“This process of producing a book cost a fair amount of money. Johann Fust, who had helped finance Gutenberg, foreclosed on the loan in November 1455 and locked him out of the print shop once the process was refined. This act prevented Gutenberg from selling the books, which had comsumed five years of his life’s work and which was only a few months from completeion. Pete Schoffer, Gutenberg’s assistant, was brought in as a partner to Fust to manage the press. Together they finished printing approximately 180 Bibles and made a fortune once the Bibles were signed and sold the following August.”
~~”A Typographic Workbook” by Kate Clair and Cynthia Busic-Snyder

So, it just goes to show you….

something, I guess…

Gutenburg’s genius was two-fold. He discovered the alloy that melted at a low enough temperature, but expanded just enough as it cooled to make a completely clear character image. He also invented the recipie for the ink that would stick to the top of the characters without running off before he could get the paper on it.

Besides, even if the Chineese did have it first, it wasn’t them that pulled the Western world out of the dark ages. The credit for that, I think, rests squarely with Johannes Gutenberg.

(Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.)

Today, printers use ink that vanishes after six months. That way customers can’t give their books to their kids to read. Their kids have to buy them again. And, they can’t even let their neighbors read them, because of the built in DRM, which require special glasses, which only work for the purchaser.

…used an adapted wine press

Philosophers, which have been known to read books from time to time, still drink wine today, as well has beer. At least some of this wine is bootleg, as it was in Gutenberg’s time.