A Brief History of Printing

A Brief History of Print – Episode Summary

From ancient papyrus to inkjet printing on airplanes, The Print University’s “A Brief History of Print” is a whirlwind tour of printing technology’s evolution—ideal for onboarding and foundational learning. Hosted by industry experts Ryan McAbee and Pat McGrew, the episode explores the roots of modern printing, beginning with early Egyptian papyrus and Asian ink, then jumping to Gutenberg’s revolutionary use of movable type inspired by wine presses. These innovations laid the groundwork for reproducible print and mass communication.

The story continues through the Industrial Revolution’s rise of rotary presses and photoengraving, leading to core commercial techniques like lithography, gravure, and flexo—essential in any printing press operator training course or offset press training for new operators. The episode also dives into the 1984 desktop publishing revolution, powered by Apple and Adobe, which democratized typesetting and catalyzed digital workflows—critical context for online printing courses for new employees and printing technician certification online.

Finally, McAbee and McGrew unpack today’s print landscape, including inkjet on unconventional surfaces, digital embellishments, industrial automation, and advanced substrate R&D. These topics align with digital printing press training, prepress automation training (Kodak Prinergy, Esko), and lean manufacturing training printing industry.

You Will Learn:

• Origins of print: papyrus, ink, and Gutenberg’s innovations

• Evolution of print technology through the Industrial Age to digital

• Key techniques: gravure, lithography, flexo, inkjet

• Impact of desktop publishing and automation

• Advances in substrates and functional printing

Who This Course Is For:

New hires, prepress staff, printing press operators, graphic designers, and anyone in commercial, digital, or packaging print environments

Time to Watch:

Approx. 12 minutes