Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, or commonly know as Johann Gutenberg, was the inventor of the printing press. He was born in Mainz around 1397 and lived until around 1468. He is most known for his inventing of a movable type

Authors Avatar

 

Johannes Gutenberg, Inventor of the Printing Press

        Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, or commonly know as Johann Gutenberg, was the inventor of the printing press. He was born in Mainz around 1397 and lived until around 1468. He is most known for his inventing of a movable type, that used metals and alloys, and a press that used an oil-based ink. This printing method was used up until the 20th century.

        Much evidence suggests that Gutenberg was born in Mainz, although little is known about his youth. He was born third child of Frelie zum Gensfleisch, and his second wife, Else Wirick zum Gutenberg. (Johann Gutenberg 1) His father was a merchant, and his surname “zum Gutenberg” was established because of the neighborhood, which they lived. (Johann Gutenberg II) He learned the trade of goldsmith while living in Mainz. However in the 1428’s, he and his family had to leave due to a revolt of the craftsmen against the nobles. So, around 1430, he went to live in Strassburg, where he remained until around 1444. (Johann Gutenberg 1) In Strasbourg, he joined a Goldsmith’s guild, where he taught various crafts, such as gem polishing, the manufacturing of looking glasses, and the art of printing. (Johannes Gutenberg I) He worked with friends and taught them his secret profession of printing, eventually establishing his own, new better way of printing, for which he is most famous.

Join now!

Johannes Gutenberg invented a letterpress, in which there was a mold for each letter or character. (Johannes Guttenberg II) He invented up to three hundred, which was representative of those found on an ornate scroll or handwritten letters. (Johannes Gutenberg I)  Each letter had a mold, which was made out of equal amounts of metal alloys. The letters would be arranged in words, and sort of locked together in place to form a page. This would then be placed into a printing press, which would cover the letters in ink, and then onto many papers, so that many copies of ...

This is a preview of the whole essay