GUTENBERG GENZFLJAJSH JOHANN. ART OF THE ARTIFICIAL LETTER

Attempts to replace expensive manuscripts on cheap prints were undertaken very much for a long time. In II century in China the paper which subsequently has replaced expensive parchment has been invented. In VII century in Korea, China and Japan texts have started to print with the wooden engraved boards. Later, in XI century, the Chinese masters made already separate hieroglyphs of ceramics and printed at once very many copies of the text; in XIII century in Korea letter marks became already from metal. In Europe attempts of printing of books have been undertaken considerably later - in the end the XIV-beginning of XV century the First known print from a wooden board is dated 1418, and in 1446 the first press from copper boards has been executed.

In 1444 the hearing was carried that in Avignon the Prague jeweller Prokop Valdfogel has invented ' art of the artificial letter ' - possibly, by means of a set of brands. Johann Gutenberg has gone much further. He has decided to engrave not whole page from which it is possible to make a small amount of prints, and separate letters. From these symbols the inventor has suggested to put words and lines. Gutenberg the first has applied a folding font though some researchers believe that in Europe it all the same had predecessors.

Metal letters-letters for a font cast from an alloy in which lead prevailed. Them placed in a case, whence the type-setter took necessary letters and selected in a special framework a line. It spread on a galley. A set for page wound with a severe thread that it did not part, and greased with a typographical paint from soot and linen oil (drying oil). On a set stacked the sheet of the humidified paper placed in a framework. Having dried sheet, on it did a print of the text of a back. Ready sheets smoothed under a press, put in bales, levelled and bound.

Differently, Johann Gutenberg has invented and has carried out the full cycle of printing manufacture including bukvootlivnoj, type-setting and printing processes: has united in a single whole system of metal letters; has created an alloy from lead, zinc and antimony, and also the equipment for casting of letters from this alloy; has thought up and has made a case and the adaptation for a set of lines from letters and columns from lines; has invented a typographical paint, and also a tampon for its drawing on a ready set; has made the press printing machine which allowed to receive fine prints of book pages. One of the major inventions Guttenberga deserving special attention, - a manual press. Its design has appeared so successful that remained without basic constructive changes within almost 350 years. Not too it is a lot of in the history of mankind of the events comparable on scales of influence with this technically simple invention.