Transcript:

The printing press is a machine for printing. It makes many copies of identical pages. The printing press today is used to print books and newspapers. It had a great influence on society, especially western society. It was "one of the most potent agents of western civilization, in bringing together the scattered ideas of thinkers".

Woodcut printing -where whole pages were cut into wooden blocks- had been around for several centuries.

In the 15th century Johannes Gutenberg improved the process. He used separate alloy letters screwed into a frame. This way, a large set of letters could make almost any page for printing.

This process was called ‘typesetting’. Each letter was in a block of metal, fixed in a frame. He could then move paper and ink over it, much like a stamp. This method was called ‘letter-press’. The letters would leave ink on the paper in the shape of the letters, creating text or illustrations.

Faster printing presses were invented during the industrial revolution. The main improvements were made in the 19th century. Two ideas altered the design of the printing press entirely.

First was the use of steam power to run the machinery. Second was the replacement of the printing flatbed with the rotary motion of cylinders. Both were done by the German printer Friedrich Koenig between 1802 and 1818.

Having moved to London in 1804, Koenig got financial support for his project in 1807. In 1810, Koenig patented a steam press "much like a hand press connected to a steam engine".

Soon other inventions were added, such as the making of cheaper paper by using wood pulp instead of rags. Later in the 19th century came machines which sped up typesetting, which was previously done by hand, letter by letter. A machine for hot metal typesetting was designed by Linotype Inc. It turned molten lead into type, ready for printing.

Many further developments in printing happened in the 20th century. Today printing presses are controlled by special-purpose computers, and the material to be printed is prepared on computers. As a consequence of these inventions, the cost of printing has fallen significantly compared to other commodities. Now, the price of a book or magazine is less determined by its production, and more by other factors, such as marketing.

Vocabulary Bank:

identical - adj. (of twins) derived from a single egg or ovum; coinciding exactly when superimposed; having properties with uniform values along all axes; exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different; being the exact same one; not any other:

influence - noun causing something without any direct or apparent effort.

century - noun a period of 100 years

improve - verb get better; to make better

separate - adj. independent; not united or joint; standing apart; not attached to or supported by anything; have the connection undone

illustration - noun a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand; artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

invent - verb come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; make up something artificial or untrue

industrial - adj. suitable to stand up to hard wear; having highly developed industries; employed in industry; of or relating to or resulting from industry; employed in industry

revolution - noun a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving; a single complete turn (axial or orbital)

machinery - noun machines or machine systems collectively; a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions

rotary - adj. relating to or characterized by rotation; marked by or moving in a circle

motion - noun a change of position that does not entail a change of location

cylinder - noun a cylindrical container for oxygen or compressed air; a chamber within which piston moves; a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases); a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line

rag - noun  a small piece of cloth or paper

design - noun the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan); a decorative or artistic work; a preliminary sketch indicating the plan for something; an arrangement scheme

consequence - noun having important effects or influence; the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual; a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

commodity - noun articles of commerce

marketing - noun shopping at a market; the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product or service; the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money