Printing Throughout History |
Posted: December 31, 2015 |
Printing in history dates back to very early times when the duplication of imagery was carried out using stamps. Round seals were used to roll an impression into tablets that were made from clay. This custom dates back to pre-3000 B.C., during the early Mesopotamian civilization. These works feature both complex and beautiful imagery. In Egypt and China, small stamps that were used for sealing were precedent to the usage of larger printing blocks. In India, Europe, and China, printing on cloth pre-dated the printing on papyrus, otherwise now recognized as paper. However, the processes involved in both practices are actually essentially the same. Special presentation of printing impressions were popular in Europe, whereby these would be printed onto silk. This habit lasted until the 17th century. As printing capabilities have developed over the centuries, it’s now possible to commercially mass print newspapers, books, magazines, and a variety of alternative reading materials. This, for obvious reasons, has played a key role in the promotion of literacy around the globe.
Printing in China In China, the earliest printed fragments to have come from a printer are dated to the times of the Han Dynasty, prior to A.D. 220. These were prints of flowers in a variety of three colors, always inclusive of red and gold, that were set on silk. The Chinese method for printing onto cloth was later adapted under Buddhist influences to printing onto paper. This made it possible to produce numerous copies of texts that could be distributed for religious purposes. After this capability reached Europe, through the realms of the Islamic world, by the 15th century, the technology was being used for the production of playing cards and old master prints, both of which relied on stencil work.
Printing in Europe The methodology for printing was practiced throughout Christian Europe as a way to print on cloth. This was a commonplace technique by the turn of the 14th century. Before the advent of printing on paper arrived in Europe, images that were printed onto cloth for purposes of religion were often rather large and extremely elaborate. This capability made a rapid transfer to paper in the 15th century, once paper was easily available. From around 1425 on, printing onto religious images that were manufactured from wood and printing onto playing cards became an extremely popular practice.
Printing Using Stencils It’s likely that stencils have been used for many centuries as a way to color cloth in an intricate fashion. The technique was used on silks for clothing and reached a peak of sophistication during the Japanese Edo period.
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