What is the Printing Press?
A printing press is a device that uses pressure to transfer an image from some sort of prepared, inked surface to a receiving surface, like paper or cloth. The printing press was one of the great inventions of the modern age, allowing books to be mass produced, helping to encourage the dissemination of information. Although predecessors existed for some time, the first true printing press was created by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439. The invention of the printing press was largely encouraged by a growing demand for books in Europe, especially among the middle classes. Unable to afford the extremely expensive books handwritten on parchment, which could cost as much as a house or farm, students who were educated in reading and wanted to read on their own were unable to. Although screw presses existed at the time, and were widely in use in China, the actual printing press was a novel invention that helped drive down cost and make books available to those with a bit of money. Gutenberg added
