In the 16th century, printing was still in its early days and the majority of work on the machines themselves consisted of remedying problems with the print quality. Although the popularity of printing continued to rise all across Europe, the basic design of 16th century printing machines varied little from that developed by Johannes Gutenberg. It was not until the invention of the Dutch Press in the early 17th century that quicker machines were developed.
Although wooden screw printing machines were first developed in the late 15th century, they were still the primary form of printing machine in the early- to-mid-16th century. The use of four parallel screws, or three screws on some designs, and an inclined printing plate allowed sheets to be pressed with little force. These machines printed in two presses, printing the top and bottom halves of the sheet separately.
The iron screw printing press was developed around 1550, providing numerous improvements over the wooden screw system. The primary improvement was the fact that the iron screw printing press was able to print an entire sheet at once, compared to the "two turns" printing from a wooden screw system. This not only saved time but also manpower, making the machine far more cost effective.
The double-hinge press was first introduced in the late 16th century, approximately 20 years after the shift from wood to iron screw printing machines. This printing machine reduced the spotting effect seen on older printing machines where portions of the page that had no type on them would occasionally be splattered with ink. The double-hinge press also included a "tympan" that evened out the pressure on the page, making the lettering more regular.