Impact of the Printing Press

The Advancements Brought About by the Gutenberg Printing Press

The mass production of books made possible by the Gutenberg invention of the printing press around the year 1448 had an effect on the dissemination of ideas throughout Europe and beyond. (Bolter 7). Before the discovery of printing, books were written by hand, and any images were drawn on parchment paper or animal skins that had been dried and rubbed until they were smooth. They were very expensive due to all the steps taken on the books. However, the printing press made it feasible to quickly and easily produce books. As a result, books became more affordable and more people could purchase them. (Bolter). Further, the printing press gave rise to consistency in spelling, grammar, and punctuation and this enabled the readers to interpret the author’s writing and their intentions easily.

The Role of the Gutenberg Printing Press in the Reformation

The printing technology traveled quickly through Europe, and it had an indispensable function in the accomplishment of the Reformation. The initial books printed by the Gutenberg press were the copies of the Bible and as they were immensely popular as all the copies sold out. Because of the Gutenberg Printing publishers, it indicated increased access to knowledge, more dissidence, widespread criticism of the authorities, and thus more informed discussion (Gnuse 13). The Gutenberg publication press, therefore, played a significant role in spreading beliefs that became affiliated with the Protestant belief throughout the Reformation and this enabled the media to mold and channel the mass movement (Baron, Lindquist and Shevlin 316). During the Reformation, the Protestants utilized the publication to disseminate their opinions beyond Europe, and they mainly used pamphlets. The invention of the printing press removed the control that the Catholic Church had over the written materials, and this made it impossible for the church to repress the propagation of the news that they regarded as heretical (Baron, Lindquist and Shevlin 38).

The Transformation of Society and Knowledge

With the knowledge imparted from the books, many people now felt empowered, and this resulted in many changes to occur. In the fifty years after Gutenberg commenced publishing, the published papers propagated along the business routes in the Western Europe (Fellow 2). Although books did not become cheap immediately following the arrival of the Gutenberg published books, the prices started to fall with time. The cities where there was the establishment of the printing presses grew by over 60% faster in comparison to other similar cities. Of note, the publication promoted knowledge and skills, which were invaluable in economics because of the appearance of business education, the enactment of innovations such as bookkeeping and accounting (Fellow 4). The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg also allowed the Europeans to have access to knowledge that included both the new and old. The desire for knowledge influenced changes in the societal compositions and the regional preferences.

The Impact of the Printing Press on the Renaissance

The presence of low-priced manuscripts became essential for the propagation of education during the renaissance in Europe. According to Fellow, Renaissance underwent a lot of mutation after the advent of the printing press (4). However, this does not mean that the printing press was the only factor that affected the Renaissance before this event. Although the printing press became responsible for the spread of new information, it became a means of preserving information such as art and other sources of knowledge. Because of this, the society could now manage to maintain the records that advanced traditional systems and the artistic understanding. However, it also ensured the resentment of the traditions, and this challenged the status quo.

Work Cited

Baron, Sabrina Alcorn, Eric N Lindquist, and Eleanor F Shevlin. Agent of Change. 1st ed. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007. Print.

Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space. 1st ed. New York City: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Fellow, Anthony R. American Media History. 2nd ed. Boston, Mass: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

Gnuse, Robert Karl. No Tolerance for Tyrants: The Biblical Assault on Kings and Kingship. 1st ed. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2011. Print.