The first printing was done on cloth in China during the Han dynasty BC— AD and was done in so called woodblock printing. Paper was used for printing for the first time in 7th century.
Wooden movable type appeared in China by the 11th century and metal movable type in 12th century. The two main printing techniques in Asia were woodblock printing so called xylography and printing with movable type.
With woodblock printing, text or image would be carved into a block of wood in negative in mirror and covered in ink. This block would be pressed onto paper and left a correct image.
Printing with movable type was done by assembling the board with different letter types which could be changed for every different text. Process of printing with woodblock went like this: Professional calligrapher would write a text on the slightly waxed sheets of paper. This paper would be placed face down on a wooden block that had a thin layer of rice paste. Paper would then be rubbed with a flat palm-fiber brush and the trace of ink would be left on the wood.
Characters would be cut by the engraver who would cut out all the space around them with sharp-edged tools. When all cutting is done, board was placed on the horizontal table, fixed and inked with a round horsehair inking brush. Printing was done by lying of the paper on the inked surface of the block of wood and rubbing it with a long narrow pad. Paper is then taken off and left to dry.
These are to be seen nowhere more clearly than those three which were unknown to the ancients [the Greeks], and of which the origin, though recent, is obscure and inglorious; namely printing, gunpowder, and the magnet. For these three have changed the whole face and stage of things throughout the world, the first in literature, the second in warfare, the third in navigation; whence have followed innumerable changes; insomuch that no empire, no sect, no star, seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these three mechanical discoveries.
More about the History of Printing in China. With many images of rare books. Lesson Plans Resources. Technological Advances during the Song Printing By the 9th century, Chinese craftsmen had developed a way to mass produce books by carving words and pictures into wooden blocks, inking them, and then pressing paper onto the blocks.
Examples of printing woodblock and woodblock-printed book top and bronze movable type blocks and movable-type-block-printed book bottom from the National Palace Museum.
Click on the image to get more information about the objects from the NPM website. Movable Type In the 11th century movable type one piece of type for each character was invented.
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