printing

Introduction
History of printing
- Origins in China
  - Invention of movable type (11th century)
  - Transmission of paper to Europe (12th century)
- The invention of printing
  - Xylography
  - Metallographic printing (1430?)
  - The invention of typography—Gutenberg (1450?)
  - The Gutenberg press
- Improvements after Gutenberg
  - The metal press (1795)
  - Stereotypy and stereography (late 18th century)
  - Koenig’s mechanical press (early 19th century)
  - Attempts to mechanize composition (mid-19th century)
  - Typecasting compositors (1880s)
- 19th-century innovations
  - Reproduction of illustrations
  - Lithography: Senefelder (1796)
  - Photosensitivity: Niepce (1820s)
  - Gravure and rotogravure (1890s)
- The 20th century
  - Discovery of offset (early 20th century)
  - Dry offset (1920)
  - color printing
  - Automation of composition (after 1929)
  - Programmed composition (1950s)
  - Photocomposition
    - First generation of phototypesetters: mechanical
    - Second generation of phototypesetters: functional
    - Third generation of phototypesetters: electronic
  - Toward direct impression
  - Serigraphy and collotype: a renaissance
  - Three-dimensional printing (1960s)
  - Office printing
Modern printing techniques
- Composition and typesetting
  - Mechanical composition and typesetting
    - Letterpress composition by hand
    - Semimechanized composition
    - Mechanical composition: slugcasting typesetters
    - Typesetter casting aligned characters
    - Automatic composition (perforated tape)
    - Programmed composition (prepared by computer)
    - Cold type
  - Phototypesetting
    - Manual phototypesetters
    - Automatic phototypesetting
    - Functional phototypesetters
    - Electronic phototypesetters
  - Makeup of letterpress copy
    - Mounting composition on film
    - Conversion systems
- Printing (press operation)
  - Color printing
  - Letterpress printing
    - Platen presses
    - Cylinder presses
    - Rotary presses
    - Preparing stereotypes and plates
    - Scope of letterpress
  - Rotogravure
    - Preparing rotogravure cylinders
    - Scope of rotogravure
  - Offset
    - Offset plate making
    - Scope of offset
  - Other printing processes
    - Letterset
    - Serigraphy (screen printing)
    - Collotype
    - Flexography
    - Electrostatic printing
  - Printing inks

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

A modern printing press that uses UV technology

How Gutenberg's printing press revolutionized literacy

See a working model of an early hand printing press

Friedrich Koenig's mechanical platen press

stop-cylinder printing machine

Johannes Gutenberg

For Students

book printing

printing summary

printing: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

A modern printing press that uses UV technology

Friedrich Koenig's mechanical platen press

stop-cylinder printing machine

Johannes Gutenberg

How Gutenberg's printing press revolutionized literacy

See a working model of an early hand printing press

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

composition enlarging block printing registration plate typography 3D printing printing press intaglio proofreading construction textile aerospace industry history of photography pharmaceutical industry chemical industry automotive industry electronics explosive food preservation

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Key People

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Henri Didot

French printer and typesetter

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Robert Ballard

French printer

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Léger Didot

French printer and typesetter

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Ambroise-Firmin Didot

French printer and typesetter

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François-Ambroise Didot

French printer and typesetter

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Giovanni Mardersteig

Italian printer

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François Didot

French printer and bookseller

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Pierre Didot

French printer and typesetter

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Pierre François Didot

French publisher and printer

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Hyacinthe-Firmin Didot

French printer and typesetter

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Firmin Didot

French printer and typesetter

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William Morris

British artist and author

Johannes Gutenberg

Johannes Gutenberg

German printer

William Byrd

William Byrd

English composer

William Caxton

William Caxton

English printer, translator, and publisher

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Thomas Morley

British composer

Robert Maxwell, 1991.

Robert Maxwell

British publisher

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Henri II Estienne

French scholar and printer

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Aldus Manutius

Italian printer

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Robert Foulis

Scottish printer