MODULE 2
PRINT PRODUCTION
Unit 1 History of Print Production Unit 2 Raw Materials for Printing Unit 3 Type Composition
Unit 4 Methods of Printing Unit 5 Desktop Publishing
UNIT 1 HISTORY OF PRINT PRODUCTION
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
Outline the history of print production
Discuss the contribution of printing to human civilisation.
3.0 MAIN BODY
3.1 Early Forms of Written Communication
Before the advent of printing technology, there were various ways in which communication in ‘writing’ was consummated. The classical instance as described in the Bible (Exodus 31: 18) offers an excellent example. God reportedly gave to Moses, the leader of the Jews in the era of the Exodus, two tablets of stones on Mount Sinai in the wilderness of Persia as the Israelites migrated en masse from Egypt where they had suffered untold hardship. The two tablets of stone containing God’s testimony inscribed by His own hands were handed over to Moses who, in turn, read them to the people. It is evident that in the days after this classical instance, etching letters on stones and other hard surfaces became popular. The problem, however, was that although this method ensured that the texts survived for long periods, mass circulation was difficult because the letters had to be carefully etched by diligent craftsmen.
Formal written communication later began, with the invention of the ink, and scribes took over the duty of writing. The scribes wrote long scripts on broad sheets called the scroll which could be rolled up at both ends. At this point, the status of ‘writing’ as a skill for a few skilled craftsmen gradually began to change. There are accounts of original scripts containing valuable information which were discovered much later.
Self Assessment Exercise 1.1
What was the main disadvantage of the early forms of written communication that preceded printing?
3.2 The History of Print Production
There are various accounts relating to the invention of printing. One account traces it to the development of papyrus in Ancient Egypt, from a sea plant that grew on the banks of the River Nile. It is believed by many writers that this was the first type of ‘paper’ that ever existed. The word paper is believed to have gotten its name from ‘papyrus’, the main
ingredient in the first ‘paper’ known to man. Papyrus was processed and used as the equivalent of modern day paper as scripts were written on it.
Some schools of thought trace the production of the first hand-made paper to Ts’ai Lun, a Chinese philosopher. The first paper mill in Europe is believed to have been built in Spain 300 years after the coronation of Emperor Charlemagne in Rome. He was coronated in 800 AD. The mill was said to have been built by the Arabs. By 1495, Britain had built the first paper mill in England.
Two important things need to be remembered about the early forms of paper. Firstly, they were hand made, and this did not encourage mass use because what was produced was highly limited in quantity. The 500 mills in Germany around 1800, for example, were reported to be capable of producing only a total of 1,250 tonnes of paper. Secondly, early paper was produced largely from cotton rags. It was much later that wood, as an essential ingredient for paper production, was discovered.
Germany gave the world the first paper – making machine in 1803, and this revolutionised paper making as more paper was produced, making its use more popular and cheaper.
In Nigeria, the printing of the first newspaper dates back to 1859 when the Revd. Henry Townsend an Abeokuta – based clergyman, printed Iwe Irohin Fun Awon Ara Yoruba Ati Egba. His main purpose was to encourage people to form the habit of reading. Reading, of course, is a very important way of getting information. Reverend Henry Townsend considered it very important to encourage people to form the habit of seeking for information through reading.
Until 1440, everything that was read was hand-written. But in 1440, Johannes Gutenberg, a German, invented the separate movable type.
The word ‘type’ simply refers to a letter, number or any other character used in printing. Gutenberg’s invention was a watershed in the history of printing for the following reasons:
(i) It removed the tedium associated with hand written form as printers could now use the same type repeatedly
(ii) It became faster and cheaper to produce materials for reading Although modern printing has gone far beyond the use of the “type” that Gutenberg gave to the world, his initial invention provided a basis for further development of the type. Today, various forms and sizes of type exist, and it is now much easier to produce large volumes of reading materials, including books, journals and newspapers, among others. A
typical computer today has a multitude of types, some of which will be listed later.
Before the present forms of printing were developed, many other forms had existed, starting from the type that Gutenberg invented. Some of the forms that had existed include the following:
Sheet Fed Machine
This was introduced in 1860 and involved the use of a self-acting flat bed machine which mechanically damped and inked the stone. The machine was in use until the late 19th century. It was called sheet fed because of the way it worked. Sheets of paper were fed by what was called the sheet grippers attached to the cylinder which rotated and pressed the sheets to enable them make contact with the stone. The stone itself was fixed in a bed which moved under a cylinder.
Web Fed Machine
This was introduced in 1908. It was basically an adaptation of a press designed for printing lithographic designs on tin plate. It had two cylinders. To one was attached a plate which was damped and inked mechanically, and the other carried the sheet. It had a capacity to print both black and white and several other colours. This was later replaced by rotary. Both utilised metal plates.
Self Assessment Exercise 1.2
What disadvantages do you think humanity would have suffered if the replication of reading materials had depended solely on the craftsmanship of artisans who etched letters on tablets of stones?
4.0 CONCLUSION
Printing technology has come a long way. From the initial humble beginning during which period human beings were expected to manually manipulate the printing process, printing developed to a level where machines mechanically facilitated the process. This stage lasted for a considerable time, and today it is being gradually replaced by a system by which computers facilitate the process of printing. This makes the process of printing less stressful, more efficient and with a capacity to quickly produce very many neat copies.
5.0 SUMMARY
This unit started by taking a look at how printing evolved from the time paper was first used till now. Although very many different types of
printing processes had existed, we have concerned ourselves with the description of only a few of them.
Like paper production, which started as a manual process, printing has also evolved through manual process to mechanical process and now computer – aided process. Although computers have generally taken over from mechanical forms of printing, traces of mechanical forms of printing still abound, especially in developing nations. Gradually, computers will take over, and printing is expected to become less tedious, faster and more efficient.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT (TMA)
Describe major landmarks in the development of printing, explaining two of the machines that have been used.
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Baskette, F.K and Scissors J.Z.(1976) The Art of Editing. New York:
Macmillan
Evans, Harold (1974) Editing and Design. London: Heinemann
UNIT 2 RAW MATERIALS FOR PRINTING