The 1455 Gutenberg Movable Type Printing Press, created by Johannes Gutenberg, is revered as one of the greatest and most innovative inventions of its time. Through this invention and its following improvements over the years, work that would take months or even years could be completed in mere days or weeks. This immense improvement in printing time made it possible for Bibles and other literary works to be mass-produced and spread across Europe with ease, which aided in leading the world out of its thousand years of “Dark Ages.”
This invention worked in a very unique way from that of other printing presses of its era. The operator would place the letters for the page (called a “movable type”) in the correct arrangement over a wooden plate, known as a platen. Once the movable type was set on the lower platen, the letters would then be covered with a coat of fresh ink before placing a piece of paper on top of the movable type. The operator would then compress another upper platen on top of the page, which would create clear and sharp images onto each page. The process was then completed for as many pages as were required. This method helped to alleviate the amount of human error that was present in hand-written productions and would eliminate the need for creating a new printer or letter type for each page since the letters could be rearranged after use, which other printers were not able to do during that era.
This finely crafted non-printing replica is the perfect addition to any Bible collection that aims to remind its viewers of the English Bible's humble yet miraculous beginnings.
Product Dimensions:
21" x 17.5" x 24.5"
Product Weight:
23 lbs.
