenberg then took a block, made from alloy of lead, antimony and tin and heated it to 300º C. The letter stamp in the hard metal was then struck into the block of soft heated metal, thus obtaining a cast image. Many casts could be made from one letter stamp. As the blocks were small, he put a channel above them to make them easy to hold and cast. The alloy, which he used, could melt easily and be reused for further casting. Thus, Gutenberg made several individual letters and placed them in a type box.

b) Setting of the pages

The setter had to use the individual letters and place them, so that words, sentences and finally the whole page was set. The type was movable, so easy to correct, but it also fell apart easily. The set page was bound together by a string.

c) Printing

The set page was then pushed firmly under the press. Care had to be taken that the type was not disturbed. Printing ink made from pine shavings and soot was then applied on the type. Paper was desized by placing in water. While damp, the paper was put on the ‘inked’ type and held firmly by means of a frame fixed on to the press. The whole assembly was then placed under the press and was ‘pressed’ in full force. One page of type could produce hundreds of sheets of printed paper. Once invented, the process sounds simple enough but it was then a revolutionary idea and most people who got any idea of it were enthused by the potential it held.

What is more remarkable is the fact that for about 400 years since Gutenberg’s invention there was no major breakthrough in printing technology. It is obvious that Gutenberg’s invention was a potentially powerful, technologically perfect invention, which came at a time when the winds of renaissance were sweeping through Europe.

The First Printed Book

In 1455, an event of awesome importance for the ages to follow occurred in Mainz, Germany, when Gutenberg first printed the Bible on the new printing machine invented by him. As per available information, 180 copies of this first edition were printed, of which only 21 are now available. Each page of the book had 42 lines and hence it is also known as the 42-line Bible. 30 copies of the book were printed on Velum. The book had been made to look like a manuscript and beautifully decorated, which speaks well of Gutenberg’s artistic capacity as well. The monotony of printed type was broken by appropriate use of abbreviations, spaces and by adding a flourishing red stroke to all capital letters. The initial letters were hand painted and the pages were printed in two columns.

The margins on top of the page and between columns were appropriately decorated with paintings of flowers, vines and birds as was done in the manuscripts in those days. As per records, the decorators finished their work in August 1456. As the printing must have been done earlier, this can be taken as the date when the Bible was ready. Gutenberg has not mentioned his name in this or any of his other works.

The Catholican, the Donatus and the Turk’s Calendar are other books, which have been attributed to Gutenberg.