The iPad: What is a Gutenberg moment, anyway?

[Amy West]

>  >
>>  2)  Even before the steam press, printing runs
>>  had expanded from "hundreds" into
>>  "thousands".  Was there a technological change in
>>  printing presses between Gutenberg and the 18th century?
>
>So far as I know, not much essential difference: no rotary press yet,
>which really increased productivity; the flat press design changed
>little till the 19th c, with some improvements in the pressing levers
>that sped things up a little.

Anecdotal support for Dennis: they use flat presses out at Old
Sturbridge Village for 1820s.

I can't recall the term for the type of press I used in middle school
which had the type held vertically and hand an ink platten and
rollers that would automatically ink the type, but that's the type of
press I tend to think of for the 1800s. Evidently, it's later.

We're ignoring off-set printing because it doesn't involve set type, yes?

---Amy West

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