Letterpress printing
In the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg developed a wooden printing press in Europe that used a large threaded screw to apply pressure. This machine printed 180 copies of the Bible over nearly three years with a staff of twenty people. Only 48 of these Bibles remain intact today out of the thousands originally produced. Before this invention, scribes and illuminators copied manuscripts by hand for centuries. Printers' workshops appeared in every important European metropolis by the year 1500. The Chinese inventor Bi Sheng created movable type using ceramic material in AD 1040 during the Northern Song dynasty. Gutenberg's innovation replaced the slow process of hand-copying texts with rapid mechanical reproduction. Later metal presses utilized a knuckle and lever arrangement instead of the original screw mechanism.
The Industrial Revolution brought ink rollers made of composition that passed over the face of the type to pick up fresh film. Fully automated 20th-century presses like the Kluge and Original Heidelberg Platen incorporated pneumatic sheet feed systems. Rotary presses wrapped each sheet of paper around a drum for high-speed impression work. Newspaper presses used a papier-mâché mixture called flong to create curved metal stereotype plates. These plates could print against a continuous reel of paper at speeds required for overnight production. A line shaft power system drove machinery in press rooms as seen in images from 1917. The oscillating press allowed forme to slide under a drum while paper was removed and inserted again. This mechanization helped meet the high demand for knowledge during this historical period.
John Bushell introduced letterpress printing to Canada in 1752 through the Halifax Gazette newspaper format. The first issue appeared on the 23rd of March 1752, making Bushell the first printer in areas that later became Canada. Only one known surviving copy exists today found within the Massachusetts Historical Society. Bushell had apprenticed under Bartholomew Green who died just two weeks after his press arrived in Halifax. Benjamin Harris started Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick in the United States on the 25th of September 1690. This publication represented the first form of a multi-page newspaper in the Americas. These early efforts established the foundation for widespread literacy and information distribution across North America.
Letterpress printing became largely out-of-date by the 1970s due to the rise of computers and new self-publishing methods. Many commercial print shops went out of business from the 1980s to the 1990s as they sold their equipment. Offset printing replaced traditional letterpress processes in the early 20th century with greater efficiency. Labor-intensive typesetting and vast storage needs for lead or wooden type caused the craft to fall out of favor. Commercial printers discarded presses which made them affordable and available to artisans throughout the country. Popular vintage machines like Vandercook cylinder proof presses and Chandler & Price platen presses survived this transition. The labor-intensive nature of the old process resulted in the method falling out of favor during this era.
Martha Stewart Weddings magazine began using pictures of letterpress invitations in the 1990s fueling renewed interest. Couples started wanting letterpress invitations instead of engraved, thermographed, or offset-printed options for their weddings. Small boutique studios now produce fine editions of books, upscale invitations, stationery, and greeting cards. Printers often feed paper one sheet at a time by hand on restored vintage presses. Photopolymer plates allow designers to create raised surface printing plates from digital artwork without metal type limitations. The juxtaposition of this technique and offbeat humor has proven marketable to independent boutiques and gift shops. Some printmakers use new methods alongside old ones to maintain the integrity of traditional techniques.
The composition stage involves selecting individual type letters from a case and placing them in a composing stick. The Ludlow Typograph Machine first manufactured in Chicago in 1912 cast type-high slugs from brass matrices until the 1980s. Imposition converts tied assemblages of type into a form ready to use on the press with quoins locking everything in place. Printing requires adjusting machine pressures so that type just kisses the paper transferring minimum ink. Photopolymer plates are light sensitive and cured when exposed to ultraviolet light while unexposed areas wash away with water. Ultra-violet curing inks have helped keep rotary letterpress alive for self-adhesive labels and tube laminate work. Modern machines can print up to nine colors plus varnish using various online converting processes.
Common questions
When did Johannes Gutenberg develop the wooden printing press in Europe?
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.
Who created movable type using ceramic material in AD 1040?
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.
What date was the first issue of the Halifax Gazette published by John Bushell?
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.
Why did letterpress printing become largely out-of-date by the 1970s?
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.
How do photopolymer plates work in modern letterpress printing?
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.