The Art of Printing

In the good old days, books were written by hand. Calligraphy or the art of handwriting was highly developed in the Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Vedic civilizations. While in India palms leaves were used to write on, the Chinese people used silk for writing. Each book had its individuality, according to the skill of the writer.

The art of printing was evolved in China primarily to cater to the demand of the Buddhist monks for reproduction of prayers. Hence, the need aroused for taking the aid of printing from blocks.

The discovery of paper in China greatly helped in the invention of printing.

The Chinese people used movable wooden types and most probably the Koreans invented metal types in the 14th century.

The Europeans adopted this method of printing in the 15th century.

The key factor that was responsible for the surging use of printing and the perfection of the mechanical process during the 15th century was the revival of writing.

As the quest for knowledge enhanced, books on science and philosophy also increased considerably. This is how the art of printing made rapid development.

The modern art of printing has congregated traders, artists and scholars under one room for the first time and has enmeshed them into a close bond.

To sum up, the phenomenal development of the modern world would have been next to impossible virtually without the printing press.