How did printing spread in Europe?
Mid-fifteenth-century printing with movable metal type changed the scale of book production in Europe.
Historical context and developments
Innovations associated with Gutenberg combined presses, ink, type casting and paper supply. Printing was not one person’s overnight invention; East Asia had older printing traditions. Workers and capital carried workshops between cities.
Consequences and interpreting sources
Prices and access changed, though literacy and censorship varied. Printing aided religious reform, science and administration but did not single-handedly cause them.
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