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The History of Printing

Printing was invented in the 15th century and spread rapidly across Europe between 1457 and 1500. By the end of the 15th century, printing presses had been established in most European kingdoms except Russia. Early printing was dominated by Germany, where more books were published than anywhere else. However, by the late 15th century the highest quality printing was coming out of Italy, particularly Venice, due to printers like Aldus Manutius who developed more elegant typefaces inspired by Italian scripts.

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38 views1 page

The History of Printing

Printing was invented in the 15th century and spread rapidly across Europe between 1457 and 1500. By the end of the 15th century, printing presses had been established in most European kingdoms except Russia. Early printing was dominated by Germany, where more books were published than anywhere else. However, by the late 15th century the highest quality printing was coming out of Italy, particularly Venice, due to printers like Aldus Manutius who developed more elegant typefaces inspired by Italian scripts.

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Lia Șonțu
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The history of printing

Printing, or the process of reproducing text and images, has a long history behind it
The spread of printing: 1457-1500
An invention as useful as printing, in a Europe of increasing prosperity, readily finds new
customers.
The first Italian press is founded in 1464, at the Benedictine town of Subiaco in the papal
states. Switzerland has a press in the following year. Printing begins in Venice, Paris and Utrecht
in 1470, in Spain and Hungary in 1473, in Bruges in 1474 (on a press owned by Caxton, who
moves it to London in 1476), in Sweden in 1483. By the end of the century the craft is well
established in every European kingdom except Russia.
During the early decades, German printing predominates. More books are published in
Germany than anywhere else (by 1500 there are printers in some sixty German towns); German
printers carry the craft secrets abroad; and foreign printers come to Germany to study as
apprentices.
The earliest typography is therefore in the Black-letter styleof contemporary German
manuscripts. But by the end of the century the most fashionable and influential printing is being
done in Italy, with a corresponding change in appearance.
From the 1470s, when Nicolas Jenson establishes a press there, Venice becomes a city known
for the quality of its printing. Its preeminence in the field is firmly established by the end of the
century through the publications of Aldus Manutius.
These Venetian printers develop type faces more open and elegant than the German black-
letter tradition, deriving them from the scripts of the Italian humanists. In doing so, they
provide the book trade with two of its most lasting typographical conventions - Roman and
italic.

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