what came after the movable type?

Question

im looking for some type of timeline of publishing books. first handwriting books, then blockprinting, movable type and then what?

Answer 1

Electronic word processing

Answer 2

Movable type was "hand set", there was a big box with a bunch of each letter, symbol, etc. The typesetter would have to pick the right letters, put them in a clamp, then put the clamp in the press.

Next was the "hot type" machines, like Linotype. These were a big machine with a tank of molten lead, a bunch of type molds, and a keyboard. You pressed a letter key, the machine would pick the mold for that letter, shoot molten lead in to it, hold it for a few seconds, and drop the hot type out into a hopper where the line was built up. These were used until the 1970's.

Next were "cold type" machines. These worked photograpically; usually there were "sample" types on fim in the machine; as each letter were typed the right letter slid into place under a light, the light flashed, and the photographic paper underneath advanced. When the line or page were finished the paper was developed. Then the whole thing could be "shot" again photographically to make a offset plate.

Forms of cold type are still used, but ever more of the composition, editing, proofing, etc. is done on computer, only when ready to go is are the type images recorded onto a offset plate (unless it's print on demand, which basically prints it out on a laser printer.)

Answer 3

moveable type are the fonts used in the earliest printing presses.
this is where a sheet of paper is pressed with a case form containg the set type. large fonts were kept in the upper cases and smaller faces were stored in the lower cases hence the terms.

the type was moveable in that you could pop out and A and change it to a C or whatever, it was not inscribed into a block.

the major developments of the press were: gravure, lithography, silkscreen, engraving, and offset. Offset is by far the prevailing method used especially for mass produced books. within offset the presses are either sheet fed (one sheet at a pass) or WEB (a continuous roll of paper). Gravue is used to print money, lithography and silkscreen are used for high end reproduction like art.

Offset works because oil and water repel each other. Once the text is printed the RUN moves into the bindery & finishing and that is a seperate topic. You asked about printing

Answer 4

Hot type then cold type and now computers (desktop publishing).

Answer 5

Typewriters, computers, word processors, electronic type setting.