Gutenberg et la révolution de l'imprimerie

Gutenberg's Innovations in Printing

The Nature of Gutenberg's Innovations

• Gutenberg did not create revolutionary innovations but rather utilized existing techniques for new purposes.

• He did not invent movable type; the Romans had already used separate letters to compose words.

• The printing press was originally used for crushing grapes, and lead alloys were developed for artillery, not printing.

• Molds for casting characters existed prior to Gutenberg, although they were not adjustable.

Development of Printing Tools

• Steel points were available from Paudétin's founders, who produced 100 to 200 points to start book composition.

• Gutenberg gathered and improved various materials over a period of about fifteen years, demonstrating patience and intelligence in his assembly process.

Character Creation Process

• Initially, an engraver carved a reversed character into a steel punch. Once completed, this punch could no longer be altered due to its hardness.

• The punch was then pressed into a copper matrix, which was placed at the bottom of an adjustable mold where a lead-tin-antimony alloy was poured.

Typesetting and Printing Technique

• From one single punch, thousands of identical characters could be produced. Characters were arranged line by line according to a model.

• Hundreds or thousands of these characters fit together on a page without separating or interchanging during the printing process.

Impact of Printing Technology

• Regular pressure allowed for double-sided printing on sheets. The printing industry experienced immediate success as printers spread throughout Europe rapidly.

• A contemporary witness noted that more was printed in one day than what could be written in an entire year.