![]() The new presses dramatically decreased the cost of producing books and increased the number of copies available, which meant more and more people could access them – and learn to read them.įree speech became hard to quell. This, of course, meant that unless you were rich, you had nothing to read anyway. Before the printing press, scribes painstakingly reproduced texts by hand at a cost that was more than could be borne by anyone but the church or aristocracy. Reading and writing were the preserve of the ruling minority, simply because they were wealthy enough to be educated and own books, and everyone else was not. This ability to reproduce and disseminate information shook the establishment and had profound implications that we can still feel today. By 1500, records show that almost 40,000 books had been printed in 14 European countries. From this important milestone, printing spread in the same way that everything else did at that time – people who had worked with Gutenberg went into the trade and taught others – so very quickly presses appeared in France, Italy, Spain and England. It was initially used to print pamphlets and other small items, but in 1452 Gutenberg triumphantly printed 180 bibles of 1300 pages each. In truth, no one really knows exactly who invented the technique, but what we do know is that the Gutenberg press was the first to be used commercially in Europe. Gutenberg’s printing press was not the first time text had been printed to a surface. The written word was for the few, not the many. Propaganda was strategically propagated by churches and rulers either for financial benefit or to subdue the populous. News arrived through merchants and sailors, who moved between countries and towns, sharing what they had learned on their travels. Songs and folktales were memorised to be shared in the great oral tradition and gossip and rumour was rife. In a time before media our ‘inputs’, for want of a better description, were far fewer, and limited to word of mouth. Friends and family, what we hear on the news, what we read on social media or ideas gleaned from books and magazines – the circles of influence within which we sit are wide and abundant. Our thoughts, opinions and the way we go about our lives are shaped and determined by the information we receive from others. No matter how much we value our independent thinking, we are – whether we like it or not – often at the behest of constant and multiple tides of influence. Ink, Toner & Paper Ink, Toner & Paper .PIXMA Print Plan printers PIXMA Print Plan printers .Print memories on-the-go with a small and lightweight portable printer. ![]() Portable Printers Portable Printers Portable Printers.Take complete creative control of your images with PIXMA and imagePROGRAF PRO professional photo printers. Professional Photo Printers Professional Photo Printers Professional Photo Printers. ![]()
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