Letterpress is the oldest method of putting ink on paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine]. If you have an original Gutenberg Bible gracing your library, you‚Äôve got one of the first examples of the result of this invention, dating from the mid-fifteenth century. You‚ also got one of only 42 remaining copies of the original 180, and Interpol would like to have a word with you. The illustrations, by the way, were painstakingly and beautifully added by hand.
In letterpress, the image or words which are to be printed are raised above the surface of the plate. When the image is inked and pressed against the substrate, only the elevated area prints. This method is still in use today by carton[carton?:carton box sample cutting machine] makers, primarily for short runs and jobs requiring simple or no graphics[graphics?:graphics pattern].
