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How did Pi Sheng make movable type in 11th-century China?
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typography
Stanley Morison designed the typeface called Times New Roman.
Between 1041 and 1048, the Chinese inventor Pi Sheng developed the first system of movable type using an amalgam of clay and glue, which he hardened by baking.1
To compose a text, he arranged these individual characters on an iron plate coated with a mixture of resin, wax, and paper ash. By gently heating the plate, the mixture softened, allowing the type to be set firmly in place; once the plate cooled, the type was held securely for printing. After the impression was made, the plate could be reheated to detach the characters, making the type indefinitely reusable. This process provided an early, comprehensive solution to the challenges of manufacturing, assembling, and recovering type for typography.1