Printing originated in China around the 3rd century A.D. The first prints were made by rubbing a sheet of thin paper against an inked stone or wood engraving. These engraved blocks were difficult to store and could not change or be reused for a new printing project. Movable type was invented by Pi Sheng around 1040 A.D. Movable type allowed a printer to produce prints in a shorter amount of time than the painstaking process of block cutting. Movable type eventually spread to Europe and by 1455, the first book, a German version of the Bible, was printed in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg improved upon movable type, replacing the process of hand-rubbing by transferring ink with a press. This form is referred to as letterpress and was used heavily until the 19th century, when it was replaced by offset lithography.
The letterpress method of printing involves placing movable metal type in a frame, inking the type and pressing the type into paper. In this method, the printer must hand set the type backwards, letter by letter. This method was used for many years to print newspapers. Letterpress printing is now only used for small print runs, such as invitations.
A more common modern printing method is offset lithography. In this method, a plate is made to "read right" or to feature letters that are facing the correct direction for reading. The plate is set on a roller and the image on the plate is transferred to a rubber blanket roller, where the image will now "read wrong." The blanket roller then transfers the image onto the paper roller, where the image will read right again. Screen printing, unlike letterpress and offset lithography, can print on mediums such as fabric, metal and plastic. Screen printing involves chemically treating a screen to allow ink to pass through certain areas of the screen while blocking ink from other areas, creating an image.
Print media can be used to advertise things in fliers and brochures and on billboards and T-shirts. They can be used to inform or entertain in the form of books, magazines and newspapers. Some print media are more effective at performing a task than others. For example, a printed invitation is a much more effective way of announcing a private party than an ad on a bus.
While printing started with ink and thin sheets of paper, modern printing provides more options. The weight, finish and grain of the paper can give different looks and feels to printing projects. For instance, a magazine printed on coated book paper with a matte finish has a different feel and look than a tabloid newspaper that is printed on newsprint with a vellum finish. The advent of screen printing added additional mediums that were not available before. Screen printing mediums include ceramic, metal, plastic and latex.
Formats can be divided into one-sheet and multiple-sheet formats. One-sheet formats can be further divided into no folds, simple folds and complex folds. No-fold formats include fliers and signs. Simple-fold formats include one to four single folds and brochures and newsletters. Complex-fold formats are single sheets folded to fit in a package, like an instruction manual. Multiple-sheet formats are divided into stacked single sheets, gathered folios and stacked signatures. Single sheet formats include memos and reports, and can be set in binders or a spiral binding. Gathered folios are simple-fold pages used to make a longer document. such as a pamphlet or booklet. Stacked signatures are a stack of gathered folios that are sewn or glued together. Stacked signatures include books and long manuals.