Spread of Printing in Europe in the 1430s

Timeline

1. 1431–1435Cologne · RhinelandCologne and surrounding workshops printed large quantities of saint images, indulgence illustrations, and prayer sheets; woodcut technology evolved from the manuscript illustration tradition into a mass-producible commodity.
2. 1433–1438Utrecht · Low CountriesIllustrated booklets printed from single carved woodblocks circulated in the Netherlands region, lowering the cost for the literate to obtain religious reading matter and promoting the division of labor between printmaking and binding workshops.
3. 1436–1440Florence · ItalyFlorentine artists and merchants came into contact with northern print samples, extending engraving and paper supply chains and laying the groundwork for the later introduction of copperplate and movable-type printing in both technique and aesthetics.