Printing timeline
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The Diamond Sutra, Oldest Known Dated Printed Book
The Buddhist text known around the world as the Diamond Sutra (although a more accurate translation of the Sanskrit title might be, for instance,... Read more
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Bi Sheng Invents First Known Movable Type Technology
During the reign of Chingli, [1041-1048] Bi Sheng, a man of unofficial position, made movable type. His method was as follows: he took sticky clay... Read more
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Choe Yun-ui Invents First Metal Moveable Type
At first, one cuts letters in beech wood. One fills a trough level with fine sandy [clay] of the reed-growing seashore. Wood-cut letters are... Read more
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Johannes Gutenburg Begins Operation of First Mechanical Printing Press
Around 1439, Gutenberg was involved in a financial misadventure making polished metal mirrors (which were believed to capture holy light from... Read more
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First Copies of the Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was one of the first books printed in Europe. It is an edition... Read more
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Benjamin Franklin Retires from Printing
Franklin’s printing business, along with the profits from Poor Richard’s Almanack, gave him enough financial security that he turned over the... Read more
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Alois Senefelder Invents Lithography
Problems with the printing of [Alois's] play Mathilde von Altenstein caused him to fall into debt, and unable to afford to publish a new play he... Read more
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Rotary Printing Press Invented by Richard March Hoe
In 1843, Richard invented the rotary printing press, a design much faster than the old flat-bed printing press. The design was patented in 1847 (US... Read more
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Xerography is Invented by Chester Carlson
It took Carlson 15 years to establish the basic principles of electrophotography, and he patented his developments every step along the way. He... Read more
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First Photocopier, the Xerox 914, is Introduced to the Market
The Xerox 914 was the first successful commercial plain paper copier which in 1959 revolutionized the document-copying industry. The culmination of... Read more
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Gary Starkweather Invents the Laser Printer
The laser printer was invented at Xerox in 1969 by researcher Gary Starkweather, who had an improved printer working by 1971 and incorporated into... Read more
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First Dot Matrix Printer Introduced to Market
The LA30 was a 30 character/second dot matrix printer introduced in 1970 by Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts. It printed 80... Read more
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Rainer Maria Latzke Invents the Digital Printing Technique of Frescography
Frescography (from Latin fresco - painting onto "fresh" plaster + Greek graphein - to write) is a method for producing murals digitally on paper,... Read more