Who Invented Printer?

We are going to take a deep dive into the world of printers, which we will explore till the pivotal moment of its invention.

In the 15th century, there was a skilled craftsman by the name of Johannes Gutenberg. Now, this fellow lived in Mainz, Germany. He was not an ordinary inventor; he was a visionary who sought ways to make knowledge more accessible to the people.

Now, this man had a flair for curiosity and a knack for innovation. With these traits, he got inspired by the technique of block printing that took place in the East of Asia and set out to create a scalable and efficient method to reproduce the written material.

After many years of performing experiments and then refining them again and again; Gutenberg finally unveiled his masterpiece - and that was: the printing press. This ingenious device used a movable metal type that allowed the rapid printing of text on paper. This helped in ending the days of laboriously hand-copying all the manuscripts. With this new invention, books could now be produced at an unprecedented speed in Europe.

We cannot underestimate the impact that the printing press of Gutenberg had, this is because it helped spark up an intellectual revolution, which helped democratize access to information and make way for Enlightenment and Renaissance. With the invention of this machine, ideas could be shared and debated on a scale that was never imagined before, and this helped in fuelling the exchange of knowledge and the advancement of civilization.

His Journey of Life

His life is an example of inquisitiveness, setbacks, innovation, and success as mentioned before he was born in Germany and his love for metals can also be seen in his early life.

However, his life took a turn when there was chaos between two of the most powerful groups in the city - The Patricians and The Guilds.

The Guilds were known as the people who traded and knew craftsmanship and had a significant influence and hold on many industries.

Patricians were known to be very wealthy and influential, and due to that; they held a respectable sway over the affairs of the economy and politics.

With the conflict between them, hostility grew in Mainz which ultimately led to the exile of Gutenberg.

When he fled to Strasburg, he did not just stay idle. He made sure to learn various crafts and polished his skills. From cutting different gems to teaching the students - he did it all!

However, It was his secret work that got him all success.  He remained silent about his plans, but when people got to learn that he had a secret, they wanted to be partners in his work as they had given him a considerable amount for his secret work.

In the year 1438, he made a deal with three men named Andreas Dritzehn, Andreas Heilmann, and Hans Riffe.

In the deal, it was stated that they would work together for five years. However, there was a catch in this deal, and that was that if any of the partners died, their family could not take over their part of work, however, it also mentioned that they would be compensated fairly. This deal seems a little strange but this only shows how uncertain people were about their lives at that time and also displays the importance of the work that Gutenberg had started.

His story tells us that even when times are tough, you need to be creative and resilient to achieve success in your life. His life story tells us that no matter where we come from, we should always dream to go far.

Invention of the press

Andreas Dritzehn passed away at the Christmas of 1438 and his heirs tried to find a loophole in the contract as they wanted to be partners. They sent out a lawsuit against Gutenberg but they lost the suit. Also, new information came out during the trial that he was working on something else now.

After the March of 1444, his activities cannot be traced but it is quite doubtful that he would have gone back to Mainz as the fight between Mainz and Patricians had been reignited.

In 1448, October, he was known to be in Mainz where he asked his relative to lend him some money.

By the year 1450, he had polished his work a lot and hence was able to ask for 800 guilders from Johann Fust - who was quite a wealthy financier. This was one of the most sizeable funding that he had received. After two years, Fust wanted to be partners in this and added 500 guilders more for it.

However, after some time, both of them no longer saw eye to eye. Fust, a financier longer to a safe and quick return on the investments he had made while Gutenberg longer for immaculateness and brilliance.

Fust won a suit, and Gutenberg was to pay him back the first two loans along with a compound interest.

Bible Printing

So, after he lost the suit against Fust, he went deep into monetary troubles. Fust was the one that had power over the printing equipment now and this included the type for the famous Forty-Two-Line Bible and Psalter.

With the help of Peter Schöffer (an ex-employee of Gutenberg), Fust continued with the process of printing.

The Psalter that was printed in the year 1457 is known for its intricate decorations, and people think that it could only be executed because of the technical genius that Gutenberg had - it could not be the work of Peter and Fust.

The End

While there has been ongoing discussion about his financial situation towards the end of his life, it's generally believed that he wasn't in extreme poverty. This support from the archbishop indicates that he was recognized and cared for by the local authorities, ensuring that he could live with some level of comfort and dignity despite any financial challenges he may have encountered.