The first printing shops were run by master printers, who selected manuscripts, decided print runs, and sold the finished works. They also arranged distribution and raised capital. Apprentices at these printing shops were generally less educated and worked in the shop’s backroom, preparing the ink and dampening sheets of paper. They also helped run the presses. In later years, they would learn how to be a “compositor,” which would make them qualified to oversee the production of large volumes.
Full-color printing is an advanced form of printing which uses four different colored inks. Most people know that by mixing red, green, and blue light, you can produce any color. But colored inks work differently. They absorb some of the light and reflect the rest into the eye. The difference between the incoming light and the printed material is that the printed material’s color is subtracted from the original incoming light.
Thousands of years ago, in Song China, the first printed texts were printed. This innovation paved the way for more creative printing techniques. In addition, the emergence of movable type spurred scholarly pursuits in the region. However, the use of movable type did not spread in China until the introduction of the European printing press in the fifteenth century.
The process of printing is an essential part of paper-based publishing, transaction printing, and design. Many of us use printing daily. From stickers on our computers to posters on our walls, printing is all around us.