Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition, art: printing press
Illustration of a printing press and a composing stick from the first edition (1768–71) of the Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3, plate CXLVII, figure 1.
printing press
printing
printing press, machine by which text and images are transferred from movable type to paper or other media by means of ink. Movable type and paper were invented in China, and the oldest known extant book printed from movable type was created in Korea in the 14th century. Printing first became mechanized in Europe during the 15th century. The earliest mention of a mechanized printing press in Europe appears in a lawsuit in Strasbourg in...