Happy international printing day
JOBURG – Celebrate international printing day by taking a look at printing now and then.
In South Africa, very little is known about the printing and packaging industry and its role in our daily lives.
This can be said for printing as a history in our world.
Steve Thobela CEO of Printing SA said, “The pace at which technological developments are happening in the printing and packaging industry has increased more in recent years than during the past decade or two. Companies and even individuals who have not adapted fast enough rapidly become the dinosaurs of the industry.”
Printing started approximately in 200BC with wood block printing – pieces of paper were laid on the engraved wooden piece and the engravings were then transferred. This was only brought from China to Europe in the 1400s.
Printing developed at different times throughout the world but below is a list of when printing presses appeared across Europe:
- The Gutenberg made its first appearance around 1439, many of us are more familiar with the Gutenberg Printing Press. A big accomplishment was the first publication of a full-length Bible in Latin called the Vulgate.
- Italian press is founded in 1464
- Venice, Paris and Utrecht in 1470,
- Spain and Hungary in 1473,
- Bruges in 1474 (on a press owned by Caxton, who moves it to London in 1476),
- Sweden in 1483.
The later 1400s were influential years in the printing world where most of Europe were well established in the industry.
From here onwards massive strides were made in printing from that of combining graphics with text to colour printing and to mass printing.
Now 3D printers are easily available to the general public. DNA printing is moving into becoming a useful tool in a forensic study as you can track fingerprints and discover genetic information.
Take a look a two original Heidelberg printing presses that are still operational.
