Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-11
TIE ART pREssRvAriivE ARD IT'S E1sroRY


It is difficult to cay at what period of
the worlds history people did not have
ideas upon this subject, which were the
germs OF what was to come in after ages.
The impression of the hand or foot, or of
some other object, made in soft mud or
clay and then hardened by time, or baked
by the heat of the sun, must have sug.
gested a simple and intelligent mode OF
conveying an idea, before the invention of
any kind of writing. Accordingly these
and other signs are found to compose the
chief characters of the earliest writings of
which we have any knowledge, and which
are called symbolic.
We find certain evidence that more than
1000 years before our era a method of
multiplying impressions, or, in other
words, printing existed and if we come
down to the time of the great city of Baby.
lon, which owed its chief greatness to
Nebuchadnezzar, who died sol wears be.
fore Christ, we see the brick with which
every important structure was composed
the name of that wicked king is slammed
thereon and the stamping must have been
done with die or type, on which was
raised characters capable of producing an
impression. Tneruins of Babylon at this dav
consist mainly OF three mounds l. Babii.
probably the temple Of Belos. The
Kssr. or palace of Nebuchadnezzar. This
Is an irregular square, about 700 wards
each way, surmounted with the remains Of
a square structure, the walls of which are
composed of burnt brick of pale yellow
color, of excellent quality, bound together
with lime cement and stamped with the
name of Nebuchadnezzar. 3 A mound
now called Amran, of irregular TRIANGULAR
shape, and supposed to be the ruins of a
palace older than. Nebuchadnezz,r's for
bricks have been found there inscribed
with the names of more ancient kings than
he. That 1t should have been Thought
worth while to print inscriptions upon ma.
terial destined to be built into their dwell
ings, argues that the process was not only
an uncommon one, but also that there
probably existed at the same time more
advanced and more elegant mode of i'm.
printing In their domestic and ornamental
arts. In fact, we have specimens existing
of articles of different form and sizes. from
foot high to the size of signet-to which
purpose the latter were probably applied.
as their shape indicated they had been
worn as finger rings, or hung about the
neck like charm or amulet-aud all
stamped with some characters. After this
a long time elapsed before the practice of
transferring characters from die to anv
substance, or, in other words, printing was
known to any, even comparatively civilized
people.
There is reason to believe that printing
from characters engraved upon wooden
blocks was known to the Chinese in the
sixth century, though we scarcely hear
anything of its application for four centu.
ries after, until the advantages of the art
became SO manifest that we are told that in
932 Fung Taou and LIE Yu, two ministers
of the Latter Han, memoralized the throne
to have the "Nine Classics (which had
hitherto existed only in the manuscript
revised and printed, and in about twenty
years copies were in circulation. But il
was not until the close OF the thirteenth
century that most of the literature of
former ages, which had also existed only
as writing upon manuscripts, had been
printed.
The original method of printing was
from blocks of woods. The subject to be
printed was written upon paper, which
was then laid face downward upon a
smooth block of hard wood, to the surface
of which the ink was transferred, All of
the wood, except the mixed lines. was then
cut away with sharp instrument. leaving
the Letters or characters in relief. Each
plate thus made formed a page, and the
printing was done by first mixing the char.
acters and then pressing sheet of paper
upon them, either with the hand or soft
brush, thus giving the impression. Block
printing, after the Chinese method. was
practlced IN Italy, Spain and Sicily for de-
signs on fabrics Of silk and cotton. which
were printed in ink, as early as the last
years of the twelfth century.
The next obvious advance was TIE en-.
craving of pictures upon wooden blocks,
and 1t Is generally agreed that the art was
invented toward the end OF the thirteenth
century by member of the family of
Cuniolords of Imola in Italy
Movable type, such as are now used in
printing, were European invention and
practically the art of printing waited for
the development of the manufacture of
paper, which was not staple of commerce
before the close of the fourteenth century,
And again we find the Chinese in the ad.
vance here, for they were the first to form
from vegetable fiber the web which consti.
tutes modern paper. They used the bark
o. several trees, especially the mulberry,
the bamboo, reduced to pulp by beating,
the straw OF rice and other grain, silk, cot.
ton and rags of different kinds.
1t is still question undecided as to the
person who invented, the place and the
time of the invention, OF movable types.
and the bringing of them into practical
use. The honor rests between the Dutch,
who claim the honor for Laurence Coster,
of HARLEM, who died in l44O, and the
Germans. who claim it for Johann Guten-
berg, of Mentz, who died in l46S Johann
Faust, or Fust, of Mentz, who died in
1856; and his son.in-law, Peter Schoffer.
who died in 1902. The Dutch place the
date of invention in 1923, and generally
hold that Coster was the real inventor. and
that Gutenberg, one of his workmen. stole
the invention and claimed it as his own.
In l456 johanna Gutenberg completed the
printing of the Bible in Latin, folio vol.
ume OF 63l leaves, printed on vellum-a
tine kind of parchment made from the skin
of calves, kids or lambs-and the work
must have occupied several years
The art of printing was first practiced in
Italy in l465, in France in 1869, in Eng.
land in l474, in Spain in l475. In 1900
there were only about two hundred print.
ing offices In all Europe-scarcely more
than are now found in one of our larger
cities.
1t is not necessary in this article to speak
of the manufacture of type, of the art of
stereotyping and other things of recent
date of value to the printer; but a few
words may properly be said about the
power used in printing. The first and
earliest impressions were taken, as by the
Chinese, with light pressure of the hand or
brush upon very thin paper on which their
printing was done. Then impressions were
made by laying the paper on type and
placing on it planer or smooth.faced block
OF hard wood used for leveling the type
before printing, and striking it with the
mailet. as proof slips are now often taken.
Presses, however, were soon invented for
the purpose. There are engravings which