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?

First of all, in terms of the existing archaeological evidence and documentary materials, it is impossible to confirm or deny that Chinese movable type printing spread to Europe, which is an open question.

Some Chinese scholars like to cite American scholar Thomas Francis Carter's book "The Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread to the West" to prove that Western scholars also believe that Gutenberg printing originated in China.

In fact, Carter does not explicitly conclude in his book that Gutenberg printing came directly from China, but only lists the circumstances under which Gutenberg printing may have been influenced by China, as well as the social conditions and technical basis for the invention in Europe. He also highlights in the book:

We do not suppose that the persons mentioned above were necessarily the direct ancestors of the inventors of printing in Europe; The latter three, in particular, who invented and improved movable type, seem to belong to the side, and their relation to the inventors of printing in Europe is not so much ancestors as Cousins.

Then Carter made it very clear:

Whether there is a direct correlation between the Far East's McLay type, wood type, and copper type and the European invention of printing is a difficult question to answer, but on the evidence available the answer is in the negative. Bi Sheng's movable type had never been widely popular, and was almost completely ignored until the Yuan Dynasty came into close contact with Europe. The use of wood type was at the time of the most frequent contact with Europe, but the truth about the situation after the interruption of trade routes and in the hundred years before the beginning of printing in Europe is unclear.

Even if Korea, influenced by Chinese printing, was the first to invent the type in the early 15th century and mass-print books with movable metal type, it does not prove that Gutenberg's printing came from this, and "there is no evidence to date that the two are related," because, "as far as we know, during that half-century there was almost no communication in Europe and the Far East." Carter then concluded cautiously:

However, it is too early to say definitively that movable type printing in China and North Korea is not directly related to movable type printing in Europe. On the other hand, we have not yet found sufficient evidence to clearly confirm the relationship between the two, and until we have positive or negative evidence, we must rule out stereotypes and make no conclusions.

Modern printing technology

Today's large printing industry is mainly Germany, Japan and the United States tripartite. And the equipment and technology are very advanced and complex. The German printing press three giants: Heidelberg, Golberg, Manroland; Japan's Big Three: Komori, Mitsubishi, Akiyama. In terms of influence, Heidelberg is definitely the largest, with a very high market share.

I don't think I can explain the various types of equipment in detail. I'm just going to show you what modern printing equipment looks like.

The speed master of Heidelberg

Printing shop

In terms of printing technology, in addition to traditional offset printing, there are many new directions, such as UV in the process, POD in the printing method, and so on. Although this industry is not as concerned as the chip industry, the technology dependence in this field is no worse than the chip industry.