Name: Jessaine Julliane C.

Serquina
3BSE-A

• Discussion will help visualize the printing press invented by Gutenberg

During the Middle Ages, books were still handwritten by Monasteries which made
it a tedious and heavy work to spread information due to the lengthy process that
consumes much time. In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented printing through a movable
type invention intended for the religious, political, and intellectual changes in the
succeeding ages wherein handwritten pages are still being cut and carved by blocks. In
the 16th century, a huge number of pages were sold in the market and then compiled into
books to manuscripts and then led to the establishment of society’s libraries. Gutenber
established his enterprise with financial backers wherein he created ligatures for the
blocks of characters that consist of the end of a metal rod being pushed into soften copper
producing shapes of letters and punctuations. Later on, a hand casting instrument- a
rectangular channel where the matrix is inserted into the led molted to the other which
allows the instrument to cast a letter when the instrument is being opened. Then it evolved
into a “Matrix” a reusable printer with unlimited characters to produce. The evolution of
Gutenberg’s invention was then used in creation and production of the Latin Bible wherein
the first edition produced 180 copies. Then it soon added aestheticism with the
illustrations and drawings added to the printed pages. Gutenberg’s invention reached out
to many people including contemporaries, Martin Luther, emperors, kings, and the
society. Later then came out the spread of leaflets which led to the establishment of the
media information on Leipzig year 1650, where daily newspapers were distributed six
times in a week. Newspapers remained underrated until the 19th century where “Rotary
printing press” led to the triumphal march of news media. Until then, people all over the
ages ushered in radical printing technology, it was all credited to Gutenberg who laid the
foundations of modern media through his excellent invention in printing.

• Realization how big the impacts of printing press on the formation of society
I realized that the printing press wasn’t only a powerful invention that established
the production of news and information that is to be sent in many places, it wasn’t only
limited to that, because people can receive meaningful messages through the wide-
access of printing. The access for widespread of information became useful in spreading
awareness and realizations to the people in society, it is used as a voice to report and
complain about any forms of injustices and prejudices, it functions as a source of
knowledge to people, and it actually saved many lives wherein it became a very useful
tool especially during the World War 2 to send and receive important messages to keep
people alert. The invention of Gutenberg became a very useful tool in shaping and forming
our society because if people back then did not receive messages from printed sources,
then the world would probably still be chaotic because media is a very powerful source
since the message convinces every individual to move as one and function as one, and
if people had different principles especially if they are still unaware, then society wouldn’t
be organized because there was no widespread of information that will lead people to
agree and conform. Therefore, printing press really wasn’t only limited to function for
widespread and printing alone, but it takes a great role in organizing our society which is
still sustained up until the present.

• Questions may be raised what if printing press was not invented

1. Would the society still remain as it is if printing press wasn’t invented?
2. Would there be no intellectual evolution amongst people if printed books
weren’t invented and distributed?
3. If printing press was not invented, would war still continue up until today since
people are still clueless, ignorant, and unaware of the important events
happening in the world?