Printing press Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Gutenberg's press == {{See also|Letterpress printing}} [[File:Printing and writing materials - their evolution (1904) (14777458662).jpg|thumb|Johannes Gutenberg, 1904 reconstruction]] [[Johannes Gutenberg]]'s work on the printing press began in approximately 1436 when he partnered with Andreas Dritzehn—a man who had previously instructed in [[Lapidary|gem-cutting]]—and Andreas Heilmann, owner of a paper mill.<ref name="meggs58-69"/> However, it was not until a 1439 [[lawsuit]] against Gutenberg that an official record existed; witnesses' testimony discussed Gutenberg's types, an inventory of metals (including lead), and his type molds.<ref name="meggs58-69"/> Having previously worked as a professional goldsmith, Gutenberg made skillful use of the knowledge of metals he had learned as a craftsman. He was the first to make type from an [[alloy]] of [[lead]], [[tin]], and [[antimony]], which was critical for producing durable type that produced high-quality printed books and proved to be much better suited for printing than all other known materials. To create these lead types, Gutenberg used what is considered one of his most ingenious inventions,<ref name="meggs58-69">Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1998. (pp 58–69) {{ISBN|0-471-29198-6}}</ref> a special [[Matrix (printing)|matrix]] enabling the quick and precise molding of new type blocks from a uniform template. His [[type case]] is estimated to have contained around 290 separate letter boxes, most of which were required for special characters, [[typographic ligature|ligatures]], [[punctuation marks]], and so forth.<ref>{{harvnb|Mahnke|2009|p=290}}</ref> Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction of an oil-based [[ink]] which was more durable than the previously used water-based inks. As printing material he used both paper and [[vellum]] (high-quality parchment). In the [[Gutenberg Bible]], Gutenberg made a trial of colour printing for a few of the page headings, present only in some copies.<ref>{{harvnb|Kapr|1996|p=172}}</ref> A later work, the [[Mainz Psalter]] of 1453, presumably designed by Gutenberg but published under the imprint of his successors [[Johann Fust]] and [[Peter Schöffer]], had elaborate red and blue printed initials.<ref>{{harvnb|Kapr|1996|p=203}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page