PRINT CULTURE

AND THE
MODERN WORLD
BEWARE !....QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED AT THE END
 HAVE YOU EVER IMAGINED A
LIFE WITHOUT SEEING PRINTED
TEXT AROUND YOU ?

TOPICS TO BE DONE :
World before print
Invention of paper
Hand printing
Print comes to Europe
Print Revolution
Print Revolution and its impacts
 What happened before printing techniques came into
existence?

Skilled craftsmen could duplicate,

with remarkable accuracy, the AKHLAQ-I-NASIRI, 1595
beauty of calligraphy. by Nasiruddin Tusi
BOOK MAKING before
the age of print.
INVENTION OF PAPER
 HAND PRINTING TECHNIQUE
•First print technology was developed in
China, Japan and Korea.
•The hand printing technique dates
back to 594 AD.
•By this technique, books were printed
by rubbing paper against the inked
surface of the woodblocks.

Hand printing / Woodblock printing

•As the printing paper would be very thin and

porous, both sides couldn't be used to print.
•So the sheets were folded and stitched
together to make a book.
•This traditional book was called the
Accordion book in China.

Chinese accordion book

 PRINT IN JAPAN
•Buddhist missionaries
from China introduced
the printing technology
in Japan around 768-
770 AD.
•DIAMOND SUTRA-
oldest Japanese text
printed in 868 AD.

A page from the Diamond Sutra.

 PRINT COMES TO EUROPE

Silk route through which printing technology flowed

from China to Europe.
MARCO POLO
•He was a
great explorer
who travelled
to China.
•He brought
the hand print
technology to
Italy in 1295.
 PRINT REVOLUTION

The shift from hand printing to mechanical printing led to the print revolution.
THE FIRST EVER
PRINTING PRESS
THE PRINTING PROCESS

A PRINTER’S WORKSHOP in the 16th century

 •All the
activities took
place under one
roof.
•The
compositors
composed the
text for
printing.

•The galleys
were prepared
and the metal
types were
inked.
•Printing and proof reading was also done in the same workshop.

•The final product would be kept to dry up and to be bound later on.
Gutenberg printed about180 copies of the Bible
in 3 years which was still fast production by the
standards of time.
The text was printed in the metal type in black
colour.
The coloured parts you see here were designed
by skilled artists by hands.
No two copies were same.
 IMPACTS OF PRINT
On children REVOLUTION
On revolutionaries
On scientists
On French revolution
On religion
IMPACT ON CHILDREN
•In the late 19th century, primary
schooling became compulsory
which made children an
important category of readers.
•Thus, publishing of school
textbooks became critical for the
publishing industry.
• Also, The Grimm Brothers in
Germany spent years compiling
traditional folk tales for children.
 IMPACT ON REVOLUTIONARIES
The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques
Rousseau were widely printed and read.

ROUSSEAU PAINE VOLTAIRE

IMPACT ON SCIENTISTS
•The ideas of scientists and
philosophers. became more
accessible to the common
people
•Ancient and medieval
scientific texts were
compiled and published.
•When scientists like Isaac
Newton began to publish
their discoveries, they
could influence a much
wider circle of Isaac Newton
scientifically minded
people.
IMPACT ON FRENCH REVOLUTION
THREE ARGUMENTS
•Print popularised the idea of Enlightened thinkers.
•Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate.
•By the end of 1780s there was an outpouring of literature that mocked the
royalty and criticised their morality.
IMPACT ON RELIGION
•Note everyone welcomed
the printed book.
•Especially talking about
Christianity, the church and
monarchs strongly opposed
it as they feared that wide
circulation of books would
lead people to question their
religion.
•In 1517, Martin Luther
criticised the Roman
Catholic Church.
•This lead to the division
within the Church and the
beginning of the protestant
reformation.
 LETS CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
 Who brought print to Europe?.
Marco Polo

Identify the following personality.

Johannes Gutenberg

Where was paper invented?

China

Who criticised the Roman Catholic Church for its rituals and practices
and ultimately led the division within the church?

Martin Luther
THE END

NOW OVER
TO YOU
FAYZA