bleisätze

Bleisätze, also known as lead type or movable type in English, refers to the practice of using individual pieces of metal, typically a lead alloy, to form letters and symbols for printing. This method was a significant advancement over earlier printing techniques like woodblock printing, as it allowed for much greater flexibility and reuse of the type.

The process involved casting individual letters, numbers, and punctuation marks into metal slugs. These slugs were then arranged by hand in a composing stick to form words, lines, and eventually entire pages of text. Once the text was set, it was locked into a frame called a forme and inked. Paper was then pressed against the inked type to create the printed impression.

This movable type system was famously developed in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century, though similar technologies existed earlier in East Asia. Gutenberg's innovation was a complete printing system that included a mechanical press, oil-based inks, and his improved metal alloy for typecasting, making mass production of printed materials feasible.

The widespread adoption of bleisätze revolutionized the dissemination of knowledge, leading to increased literacy rates and the rapid spread of ideas during the Renaissance and beyond. It remained the dominant printing technology for centuries until the advent of phototypesetting and later digital printing technologies.