Gutenberg, chemistry and the advancement of knowledge

Abstract

This article is a brief review of the history of printing, centred around the life and inventions of Johannes Gutenberg, who is widely regarded as the father of printing. Starting with what we know of the earliest developments in printing in China, the article will present the little knowledge we have about Gutenberg’s life and a summary of his contribution to the invention and development of the printing press and its associated technologies. This will be illuminated by an examination of how his most famous publication, the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, came to be created. Gutenberg’s improvements to the chemistry of metal type and printing ink are outlined. The crucial importance of printing on the development of European society in the critical periods of the Reformation and the Renaissance and in the development and culture of science is obvious, but the lasting impact of the language of printing in today’s world is surprising.