The Gutenberg Revolution

Summaries:
Johannes Gutenberg is credited with drastically altering the method of textual production with his invention of moveable type and the printing press, which allowed books to be produced and manufactured at an increasingly rapid rate. With his contributions, he introduced a method of mass production, as well as mass communication, which was not necessarily a simple task for Gutenberg. He was met with various trials and tribulations, and his experimentation was accompanied by financial struggle. This new form of machinery and text production was well-accepted and buyers were lining up before he had even fully completed his work. Seeing as Gutenberg had put forth such a large investment,this awe and wonderment, as well as a general demand for legible text, did not go unnoticed, and impacted his ability as well as his willingness to continue with his invention, influencing the world of textual production for the better.

The specific technique associated with Gutenberg's press started with the creation of the character. For each character, a punch was cut into steel, which was then used to stamp the character into a copper matrix that had fixed dimensions and a hinge that filled with hot liquid metal, creating a set mold. The molds were all uniform and included the different type cases (upper/lower), representing every letter of the alphabet. The letters could be compacted on the page and then after the actual press, were disassembled and washed in order to begin the next page.

The printing press introduced the idea of standard uniform production, obviously differing from the slight variances that accompany the prior manuscript culture. The size of the characters, as well as the layout were becoming an established factor associated with mass production. Although this was the new norm, compositors often encountered issues regarding allotted space on a page. They were therefore required to alter spelling and grammar, as well as implement contractions or abbreviations in order to keep the text appearing uniform. Seeing as that practice halted by the end of 17th century, such texts are fairly rare and intriguing.

Comment: I really resonated with the fact that within the 16th century, people began opposing the uniformity associated with printed text. It's funny to think that they had strayed from the original variances associated with manuscript culture, wanting a uniform format, because I think that manuscript culture, and even the instances of deviation associated with the compositors, are really interesting and unique. I also thought that the author's being upset about the printing houses and their "negligence and ignorance" was interesting, simply because they really didn't have any control.

Question: What were Gutenberg's motives in introducing a new method of textual production? Was he purposefully attempting to spread religion and alter methods of communication, or was it merely for a profit and prestige?