From wine press to printing press...
Who doesn't enjoy a good book? Even with alternative ways to obtain reading materials, printed books still remain popular. Did you know the technology for earliest books was inspired by a machine designed for a totally different use?
The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1398 –1468), in 1440, developed from the technology of the screw-type wine presses of the Rhine Valley. Gutenberg created a hand press, in which ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of movable hand-set block letters held within a wooden form and the form was then pressed against a sheet of paper. Although the Chinese are credited with creating block printing well before the 15th century, the printing press built by Gutenberg, with its wooden and later metal movable type, made printed materials available for the masses and remained the standard until the 20th century. Gutenberg is credited with printing the world's first book, the Gutenberg Bible.
Over the centuries, many newer printing technologies were developed based on Gutenberg's printing machine including offset printing.
Gutenberg’s press is a great example of taking the technology from one industry and adapting it to another.. Now consider how can we “borrow” ideas from different places to solve a problem or create a new product?
The Project Gutenberg website has downloads of over 33,000 free e-books to read on PC, i Pad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable devices.
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