Production process of movable type printing

Movable type printing is a traditional printing method, and its production process is mainly divided into three stages: casting movable type, typesetting and printing.

The first thing to do is to cast movable type. Casting movable type is to melt lead alloy and pour the molten lead alloy into a glyph with the help of a mold. The method of making the mold is to carve words on the board with a knife, then coat the board with wax, and then immerse the mold in the wax accurately. Next, the mold is washed in lead alloy, the gap is filled, and the font is obtained after curing.

Next, typesetting. Typesetting is the process of arranging cast movable types into the manuscript in a certain order and format. Typesetting requires special tools and machines to combine movable fonts one by one to form lines of text. After typesetting is completed, it is necessary to proofread the addition and subtraction traps to ensure the correctness and integrity of the printed manuscript.

Finally, printing. Printing is to put the typeset manuscript on the printing machine, put the paper on it, and then print the typeset text on the paper through the pressure of the machine and the application of ink. This process requires great patience and skill, because different papers and inks need different adjustments to achieve the desired results.

In short, the production process of movable type printing needs to be completed through multiple processes, including casting movable type, typesetting and printing. This is a traditional printing method. Although it has been replaced by computer typesetting and digital printing, it still retains respect and memory for traditional handicrafts.