cover image

Global spread of the printing press

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The global spread of the printing press began with the invention of the printing press with movable type by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany c.1439.[1] Western printing technology was adopted in all world regions by the end of the 19th century, displacing the manuscript and block printing.

Printing_towns_incunabula.svg
Spread of printing in Europe in the 15th century
European_Output_of_Printed_Books_ca._1450%E2%80%931800.png
European output of printed books from the 15th through the 18th century

In the Western world, the operation of a press became synonymous with the enterprise of publishing and lent its name to a new branch of media, the "press" (see List of the oldest newspapers).[2]