The digital media is currently ruling the world. It has somewhat reduced the importance of print media. Diving deep into history, we would find the invention of print media was a significant step towards a better future. Print media, over time, has helped in sharing a lot of information. Even today, print is one of the major ways of sharing data and information. The invention of print media is a major pronouncement of our time.
The invention of print
A very basic form of printing was developed around late 1300 and early 1400 century. It involved letters or images cut on blocks of wood. This method was time-consuming and hard to process. About the latter half of the 1430s, a German goldsmith and craftsman Johann Gutenberg planned on speeding up the process. He began experimenting with both xylography and printing methods. He realized that he could use cut blocks within a machine and planned to break down the conventional wooden blocks into individual components for lower and upper case letters, punctuation marks, etc. Next, he cast these movable blocks of letters and symbols out of various metals. This method helped him in producing texts in greater numbers within a shorter span of time.
Impact of the printing press
The common people were benefited by this invention. Gutenberg’s invention helped in printing a large number of books. Soon the hand-inked books that were common in those days among the elite class were replaced and the mass-produced books took over the market. The elite class was not very satisfied with this change. However, for the commoners, the invention was viral. Printed texts became a new way of spreading information. The cost of printing and also the time was reduced. More books were printed and sold in the market. This increased the number of readers.
In the past, common people were mostly uneducated as there were a limited number of books available. Also, the available books were mostly in Latin. Not many people then could read or write the language. Thus, the rate of educated people was numbered. Gutenberg’s invention paved the way for books that were printed in regional languages. This benefited the readers who didn’t know Latin. The printing press also helped in standardizing language, grammars and spellings. Slowly, with time, the printing press became popular among people and played a huge role in the Renaissance.
The printing press has evolved with time. Currently, the world is dependent on it largely. Although, the digital media seems to be more powerful, yet, print media is indispensable. Anderson Printing House celebrates the old form of communication even today and is one of the leading printing houses in Kolkata. For printing the finest quality brochure, coffee table books, calendars and more visit www.andersonindia.in