3 ms·
Gutenberg's press was made out of a wine press. Letters were cast in lead, then lined up on a tray under the press. The tray was inked. A piece of paper was set
by WalterBright 2mo ago
Gutenberg's press was made out of a wine press. Letters were cast in lead, then lined up on a tray under the press. The tray was inked. A piece of paper was set over the inked letters, and the wine press forced the paper onto the letters. This cut the cost of a book by a factor of 300(!).
The trouble for Gutenberg was it was too easy to duplicate his press, and that combined with not being good at business led to his bankruptcy.
- ymolodtsov 2mo agoThe paper was still expensive and there wasn't yet as much demand for books.
- jhbadger 2mo agoAnd Gutenberg still was shooting for the high-end of the market -- he had his printed Bibles touched up by artists (Illuminated capitals, some color added here and there), meaning his Bibles weren't much cheaper than hand-copied because he believed that nobody wanted just cheap, functional books.
- WalterBright 2mo agoCommoners weren't literate in those days, so I expect his literate customers would be wealthy and would be willing to pay for an illuminated book. But as books proliferated, it suddenly became advantageous for commoners to learn to read (the Bible was the typical primer used), and a virtuous cycle began and revolutionized everything.