Today, in the age of digital media and information technology, the importance of print media is the same as it was years before. It may be that it is the convenience of reading something at any time that keeps hard copies more popular. Even in our offices, where most of the commerce and information exchange takes place over the Internet, items like laser tone cartridges and bulk ink are still a very important part of office supplies. It seems that nothing is going to take the place of print media. While the use of print and print media seems to have no end even in the future, one is really curious about the history of this medium. Let’s go back in time and look for the first successful attempt at making engravings by man.
Many historians trace the story back to the time of Mesopotamia, around 3000 BC. C., but there is hardly any evidence to prove it. However, the earliest actual record is known to be of block prints used around 200 AD. C. in China. Initially it was used to stamp on clothing. As the use of paper became common in China and East Asia, the same technique was also used on paper. Nearly two centuries later, the Romans also used the same printing techniques on both paper and clothing. The earliest example of a complete print compilation along with illustrations is the Tiananmen Scrolls. It was printed in China in AD 868. In Korea, the same block technique was further improved by using metal instead of wood.
Later, during the 9th and 10th centuries, the same technique was used on clay, wood, metal, stone, and even glass in the Middle East. The Arabs and Egyptians used the technique to print prayer books and amulets. With the Arab invasion of Europe and Central Asia, this technique also traveled. However, also in Europe it was used to print religious banners and scrolls, mainly on cloth.
As this technique was taking over the world, the Chinese invented another technique in the year 1040AD. This was the impression of moving objects. The basic technique was still the block method, but the components were actually mobile. The earliest example of a book printed using this method is a Korean book, ‘Jijki’. It required a lot of effort to move the tablets.
During 1843, an American inventor, Richard March Hole, introduced a new technique. In this technique, the image or text to be printed is wrapped around a cylinder which is then pressed or rolled onto the substrates. With few improvements made over time, it remained a very popular printing technique throughout the world.
Offset printing was later invented during 1875. The technique was initially developed for printing on tinplate, but has now become the most common type of printing used for paper. Although good for large-scale printing purposes, the increase in daily printing requirements led to the development of the newest printing technique, laser printing. It’s fast and convenient, and the equipment isn’t too heavy or bulky. This is the technique that home and office printers are based on.
