Gutenberg Printing Press System

Timeline

1. c. 1450–1452Mainz · RhinelandGutenberg combined metal movable type casting, oil-based ink, and a screw press adapted from wine presses, experimenting with Latin letter typesetting in his workshop, laying the technical foundation for mechanized text reproduction.
2. 1452–1455Mainz · RhinelandThe 42-Line Bible marked the maturation of movable type printing; Gutenberg and investors such as Fust disputed over equipment and profits, but the printed products already showed clear letterforms and relatively high print runs.
3. c. 1460–1500Venice · VeniceApprentices and craftsmen carried the technology to Strasbourg, Venice, Paris, and elsewhere; publishers such as Aldus developed italic type and portable editions, and printing became a pillar of urban cultural industries.
4. 1500Europe · EuropeThe modern era saw rotary printing, phototypesetting, and digital publishing; the mass-reproduction logic opened by the Gutenberg system remains the underlying structure of modern media and education.