I often find myself wondering why the printing press was such a massive invention. Of course, it revolutionized the ability to spread information and document history, but the machine itself seems very simple; apply pressure to a screw that then pushes paper into the type form.
That leaves me with the thought that I am missing something big. I understand that my thoughts of it being simple are swayed by the fact the we live in a post-printing press world, but I choose the believe I’m smarter than all of humanity before me. /s
So that leaves me with the question, how did it take so long for this to be invented? Are we stupid?
In: Engineering
Two things occurred to make moveable type possible.
The first is this: Ability to mass-produce the little letters used to make up the page. That means you need an alloy that melts at a low temperature, that isn’t too expensive, and that won’t wear down immediately. Lead initially seems like a good prospect, but it’s *soft* and can’t withstand being pressed down on pages all day every day. Developing alloys takes time, and it was a goldsmith working with new alloys that had the idea to use them to make letters. Also, ink designed for printing instead of writing.
Second: Society. No one prints a newspaper for three people. You need either a good literacy rate and cheap paper, or a much more high end book and a few wealthy people who are, importantly, interested in what you’re selling. Moveable type was originally designed to print Bibles, and this worked because *regularity* was what made high quality ones stand out. When moveable type was first introduced to the Islamic world it floundered because it couldn’t mimic the flowing, calligraphic text used in the Quran.
If you don’t have both of these, you’re SOL.
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