printing history
One of the greatest landmarks of human history is the invention of printing in the middle of the 15th century. Printing made possible the flow of ideas throughout the world. Johann Gutenberg, a German inventor, is credited with it’s discovery. However, other elements contributed to the realization of his ideas.
These included a system of written symbols used to communicate ideas. The alphabet, developed by the Phoenicians about 1500BC, was improved by the Anglosaxons who provided our current version. Ink, also a part of the equation, was in use in Germany prior to Gutenberg’s first printing attempts. The final necessity for the evolution of printing was paper, which the Chinese invented about 105 A.D. All the technology needed for printing had been developed by the 15th century. At this time, there was a growing interest in education and, in turn, a larger demand for printed materials.
Throughout the years, the elements of printing have remained constant. The process, however, has changed drastically. Press speeds in the 15th century amounted to 300-500 printed sheets a day. Today you’ll find a phenomenal 15,000 sheets per our rolling off the presses. Sophisticated electronic equipment is an industry standard as we move into the 21st century. We realize this. and are quick to act on the purchase of innovative products. That’s one of the things that keeps Norwork on the Cutting edge of technology.
After the invention of the printing press, there was a little activity in printing technology. The first press in the United States used the same design that Gutenberg had created 200 years earlier. Printing was still done on a handpress, and paper was still made by hand.
A series of inventions in the 19th century brought about drastic changes in the process. The cylinder press used a rotating cylinder to apply pressure to type on a flat surface. This quadrupled printing speeds to about 1,100 sheets per our. The rotary press passed paper between two curved surfaces. In 1865, a web-fed press was developed that printed both sides of the paper simultaneously, and also printed on a continuous roll instead of separate sheets. Since World War II, more changes have been introduced in printing than in the previous 500 years. Major innovations included phototypesetters, justification, electronic scanning machines and electrostatic screen printing.
Norwork is a leader when it comes to Booklets and Manuals for multiple industries in north America.
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