Printing as we know it began in 1450 with the development of movable type in Germany by Johan Gutenberg and his two partners, Fust and Schoeffer. Printing with movable types had been done at least 400 years earlier by the Chinese, but because of the large number of characters in the Chinese language, the process was abandoned in China. Gutenberg and his associates proved it could be done and the printing business was off and running. Perhaps crawling would be a better word due to all the resistance this new process received. Early presses were licensed by the State and in those days the State meant the Church. Most of the printing of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries involved either State or Church documents. The first press in America was brought to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1639 to print bibles for the Indians. Printing did not always enjoy the protection it does today in America. Many early politicians and public figures recognized the potential of printing on the advance of literacy. Some attempted to promote the process in the name of educating the masses while others attempted to stifle its growth in order to maintain control.

Printing is a very necessary and important part of life today. It is important to consider the difficulties printing had to overcome both technological and political to achieve its place in society.

393 Milton Drive
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Phone: 304-675-3802

austin@printsbyaj.com

The following are sites with more information on Art, Crafts, and Letterpress Printing and its History.

American Amateur Press Association

West Virginia Commission on the Arts

Amalgamated Printers Association - APA