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Why did printing help spread a standard form of German?

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Thematic map of Europe displaying the distribution of Germanic languages, with different colors indicating regions where English, German, Netherlandic (Dutch), Frisian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese are spoken. Striped areas mark regions where bilingualism is common, and language regions cover countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and parts of surrounding countries. — West Germanic languages Distribution of the Germanic languages in Europe.

The invention of the printing press was a pivotal factor in the development of a standard form of German. Printers were motivated by a desire to reach the widest possible audience, which encouraged them to move away from localized dialects in favor of a more uniform language that could be understood across different regions.1

This standardization was significantly aided by the use of East Middle German dialects, which were relatively uniform and served as the official language for various chancelleries, including that of Saxony. Martin Luther based his influential Bible translation on this specific dialect. Because the printing press allowed for the mass production and wide distribution of his work, it helped solidify this East Middle German variety as the foundation for modern Standard German.1