The evolution of printing

The evolution of printing

The evolution of printing

When it comes to printed documents, we are pretty spoiled today. Almost anything we want or need can be printed and in our hands within minutes - sometimes seconds. But, historically, that wasn't always the case. The toner cartridges, ink jets and printing software we know and love have come along way since the first printed materials started to emerge.

The invention of printing most commonly dates back to the Buddhists in East Asia, particularly Korea, according to History World. The earliest known printed document is a sutra printed on a single sheet of paper in Korea, circa 750 A.D. Shortly thereafter, Japan tried its hand at mass circulation. According to the website, the endeavor took six years to complete and nearly a million printed copies of a devout Buddhist prayer were distributed to pilgrims as a result.

A printed book first appears on the history timeline around 868 A.D., writes the history site. The book was Chinese - a 16-foot-long scroll from the T'ang dynasty formed of sheets of paper glued together and it was discovered in a cave in 1899. Back then, printing was achieved by covering a flat surface with ink, placing a piece of paper on it and rubbing the back of the paper.

However, people through history quickly found that printing from these wood blocks was incredibly labor intensive. In the 11th century, movable type makes its first appearance in China, consisting of separate ready-made characters arranged to make up a text.

Korea kept pace with China in the printing industry, however. The nation started using a foundry to cast movable type in bronze in the 14th century.

More than six centuries after printing was invested in the east, the technology made it's way to Europe, where it was first used to create holy images for pilgrims and playing cards. Then, in Germany, John Gutenberg developed a printing press between 1439 and 1457.

The technology quickly spread in Europe as the economy grew, writes History World. Illustrated books and artists' prints pop up on the timeline in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 1700s, lithography became a new method for printing on a smooth surface. Screenprinting was developed in 1907.

Fast forward several decades and Chester Carlson invented a dry printing process called electrophotography, which became better known as Xerox. The technology set the foundation for laser printers to come. The first high-speed printer was developed in 1953 for the Univac computer, an invention that forever swayed the world of printing toward how we know it today.

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