The beginning of book printing in Europe is primarily connected with the invention of paper in China. By the time the book was published, at least two-thirds of the manuscript books created were on mixed-grade paper of different quality.
The earliest information about the technical details of book publishing dates back to the 2nd century. BC e. They are contained in the Festist disk found by archaeologists in Greece (on the island of Crete). It was made of clay. On it were stamped or stamped letters. The stamping method was common in the East.
Printing methods existed at different times in various forms. In the Chinese chronicles you can find information about a blacksmith, whose name was Pi Shen. Between 1041 and 1048 he made letters from clay. According to the same annalistic information, the blacksmith also invented the ticket office, where the letters were kept. However, publications have not reached our days.
Based on archival and museum evidence, historians suggest that printing in Europe could begin in Egypt and Byzantium. The difficulty is only in confirming the theory, since there are no books published at that time.
The beginning of typography in Europe is associated with many names. So, for example, in history there is information about a certain Prokop Waldfogel. He possessed 48 metal letters and other instruments. However, the books published by him were not preserved.
Among other persons in history, there is also Jean Brito, and the doctor Pamfilio Castadi. Several sources speak of the court printer of the King of France, Nicolas Janson, who published books in Venice and Paris.
The beginning of book printing in Europe is closely connected with the church service from the Netherlands. His name was Laurence Janszon Bonfire. It is assumed that he adopted the secret of typing from eastern refugee Armenians. Closer to old age, Bonfire made movable letters for his grandchildren and printed several editions. These books have been preserved, but there is no evidence that Bonfire made them.
In many European cities, monuments have been erected to people who are more or less connected with printing. However, their priority in the invention of printing technology has not been proven by history. The idea of the publication was more clearly embodied in the middle of the 15th century.
According to many scientists, the merit of inventing the publication of books rightfully assigned to Guttenberg. It is with this name that the beginning of typography in Europe is associated. The date to which his first typographical experiments belong is 1440. At this time in Strasbourg he was engaged in the publication of the Latin grammar of the Donatus, astrological calendar, papal indulgences. After some time, returning to his hometown of Mainz, Guttenberg began to work on the publication of a complete Bible.
The 42-lower case Bible in Latin was published in the years 1453-1454. The pages of the book (1282 in total) contained 42 rows arranged in two columns. Elements of decoration of the publication were made manually.
After the death of Guttenberg in 1468, printing was continued by his students. They spread the word about the publication technology invented by the master throughout Germany and then Europe. Guttenberg created not only the first printing equipment, but also came up with a method for making a font and a mold. In addition, he belongs to the idea of creating a special alloy composition for low tide letters.
The history of printing in Russia began in the middle of the 16th century. The founder of printing in the Moscow state was Ivan Fedorov. The first book (dated), The Apostle, was published in 1564 by the Moscow Printing House. Fedorov and his assistant Pyotr Mstislavets worked on its creation . By the 17th century, there were several printing houses in Russia. However, until the very end of the 18th century, printing technology did not undergo significant changes. Peter 1 changed only the font - introduced civil instead of the Old Slavonic letter.