Moveable type was first used to print by Bi Sheng in China around 1041 A.D. His system of printing was very labor intensive, however. Creating the large ceramic slabs with the details of each character in the Chinese language proved near impossible. Korea tried methods similar to Sheng’s just a few centuries later, but ran into a similar problem of practicality with too much work and too many components.
It was in 1450 that Johannes Gutenberg first used his letter press. The European language used limited characters, an important factor in the construct of the proper type pieces out of lead and tin. In 1455, the “Gutenberg Bible” solidified the success of printing and the printing press began to spread across Europe.
The invention of the printing press revolutionized communication and book production leading to the spread of knowledge. Today, practically all movable type printing ultimately derives from Gutenberg’s movable type printing, which is often regarded as the most important invention of the second millennium.
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