Differences between Chinese and Western printing

There are some differences between Chinese printing and Western printing in terms of history, technology and application.

First of all, regarding history, China was the first country to invent the printing press, which dates back to 868 in the Tang Dynasty. The earliest printing in the West was invented by German printers around 1450, and the technique was originally called "Gutenberg printing".

Secondly, as for the technology, the traditional printing in China mainly used wooden and clay movable blocks, while the West invented steel movable blocks based on the Chinese movable block printing. In addition, the West further developed mechanical printing, a technology based on Chinese movable type printing but more advanced.

Finally, regarding applications, Chinese printing was widely used early on for the production of books, documents, and other paper-based instruments. In the West, on the other hand, printing was used for large-scale commercial publishing, such as newspapers and magazines, which allowed news and information to be widely disseminated.

Overall, both Chinese printing and Western printing are important achievements in the development of human civilization, and each has its own characteristics in terms of history, technology and application.