The Evolution of Printing in China

The evolution of printing is the process from block printing to movable type printing.

Printing began with block printing in Sui Dynasty, developed and perfected by Bi Sheng in Song Renzong, resulting in movable type printing, which was spread to Europe by Mongols. Therefore, Bi Sheng was later called the ancestor of printing, and China's printing was the forerunner of modern human civilization, which created conditions for the wide spread and exchange of knowledge. Printing first spread to Korea, Japan, Central Asia, West Asia and Europe.

After the invention of paper in Han Dynasty, writing materials were lighter and more economical, but copying was still far from meeting the needs of society. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were methods of copying and rubbing. Inspired by seal cutting, people in Sui Dynasty first invented block printing in human history.

In Song Dynasty, woodblock printing reached its peak. Engraving printing is time-consuming and laborious, and large books are often stored for several years, and storing plates also takes up a lot of space. In addition, typos found in lettering are very difficult to correct, and it is often necessary to re-engrave the whole lettering. Bi Sheng, a folk inventor in the Northern Song Dynasty, invented clay movable type printing and improved block printing after failing to try wood movable type. It is called the greatest revolution in the history of printing. Also known as one of four great inventions of ancient china.

Printing type

1. Relief printing: Relief printing has the longest history and is the most popular. The protruding parts of layout images and characters accept ink, while the recessed parts do not accept ink. When the printing plate is pressed against the paper, the ink will be printed on the paper.

2. Lithography: This is the most common and widely used printing method today. Image and non-image are on the same plane. Based on the principle that water and ink repel each other, the graphic part accepts ink but not water, and the non-graphic part is the opposite.

3. Printing Gravure Printing: Gravure printing is the opposite of relief printing. Words and images are concave, and under the layout, the concave parts are inked. The shade of printing is related to the depth of indentation, deep and thick, shallow and shallow. Gravure printing has a protruding feeling because of the different inks. Coins, stamps and securities are printed in gravure.

Baidu encyclopedia-printing