Short answers, pulled from the story.
Johannes Gutenberg developed a wooden printing press in Europe during the mid-15th century. This machine used a large threaded screw to apply pressure and printed 180 copies of the Bible over nearly three years with a staff of twenty people.
The Chinese inventor Bi Sheng created movable type using ceramic material in AD 1040 during the Northern Song dynasty. This invention preceded Gutenberg's innovation by several centuries and utilized different materials for relief printing.
John Bushell introduced letterpress printing to Canada when the first issue appeared on the 23rd of March 1752. Only one known surviving copy exists today found within the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Letterpress printing became largely out-of-date by the 1970s due to the rise of computers and new self-publishing methods. Labor-intensive typesetting and vast storage needs for lead or wooden type caused the craft to fall out of favor as offset printing replaced traditional processes.
Photopolymer plates are light sensitive and cured when exposed to ultraviolet light while unexposed areas wash away with water. These plates allow designers to create raised surface printing plates from digital artwork without metal type limitations.