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Letterpress Printing (Europe)

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1450

European letterpress printing, setting movable metal type character by character and pressing inked impressions onto paper, matured in mid-15th-centu…

Timeline

  1. c. 1450–1455Mainz · GermanyGutenberg combined metal type casting, ink formulation, and the screw press at Mainz, successfully printing the 42-line Bible in the 1450s and establishing the basic technical path of European letterpress printing.
  2. 1500–1600Europe · EuropeIn the 16th century letterpress printing spread from Germany to Italy, France, the Low Countries, and England; demand for Reformation and humanist works surged, and urban printing workshops developed complete industrial chains encompassing type design, proofreading, and distribution.
  3. 1611–1620London, Amsterdam, Leiden · Western EuropeIn the 1610s European letterpress printing entered a highly mature phase, with the King James Bible, national decrees, and scientific works printed in large quantities; printing workshops achieved batch book production through standardized type and division of labor, supporting modern public opinion and scholarly exchange.

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