The Linotype Machine | 1886 AD

Who is credited with the invention of the typewriter? 
Christopher Sholes

What is a "stenographer"?
Court writer, or someone who writes shorthand.
Post an example of Shole's typewriter.

Why did Sholes send a prototype of his typewriter to Clephane?
He knew that Clephane would be able to use it the most.

After the typewriter began production, why did Clephane pursue another machine?
It only solved part of his problem.

Who spent a year redesigning Clephane's typesetting machine?
Mergenthaler.

What is meant by "typesetting"?
the composition of text by means of types

Post an example of Linotype Machine.

How does the Linotype Machine differ from the typewriter?
It allowed type to be set mechanically, rather by hand.

How did this machine change the newspaper industry?
It allowed a small number of operators to set type for more pages on a daily basis.
Post an example of a Linotype keyboard.

How did the keyboard of the Linotype Machine differ from keyboards that we use today?
No shift key. Uppercase letters were separate from lowercase letters.

Post an example of a Linotype slug.

What is a slug?
As single assembled line of type.

Post an example of a person operating a Linotype Machine.

Why is the Linotype Machine the greatest advanced in printing since movable type?
It allowed print to be made faster, easier, and cheaper.

The Gutenberg Press | 1450 AD

What is Johannes Gutenberg credited with?
Inventing the technology of printing with movable type.
Post a photo of the Gutenberg Press.

How did the printing press work?
Ink was rolled over the surface of movable hand-set block letters held within a wooden form.

What motivated Gutenberg to find a better way of creating books?
Watching goldsmiths and jewelers performing their craft, and a love for reading.

Why did Gutenberg experiment with metal type versus wood type?
metal type could be reproduced more quickly once a single mold could be made.
Post an example of movable type in a type case.

What is moveable type?
the system of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document.

What is a matrix?
an object upon which a design has been formed and which is then used to make an impression on a piece of paper, thus creating a print.

What ink did Gutenberg develop that he used specifically for the printing press?
oil based ink.

What is paper made from? Where did paper originate?
Wood pulp. Created in 105AD by Tsai Lun.

What is a "substrate"?
the base material onto which e.g. images will be printed and to be laminated as per the packing specification required for the product.

Who did Gutenberg seek to help with the invention of the press? Close to the end of the 5 years, what happened?
John Fust and Peter Schoffer. At teh end of the 5 years, Fust sued Gutenberg and he lost the press, tools, and all 180 bibles.
What was the first book he printed?
The bible.Post an example of this book.

How did the Gutenberg Press impact communication?
Perfected script and made it easier to read. Books made more rapidly. Current information could be shared locally and around the world.

Who introduced the printing press to England?
William Caxton.

What was the early form of newspapers?
Trade newsletters.

When was the first news weekly published? What was it called?
1704. The Boston Letter.

What kind of press was built in the US in the mid 1800s?
Steam powered rotary press.
Post an example of a 1930s printing press.

By the late 1930s, presses had increased in efficiency and were capable of 2,500 to 3,500 impressions per hour. What is meant by "impression"?
People seeing the product.

Which printing process is the Gutenberg press an example of? Briefly describe the process?
Relief printing. Movable type is placed into the press. Ink is spread onto the type. Paper is placed on top. The press applies the direct pressure needed to transfer the ink to paper.
Post an example of an intaglio press.

What is intaglio printing and how is ink transferred?
Image area is etched into the plate surface to hold the ink. the press applies pressure to transfer the ink to the paper.
Post an example of a screen (porous) printing press.

What is porous printing and how is ink transferred?
basic stencil process. Ink is forced through open mesh areas.
Post an example of a lithography printing press.

What is lithography and how is ink transferred?
Printing from a flat surface. greasy ink/crayon is used to create art. water is applied. the ink accepts the greasy parts and not the watery parts.
Post an example of a offset lithography printing press.

What variation of lithography is used by the commercial printing industry today?
offset lithography.

How do printing presses used today compare to the Gutenberg Press?
The are faster and more complex.

Describe four-color process printing using CMYK?
a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself.

The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st century AD

Post an example of a scroll.

