The press history is marked by fast or slow periods of printing equipment evolution. In spite of several patrimonial damages, some countries still have pieces that sign the most important moments of this technological evolution.

The
Gutenberg printing press (15th century), where for the first time were used mobiles printing types, is the beginning of a long printing technology history. However, only four centuries later (19th final century), with the construction of Stanhope printing press, totally maid of iron, typography had an enormous take off. Senefelder as already create a new printing technique – the Lithography.


In 1811, Frederick Koenig constructs the first rotary printing press and introduces definitively the mechanism in press reproduction. All the other developments in printing speed are caused by this invent. Meanwhile, the new typesetter machines like Linotype, Typograph or Monotype threaten manual typesetting secular work. The offset system, invented in earlier 20th century, starts to be adopted only after Second World War, and replaces definitely the typographic traditional way of printing. In the meantime, computerized and telecommunications systems are quickly adopted by press, namely newspapers…
Virtual Museum of Press allows you to know some of this technology printing developments divided in four several parts:

 

  
  

Pre-Printing

   
Name: Wood types
Country:
Portugal
Function:
Used in bill printing
There are various specimens in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Wood chest for metal type
Country:
Portugal
Function:
For manual typesetting
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Foundry boiler
Mark:
Funditor
Date:
1963
Country:
England
Function:
Used in metal type foundry
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Reamer machine
Mark:
Winkler Faller & Cie. S.A.
Country:
Switzerland
Function:
Used to clean white spaces in stereotype clishés
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Camera
Mark:
Hunter Penrose, Ltd.
Country:
England
Function:
It was used to obtain photographic clishés for litographic works
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Keyboard-driver typesetting machine
Mark:
Monotype
Country:
England
Function:
Through a separated keyboard and type foundry, this machine producess
line of types and justifing words
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Line composing machine
Mark:
Typograph
Model:
B
Date:
1950
Country:
Germany
Function:
Used for linotype setting
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Line composing machine
Mark:
Linotype
Country:
England
Function:
Used for linotype setting
There's an exemplar in CFJ-Centro de Formação de Jornalistas/Portugal.
 
Name: Phototypesetter machine
Mark:
Compugraphic
Modelo:
MC58208/HR
Date
:1985
Country:
USA
Function:
Last generation phototypesetter for electronic typesetting.
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
   

   
  

Printing

   
Name: "Albion" hand press
Mark:
Hopkinson & Hope
Country:
England
Date:
1857
Country:
England
Function:
Small printing press used in typographic proofs
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Hand press
Mark:
Alauzet
Date:
19th century
Country:
France
Function:
Used for hand printing press
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Printing press
Mark:
Golding
Country:
USA
Function:
Small
minerva used in little printing works
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Pedal printing press
Mark:
Marinoni
Country:
France
Function:
Minerva used in typographic printing
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Pedal printing press
Mark:
Golding
Country:
USA
Function:
Minerva used in typographic printing
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Printing press (minerva)
Mark:
A. Hogenforst
Date:
1925
Country:
Germany
Function:
Electric minerva for little tipographic works
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
  
Name: Vertical printing press
Mark:
Miehle
Date:
1950
Country:
USA
Function:
Used for offset works
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
   

 
  

Binding

    
Name: Crease machine
Mark:
E. Houpied
Date:
19th century
Country:
France
Function:
Used to crease card in binding works
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Wire stitch machine
Mark:
Gebruder Brehmer
Country:
Germany
Function:
Used in notebook binding works.
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Screw press
Mark:
A.B.S.
Country:
Germany (?)
Function:
Screw press used in large bindings
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
   

 
  

Divers

    
 
Name: Tie paper machine
Mark:
IS-TE
Country:
Finland
Function:
Used to tie newspaper packets
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
 
Name: Phonograph
Mark:
Edison Business Phonograph
Date:
19th century
Function:
Earlier used for the reproduction of sounds
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Telex
Mark:
Siemens
Date:
1970
Country:
Germany
Function:
used to receive and send telex communications
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Addressing machine
Mark:
Addressograph
Date:
1970
Country:
USA
Function:
Used to adress newspaper subscribers
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.
  
Name: Sealing machine
Mark:
Lecoq
Country:
France
Function:
Used to print embossed seals
There's an exemplar in AMI-Associação Museu da Imprensa/Portugal.