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Posted by: Patrick Hastings
During the hand press era, composing the text of a book was among the most technical elements of the printing process. This post describes the labor involved in typesetting and imposition.
Posted in: 14th Century, 15th Century, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Book Anatomy, Education Outreach, History of the Book, type
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
Most of us learned in school that Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which is not entirely accurate. He is, however, conventionally credited with inventing the process of mass-producing individual pieces of type. These innovations in moveable type allowed for books to be efficiently produced in large quantities and revolutionized the human ability to share ideas. This post explains the multi-step process of mass-producing metal letters to be used in printing texts.
Posted in: 15th Century, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Book Anatomy, Education Outreach, Famous Printers, History of the Book, Manuscript and Letterpress (Hand Press), type
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
Before today's thin, brittle paper made from wood pulp became standard, paper was handcrafted by experts using linen rags as the essential material. This post explains the process by which rag paper was made in Europe for centuries.
Posted in: 14th Century, 15th Century, 16th Century, Book Anatomy, Education Outreach, History of the Book, Paper