Printing Press

Technology has been a critical part of life throughout many, many centuries. One of them that has made a big impact in world, continuing on even today, is the printing press. The printing press is a device that allows mass production of uniform printed matter. It applies pressure to an inked surface that rests upon a print medium. Knowing what the device does, the only unknown problem is that no one knows who invented the printing press or when it was invented. The oldest known printed text known to date was originated in China during the first millennium. The name of this book is The Diamond Sutra made in Dunhuang, China around 868 AD. From this point on, the idea of a printing press didn't fade away, but it did not spread either. However, in 1297, a guy by the name of Wang Chen began to transform the printing press by devising a process to make the wood more durable and precise. During this process, he also made a revolving table that helped the typesetters organize with more efficiency and greater speeds. From this time, the printing press spread to Europe where a goldsmith and inventor by the name of Johannes Gutenburg was experimenting with the technology. Gutenburg changed the printing press by replacing the wood with metal and printing blocks, with revolutionized the printing press, creating the European version. In the late 1400s, printing press began to spread rapidly throughout Germany, Italy, Valencia, Barcelona, and even becoming worldwide. The biggest factor of the printing press is that formalizing it has made it one of greatest contributors to the growth of literacy, education, and far-reaching availability of uniform information for ordinary people.