From block printing technology to modern industrial printing technology

introduction

There is no doubt that printing is one of mankind's greatest cultural inventions. There is plenty of evidence that ancient printing was first invented by the Chinese. Today, China is still the world's largest printing plant, and almost half of the world's books are printed in China. But like many industries, China is a printing power but not a printing power. Small to home printers, medium to unit laser printers, large to printing equipment, and even a large number of printing equipment in banknote printing plants are also imported.

Today's printing methods all over the world, including our China, are derived from the metal type printing invented in Europe. So how was European movable type invented? Is it related to printing in ancient China? If so, what is the situation? And who in Europe was the first to invent movable type? This series of questions will lead us into a confusing situation.

Therefore, we specially write an article about printing, and roughly introduce the history and current situation of printing. I hope I can look at the development and rise and fall of technology with an objective attitude.

Splendid ancient Chinese printing

The earliest printing technique in China is block printing, and most experts believe that this printing technique is derived from the ancient Chinese seal and tombstone methods. When block printing began is difficult to verify. China's earliest extant engraving book is the "Diamond Sutra" printed in 868 at the end of the Tang Dynasty, but there is a Buddhist sutra printed in 770 AD in Japan, as we all know, Japan's engraving printing is passed on from China, so China's engraving printing was invented before the middle of the 8th century, some people even think that the Sui Dynasty in the 6th century appeared engraving printing.

Engraved Diamond Sutra in the British Museum

Although China's movable type printing is not used much in later generations, it is good that there are documents detailing this great invention. Shen Kuo, a famous scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, introduced this great invention in detail in volume 18 of Mengxi Pen Talk: Song Renzong Qingli years, a common people called Bi Sheng (603883) invented clay type, the specific practice is to use clay carved into a single clay print, and then hardened by fire, in the iron plate layout, with iron hoop tight, there is a fat adhesive, you can print, this is undoubtedly the world's earliest movable type printing. This is typical folk creativity.

Unfortunately, since Bi Sheng died and no one was able to inherit his business, the instruments he invented were collected by Shen Kuo's subordinates. After 800 years, few people printed books with clay type, and it was not until the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty that some books were printed with it. But this did not affect the prosperity of folk publishing in ancient China, for example, the publishing industry in the Ming Dynasty was very prosperous, there was no book number, there was no large-scale censorship. In many cases, Chinese vernacular novels were formed in that era.

There are many reasons why movable type printing cannot replace block printing in China and East Asian countries, such as too many Chinese characters, which is not conducive to batch casting, such as movable type casting, typesetting, high printing technology requirements, and there is no stamping machine. Another reason is that the Confucian cultural circle loves calligraphy, and engraving can play this specialty and so on.

In short, it is a fact that movable type printing in China has not been significantly developed.

Late European printing

The printing technology in Europe can be clearly verified from Gutenberg. Gutenberg is the root of today's printing technology.

Gutenberg was a goldsmith in Mainz, Germany, born around 1400, after painstaking research, he cast metal type, and made a hand press.

Around 1450, Gutenberg printed three books, The Last Judgment, the Latin Grammar, and the Astronomical Almanac, which are widely considered to mark the birth of modern printing. But these three books have not been found, Gutenberg's 1455 edition of the 42 lines of the Bible is still in existence 48, become a rare treasure.

However, the Dutch and the French are not convinced of the title of the father of modern printing, and both claim to have invented metal type first.

In Holland, for example, it was said in the 15th century that a man named Koster from Haarlem had invented movable type, much earlier than Gutenberg. Koster has always been regarded as a national hero in the Netherlands, and a bronze statue of him still stands in the central square of Haarlem.

Twelve printed red letters were found on the back of the cover of a 15th-century Dutch manuscript. According to a well-known London auction appraiser, the red letters were printed in Haarlem in the Netherlands in 1430.

More and more people are beginning to favor the idea that European movable type printing predates Gutenberg, but whether this is true will depend on future research and discovery.

What is the connection between European printing and Chinese printing?