XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11   
   From: ping@china.cn   
      
   > Even people with no printer, have discovered that   
   > now they can print!   
   >   
      
      
   Yes, it's true that the origins of printing technology can be traced   
   back to China. The Chinese invented **woodblock printing** around the   
   9th century during the Tang Dynasty. This method involved carving an   
   entire page of text or images onto a wooden block, then inking it and   
   pressing it onto paper or cloth.   
      
   However, the Chinese also developed **movable type printing** much   
   earlier than Europe. The most famous early example is **Bi Sheng's   
   movable type** printing around the 1040s during the Song Dynasty.   
   Instead of carving an entire page on one block, movable type allowed for   
   individual characters to be rearranged and reused, which made printing   
   much more efficient.   
      
   While Gutenberg's printing press, invented in the 15th century in   
   Germany, is often credited with revolutionising printing in Europe, the   
   Chinese innovations in printing laid the groundwork for later   
   developments. In fact, it's believed that the **knowledge of Chinese   
   printing** spread to the Middle East and Europe along trade routes like   
   the Silk Road.   
      
   So, in short, the invention of printing technology did originate in   
   China, though it evolved over time and spread across different cultures.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)