page_title: Printing
section_title: Quantitative aspects
hierarchical_section_title: Printing / Impact of German movable type printing press / Quantitative aspects
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Geschätzte Buchdruckproduktion in Europa von ca. 1450 bis 1800. Ein Buch ist definiert als ein Druckwerk von mehr als 49 Seiten. English: Estimated output of printed books in Europe from ca. 1450 to 1800. A book is defined as printed matter containing more than 49 pages.
context_page_description: Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The earliest known form of printing as applied to paper was woodblock printing, which appeared in China before 220 AD. Later developments in printing technology include the movable type invented by Bi Sheng around 1040 AD and the printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. The technology of printing played a key role in the development of the Renaissance and the scientific revolution, and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.
context_section_description: It is estimated that following the innovation of Gutenberg's printing press, the European book output rose from a few million to around one billion copies within a span of less than four centuries.
caption: European output of books printed by movable type from ca. 1450 to 1800[25]
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