Movable type demo – Gutenberg’s invention changed Western civilization.
This is a video showing a modern, and smaller, letter press, using the same “movable type” method that Gutenberg invented around 1439. Note that each individual letter was made out of metal and could be reused, thereby crossing the threshold from permanent block engravings that needed to have the entire piece created and could only be used on one project.
After movable type was invented, any village could begin producing their own newspapers, fliers, and other notices, on short order. A news story could be created and printed in a matter of hours, where before that it would take a craftsman weeks to produce a hand-engraved plate of a message.
In this letterpress demo you’ll also understand why letterpress is today considered an art form.
[...] shared a great demo on letterpress printing that I really enjoyed. This great little movie really captures the physicality and beauty of the [...]
By: Cool letterpress movie! « Printing Disasters on April 22, 2009
at 7:07 am
Cool movie, isn’t it?
By: naniprints on August 10, 2011
at 3:51 am