The earliest known movable type was created in China in the 11th century using a system of ceramic tiles that could be shift and rearranged to print. This movable type was so popular in China that variation of it were used until the 17th century.
Modern typography and printing can be attributed to Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg, originally a goldsmith, began experimenting with movable type casts from matrices as early as 1440. He created movable type out of a lead alloy that proved so effective that it is still in use today. Because of the inexpensive nature of his alloy, he was able to come up with a way to print multiple copies of a work, allowing for the first mass production of texts. His printing press launched the printing revolution and is arguably one of the world's most important inventions. The first book printed on his press was the Bible, and this Guttenberg Bible is one of the world's most collectible books due to its history and artistry. Only forty-nine copies still survive. The style of the Gutenberg Bible resembles early hand written books. As printing expanded, so did the many different typefaces which expanded the design of books.
Typography is the art of arranging letters and text in a way that makes the copy legible, clear, and visually appealing to the reader. A typeface is a design style which compromises a myriad of characters of varying sizes and weight, whereas a font is a graphical representation of text charcter. Put simply, a typeface is a family of related fonts, while fonts refer to the weights, widths, and styles that constitute a typeface. Think of your computer and the dropdown menu where you can select from a variety of typefaces: Times New Roman, for example and then you can make decisions as to the size or format of the typeface.
However, it is important to note that not only were books printed before Gutenberg but there were numerous people across the European continent, particularly in Avignon, Bruges, and Bologna that were also developing presses with moveable type at the same time as Gutenberg. The most notable of these were Johannes Fust and Peter Schöffer.
Guides: History of Books and Printing @ Archives & Special Collections: First Century of Printing. (2022). https://pitt.libguides.com/historybooksprinting/firstcentury
Johann Gutenberg by
Printing: A brief History:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p
William Caxton and early Printing in Britain:
https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/william-caxton
-and-the-introduction-of-printing-to-england#
Oregon State Special Collections:
http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/
Bookbinding terms, methods and Models
https://travelingscriptorium.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/binding-booklet-2015.pdf
Typography is the art of arranging letters and text in a way that makes the copy legible, clear, and visually appealing to the reader. A typeface is a design style which compromises a myriad of characters of varying sizes and weight, whereas a font is a graphical representation of text charcter. Put simply, a typeface is a family of related fonts, while fonts refer to the weights, widths, and styles that constitute a typeface. Think of your computer and the dropdown menu where you can select from a variety of typefaces: Times New Roman, for example and then you can make decisions as to the size or format of the typeface.
History of Typography
The earliest known movable type was created in China in the 11th century using a system of ceramic tiles that could be shift and rearranged to print. This movable type was so popular in China that variation of it were used until the 17th century.
Modern typography and printing can be attributed to Johannes Gutenberg, who began his career as a goldsmith. He created movable type out of a lead alloy that proved so effective that it is still in use today. Because of the inexpensive nature of his alloy, he was able to come up with a way to print multiple copies of a work, allowing for the first mass production of texts. His printing press launched the printing revolution and is arguably one of the world's most important inventions. The first book printed on his press was the Bible, and this Guttenberg Bible is one of the world's most collectible books due to its history and artistry. Only forty-nine copies still survive.
