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\"Gutenberg\" redirects here. For the Bible, see Gutenberg Bible. For other uses, see Gutenberg (disambiguation).

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Johannes Gutenberg
Posthumous portrait of Gutenberg. No contemporary depictions survive.^[1]
Born	Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg c. 1393\u20131406 Mainz, Free City of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire
Died	3 February 1468 Mainz, Free City of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire
Occupations	Inventor craftsman
Known for	Inventing the printing press Introducing movable type to Europe

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg^[a] (c. 1393\u20131406 \u2013 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press^[2] enabled a much faster rate of printing. The printing press later spread across the world,^[3] and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe. It had a profound impact on the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, and humanist movements.\n

His many contributions to printing include the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink for printing books;^[4] adjustable molds;^[5] mechanical movable type; and the invention of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period.^[6] Gutenberg's method for making type is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type. The alloy was a mixture of lead, tin, and antimony that melted at a relatively low temperature for faster and more economical casting, cast well, and created a durable type.^[7] His major work, the Gutenberg Bible, was the first printed version of the Bible and has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.\n

Gutenberg is often cited as among the most influential figures in human history and has been commemorated around the world. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth, the Gutenberg Museum was founded in his hometown of Mainz in 1900. In 1997, Time Life picked Gutenberg's invention as the most important of the second millennium.^[8]\n

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Life and career

Early life

Education

Printing press

Court case

Later life

Printing

Printing method

Printed books

Legacy

Influence

Memorials and monuments

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links