Johannes Gutenberg, Inventor of the Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg, Inventor of the Printing Press

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, or commonly know as

Johann Gutenberg, was the inventor of the printing press. He was born

in Mainz around 1397 and lived until around 1468. He is most known for

his inventing of a movable type, that used metals and alloys, and a

press that used an oil-based ink. This printing method was used up

until the 20th century.

Much evidence suggests that Gutenberg was born in Mainz, although

little is known about his youth. He was born third child of Frelie zum

Gensfleisch, and his second wife, Else Wirick zum Gutenberg. (Johann

Gutenberg 1) His father was a merchant, and his surname “zum

Gutenberg” was established because of the neighborhood, which they

lived. (Johann Gutenberg II) He learned the trade of goldsmith while

living in Mainz. However in the 1428’s, he and his family had to leave

due to a revolt of the craftsmen against the nobles. So, around 1430,

he went to live in Strassburg, where he remained until around 1444.

(Johann Gutenberg 1) In Strasbourg, he joined a Goldsmith’s guild,

where he taught various crafts, such as gem polishing, the

manufacturing of looking glasses, and the art of printing. (Johannes

Gutenberg I) He worked with friends and taught them his secret

profession of printing, eventually establishing his own, new better

way of printing, for which he is most famous.

Johannes Gutenberg invented a letterpress, in which there was a mold

for each letter or character. (Johannes Guttenberg II) He invented up

to three hundred, which was representative of those found on an ornate

scroll or handwritten letters. (Johannes Gutenberg I) Each letter had

a mold, which was made out of equal amounts of metal alloys. The

letters would be arranged in words, and sort of locked together in

place to form a page. This would then be placed into a printing press,

which would cover the letters in ink, and then onto many papers, so

that many copies of the same page would be produced in which a shorter