History, Importance
It's commonly known
that Gutenberg has invented a printing press in
1450, but it's interesting detail, that in Ancient Babylon
people had known how to make and use seals. Gutenberg's print was
as them relief, he just (so!!) added moving type, that could
be used more than once. He was the first who did it, but printing
as well was known in China or Japan, about 2000 years ago.
But they used printing blocks.
What
did people do to
print many years ago.
First they had to make the paper. The paper-maker
put the pile of paper and felt in a paper press. It squashed the pile
to make the paper smoothly. When it was completly dried it was sent
to the printer. The man had to put the letters one by one into a piece
of word - it's a composing stick, he was a compositor. When the
printer locked a whole page of letters inti a frame, he dabbed the
letters with ink-covered leather balls. He pressed the paper
and forme together to print it. The printing press often printed half
a sheet of paper at time. He also had to hang up printed sheets to
dry.
THE TECHNICS of printing.
- Relief printing
To do this people need a forme with relief letter. It is covered
with a paint. Then a paper is put on it and pressed with a roller.
When they take it off, the letter is on the paper.
- Litography
It's the most popular now. On a plate only the letter (image) is
covered with grease, the rest is with water. The grease absorbs
the paint, a place with water doesn't. People put a paper on it and
the roller presses it. The image is copied on a paper.
- Rotogravure
The image is composed of many little holes, they can have different
size. Then it is covered with paint. A metal blade rasps it and the
paint is only in the holes. The roller presses the paper to the
plate. The image is copied now.
XSEROGRAPHY
was invented by Chester Carlson
in 1938. The alluminium plate is covered with, for example,
selenium, that electrifies when the light is on it. A text or picture
we want to copy we put on the plate, it is irradiated. A charge
stays where were the letters. Then it is covered with a powder,
dry paint. It makes exactly the same view as the image. Modern ones
do it in few seconds.
WHY
is printing so important?
Can you imagine living without it? All books, newspapers, magazines
and notices are shown to the world thanks to the printing. It's
one of the most important now inventions.
DID YOU KNOW?
The first printers in England was open in 1476 by
William Caxton.
1465 - First printers in Italy, 1466,
first one in Switzerland, in 1470 - in France,
in Poland in 1474,
in 1480 - there were 30 printers in Germany.
Sweden - 1483, Russia in 1493
1539 - first one in America,
in Australia first was onen in XVIIIth century.
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