What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind.
(Wendell Phillips)
Civilisation today would be monumentally different without the advent of print. The printing press was an unimaginably ground-breaking innovation, becoming the driving force for social change and free thinking much like the internet of today.
OHANN GUTENBERG, THE PRINTING PRESS & PRINTING COMPANIES
In the 1400s Johann Gutenberg, a German entrepreneur took it upon himself to perfect the basic form of printing that emerged in the 1300s. This technique involved wooden cut out letters or images. The wooden block would be dipped in ink and stamped onto paper, a long, arduous process to say the least.
It was after rigorous testing that Gutenberg discovered the benefits of using metal in the process, as opposed to wood. The machine he created became known as the “Movable Type Machine.” The first book to be printed with this machine was a bible, now known as the Gutenberg Bible – and today, this is worth millions! With this invention, printing companies allowed for the spread of information, changing society and propelling educational change.
It took one man’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive to propel society forward and welcome us into an age of enlightenment.
With the introduction of print, literacy grew and the masses were given the opportunity to think for themselves. It became impossible to regulate what was being printed, therefore new information, philosophies, and ideas were easily spread and society was introduced to the power of free-thinking and the independence it brings.
Studies have shown that print has power of the mind, a power that digital content does not have. Print has a direct influence on our senses, offering a truly tactile and tangible experience. You see, what a person reads through print, they actually ‘experience.’ Experience is the key to knowledge and knowledge, as they say, is power.
Print also changed our communication and helped in socialisation and economical advancements. Imagine the state of the world’s economy without the invention of the printing press and printing companies. That would mean no newspaper, packaging, advertising, magazines, business cards, signage, direct mail campaigns… the list goes on and on.
The printing press is recognised as one of the greatest revolutions in information technology, and its impact on the world is difficult to identify in summative data. It is the distribution of this technology that contributed to economic growth on city level.
Economist and Professor Jeremiah Dittmar said, European cities were seedbeds of ideas and business practices that drove the transition to modern growth. These facts suggest that the printing press had very far-reaching consequences through its impact on the development of cities.
Essentially the printing press was influential in launching centuries of progress. The ability to share information and ideas with the public through the printed page paved the way for the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and most of the forward thinking innovations of the last 2 decades – all of which have brought us to the technologically advanced and ever evolving 21st Century.
JETLINE PRINT ON DEMAND: PRINTING COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA
With branches throughout South Africa, we serve the general public, small, medium and large businesses and government institutions. The vast range of products and services we offer include: graphic design, full colour printing, black and white printing, corporate stationery, document duplication and binding, Photo books, banners, vinyl, vehicle branding, web design and much, much more!
Contact your closest Jetline branch today for more information about our products and services.
