The World, Explained · 45 sec
Printing press
A small piece of context that makes the wider world easier to read.
The useful idea
- Pressure transfers ink
A printing press is a mechanical machine that transfers ink onto materials such as paper or cloth by applying pressure to an inked surface.
- Movable type
Around 1440, the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented a method for mass-producing movable type for a printing press, beginning the Printing Revolution in Europe.
- Ideas spread
The freer circulation of information crossed borders, carried the Reformation rapidly across the continent, and supported the exchange of ideas behind the Scientific Revolution.
Why this matters
Use Printing press as context when interpreting events and claims about the world.
Try this
Use Printing press as context when interpreting events and claims about the world.
Test your recall
Which idea belongs to the explanation of Printing press?
- Pressure transfers ink — correct
- Movable type
- Ideas spread
A printing press is a mechanical machine that transfers ink onto materials such as paper or cloth by applying pressure to an inked surface.