Who invented printing?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Mark Mizen

Why do we credit Gutenberg, who lived from 1398 to 1468, with the invention of movable type, when this innovation was known in China by the 11th century and in Korea in the 13th century? See History of Printing in East Asia. We ought to get the basic historical facts correct; yet I, along with many others, was taught that Gutenberg invented the technology behind modern printing.

The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester provides an insightful look into how many innovations developed in China much earlier than previously thought. I now realize that many facts that I had thought were correct, such as Gutenberg’s invention, were far from the truth.

When I get a chance, I am going to revise Gutenberg’s entry in Wikipedia.

About Mark Mizen

I have over twenty years professional experience in all aspects of photography and digital imaging. I am Chair of the ISO WG5 TG2 committee responsible for physical properties and durability of imaging material and am currently with HID Global working on systems for security printing for IDs, licenses, and credit cards. Previously, I was Director of Digital Development at Creative Memories from 2009 to 2012 and was responsible for the Creative Memories digital products and services. I also established and directed the Creative Memories Technology Center, which evaluated new products prior to product introduction, assisted with production difficulties, and provided technical information to support product sales.

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