During the process since the invention of writing, the reproduction of documents and works was performed in handwriting by craftsmen who devoted themselves to this occupation. Naturally, this process required time and effort. Contrary to the popular belief, its foundation were not laid by Johannes Gutenberg, but it was the Chinese who were the first to realize this process could be simplified.

Paper is the fundamental item for printing, regardless of techniques and methods, and was invented in China in 105 AC. Arabians, during the Battle of Talas in 750 AC, learned the method of paper production from the Chinese soldiers that they took prisoner. The method, therefore, was disseminated to Spain first, and then to whole Europe and by this means the experience of the Chinese acted as a guide for European countries regarding the invention of printing press. In China, the printing method was first performed by printing wet paper on marble relief writing and figures, and then inking the papers. Later, the tree stumps were carved and the product to be printed was embossed, then inked, pressed and printed on paper.

After the Migration of Tribes, the printing technique, which was developed this far by the Chinese, was transferred to the east of Europe with the Mongols and Turks. The invention of printing in Europe took place with the technique of printing with wood-cut blocks (xylography), a technique that Marco Polo encountered and studied carefully in China, and with the use of paper instead of parchment in Europe in the 14th century. The printing presses were first used in the printing of religious works. With the development of engraving, shorter works were printed. The most important issue in this technique, however, was that the letters were made of wood and they had broken down before they were used much, therefore the search for a substitute made of durable metals began. Letters made of bronze or brass were made more durable by striking lead or clay on top of them and moulding their matrix, and by pouring lead on top of them, a cliché plate was obtained.

Paper, which is the most indispensable for printing, has been used in Europe since the 12th century. While at first only the Chinese knew the paper making methods, this method was later learned by the Uyghurs, then by the Mongols and other Turkish tribes. After that, the Dutch adopted the method of carving the letters from wood one by one. The biggest advantage of this method is that the letters of the Latin alphabet are less in number and easier to carve than those of the Chinese alphabet. Since the letters are smaller, making the carving process difficult, in the course of time, it has become more preferable to produce these letters from metals.

After the foundation of modern press printing in Europe was laid as mentioned earlier in the text, German-born Johannes Gutenberg developed the Letterpress Printing method by combining all these elements. Gutenberg developed the entire letterpress method, the making of matrices and castings, hand printing and arranging of texts. The first printing machines used in the 15th century were in the form of wooden presses. They were very similar to the bookbinding and grape-crushing presses of the period. Using these machines, only one page could be printed at once, and since the press was manually operated, it required serious muscle power. The size of the type page containing the letters was quite small because a limited amount of force could be applied and the sheets had to be rearranged each time. With the invention of the metal drill system, the aim was to overcome these difficulties in printing techniques in the 16th century. By the 1800s, mechanical printing machines were developed to print much faster on both coil paper and sheet. In the 20th century, important technological developments were made in printing.

While many press printing houses established by non-Muslims within the Ottoman Empire were in operation, artists from abroad were invited to portray the Ottoman life with the engraving method. While Turkish miniature and calligraphy were at their highest level in the 17th century, print artists invited from abroad produced engraving works related to the Ottoman life.

The most commonly used and know printing methods are as follows;

Letterpress Printing,

Flexo Printing,

Intaglio Printing,

Screen Printing,

Offset Printing,

Lenticular Printing,

and Hexachrome Printing.

Hoping to see you in our next article.