The art of printing is just that – an art. Today we take printing for granted, but its history begins over 1,200 years ago. As early as around 770 AD, China began experimenting with block printing, where text and images were cut into wood and pressed onto paper. The oldest printed book we know of was produced on May 11, 868. Paper – invented in China around 100 AD – revolutionized the dissemination of knowledge and information.
In 15th-century Europe, several people were associated with the development of the art of printing, but it was Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz who had the greatest impact. Inspired by grape presses, he developed a printing press and further developed techniques for casting letters in metal. He standardized loose type, created systems for proofreading, and made mass production of identical documents possible. His best-known work is the 42-line Bible from around 1455 – 48 copies still exist today.
The art of printing spread rapidly, and by 1500 it had reached 17 countries. With the Industrial Revolution of 1760, development accelerated, and the first newspapers saw the light of day. Until 1500, religious writings dominated, but in 1840 the first keyboard-controlled machines arrived, and efficiency and quality rapidly improved.
The art of printing came to the Nordic countries only 30 years after Gutenberg. Norway was the last to do so in 1643, over 160 years after Denmark and Sweden. Around 1650, around 35 titles had been produced in Norway, and by 1700 the number had risen to 180. In 1814, there were 16 printing houses in the country, and the first in Bergen was established in 1721.
For a time, Bergen had printing houses “on every corner,” but with the advent of computer technology in the 1970s and the breakthrough of the personal computer in the 1980s, the industry changed radically. Many printing houses disappeared, jobs were lost, and old techniques and education became outdated – knowledge was in danger of being lost.
Machines that had been in use since the 19th century quickly became redundant and replaced by digital solutions. In this transition, Bergen's Technical Museum took responsibility. With an eye to the future and a desire to preserve, the museum collected machines from the city's many printing houses to secure both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Printing machines:
Typesetting machines:
All of these machines are still in use in the museum's printing house, which is one of the few operational ones of its kind. They are maintained and operated by both professionals with a background in the industry and volunteers without printing experience, but with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
The printing house is a central part of the museum's work to highlight the role of printing in modern communication and public education. It is also a concrete expression of the museum's goal to be a living technical museum, where intangible knowledge and craftsmanship are preserved – and shared.