What were the drawbacks of the scroll?
It only had sequential usage. (It had to be read the way it was written.)
Post an example of a codex.

What is a codex?
a covered and bound collection of hand written pages.

"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why?
They were originally bound on blocks of wood.

What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"?
Sequential access forces you to process the information in a certain order (a novel).
Random access can be used to find a certain selection at any given time. (Reference book)

What were the advantages of using the codex?
Compactness, sturdiness, and ease of reference.

What helped spread the use of the codex?
The rise of Christianity.

What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it?
Parchment. It is a substrate made from animal skin such as sheep, goats, and cows.

What is vellum?
Finer qualities of parchment made form skins of young calves.

Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex?
Digital e-book readers.

What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration?
The decline of the Roman Empire.
Post an example of an illuminated manuscript.

Who began creating books by hand, taking the creation to an art form?
Monks.

What does "illumination" refer to? What was included in this ornamentation?
The pictures and ornamentation added to each page of text. Tgis included initials of chapters or paragraphs, and paintings in margins.

What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts?
Natural quill pens.

Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes?
The work was highly laborious.

What is craftsmanship? Why is it important?
A term used to describe mastery. It is important because of the work used to make the term work.

The Roman Alphabet | 7th century BC

What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet?
Variants of the Greek alphabet.

What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering?
A rigid formal script was used for important manuscripts and documents.
A quicker informal style was used for letters and routine writing.

Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make?
Contributed serifs, and the baseline.

From where did serifs originate?
Finishing off strokes when chiseling letters on stone.

When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop?
Developed later in the 7th century by the Greeks.

What is a ligature and why were they utilized?
Post an example of the Roman alphabet in visual form.

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians?
The Phoenicians regularly traveled to Greece for trade purposes.

How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor?
It included vowels and had some new letters added.

Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet?
It has given rise to multiple new languages, like Latin.

Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets?
No "U" or "J". Most other letters are the same, but with different names. 
Post an example of the Greek alphabet in visual form.

The Phoenician Alphabet | 1050 BC

The Phoenician alphabet is based on what principle?
One sign represents one spoken sound.

Describe the shape of the letters and what tool created them?
They were shaped with a stylus, and they look like variations of today's lettering.

What two reasons made the Phoenician alphabet so successful?
It was simpler, and the Phoenician's trading culture.

What long term effects on the social structures of civilizations did the Phoenicians have with the creation of their alphabet?
First widespread script, able to be used in multiple languages, and allowed common people to learn how to write.

Post an example of the Phoenician alphabet in visual form.

Hieroglyphics and the Egyptians | 3,000 BC

In the sixth century BC, what three civilizations invaded Egypt?
Persians, Greeks, Romans.
Post an example of the inside wall(s) of an Ancient Egyptian temple.

What was discovered on the inside of the temples?
Painted images on every wall and surface.

Scholars believe that Ancient Egyptians were inspired and influenced by which written language?
Cuneiform.

What is the difference between logographic and alphabetic elements?
Logograms - visual symbols representing ideas or objects.
Alphabetic - used for document writing.

The term Hieroglyphic derived from what two Greek words?
Hiero and Glyphic.

What is a scribe?
Someone who could read and write.

Who else was trained to read and write? Why?
Generals, so they could communicate with each other in battle.
Post an example of hieroglyphics on papyrus.

What is papyrus and how was it made?
Substrate made from reeds native to Egypt.

What is a substrate?
the base material that images will be printed onto

What were the Books of the Dead?
Instructions and spells used to help people find their way to the afterlife.

How did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics become a forgotten language?
Everyone who could interpret it died.
Post an example of the Rosetta Stone.

What is the Rosetta Stone? Where was it discovered?
It has the same message written in three different languages.  Rosetta, Egypt

What three languages are included on the stone?
Greek, Heiroglyphic, and Demotic.

Why couldn't the text on the Stone be deciphered?
A chunk of the stone was missing, and none of the phrases were completed.

Who finally deciphered the text? What was his breakthrough?
Champollion. The inscription reffered to King Ptolemy's coronation.

Why does the interpretation of the Rosetta Stone have such significance?
We know know a lot about ancient Egyptians and Herioglyphics.