Gutenberg and Movable Type

Good typography is like bread: ready to be admired, valued, and sectioned before being consumed. ~ ~ ~ = HEAD NNS Bringhurst Elements of Typographic Style

During 1448, the birth of printing with movable type replaced hand-copied manuscripts. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type, is known for its heavy blackletter sizes. This size range was popular in Germany at the time. From there, the printers were inspired to improve this system. Gutenberg was a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany, and he was the first to sculpt the characters of the alphabet metal stamps (which were hunted in other pieces of metal called matrices). The movable type printing press could fit into. This process was called the printing press.

The first book printed with movable type Gutenberg, his was the Bible. The scribes would take years for a lifetime to write them by hand, and time Gutenberg was able to get them in a fraction of the time. His invention allowed everyone to be able to circulate information so much easier.

Just recently, while antique shops, I found a drawer full of old wooden and metal printing. Tray of the printer (which now hangs on my wall) means so much to me - has made the history of typography real to me. In light of the study on printing and typography, I really appreciate what Gutenberg did for us. Written communication is all around us today, in fact, there is no end to what can be found. The books are so precious to us. John Milton said it best: "A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life."

And better yet, according to Daniel J. Boorstein: "A wonderful thing about a book, unlike a computer screen, is that you can take to bed with you." (Revised 2/16/2006)...