Movable type
part · 1040 · Middle Ages
Individual characters that are assembled into text and reused. In China — Bi Sheng; in Europe, metal type — Gutenberg.
Principles and materials it uses
- Alphabet — uses. An alphabet with few signs made typesetting worthwhile in Europe.
- Clay — is made of. Bi Sheng’s type was made of fired clay.
Where it is used
- Gutenberg printing press — is part of. Text is set from metal type.
- Typography — is used in. Type was cast as pieces of type.
- Music printing — is used in. Music type.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Woodblock printing — evolved from. Bi Sheng replaced the solid block with individual pieces of type.
- Linotype — evolved into. Mechanized typesetting.
Things built in a similar way
- Typewriter — works like. Each typebar carries a piece of movable type pressed against the paper.
- Interchangeable parts — works like. Movable type is an early case of interchangeable parts: identical letters move from line to line.