In previous history, movable type printing was invented by Bi Sheng during the Northern Song Dynasty (Bi Sheng and Bi Sheng are not the same person), but it was not widely adopted in the end.
The reasons can be divided into two aspects: software and hardware.
On the software side, the issue stems from the fact that Chinese fonts contain around 7,000 commonly used characters. When using movable type, a phonetic character set is required, which is inconvenient. Latin and English, on the other hand, only have 26 letters (excluding special fonts), making them much more convenient.
In terms of hardware, Bi Sheng's invention of movable type printing with clay blocks had a short lifespan and required high control over the force applied during printing.
In contrast, movable type printing, invented in 1445, not only improved the printing machine but also adjusted the formulas for ink and type. Johannes Gutenberg, the German craftsman who invented it, was the first person to truly bring movable type printing to the world.
In the 2015 Time magazine supplement, movable type printing was ranked first among the "Top Ten Inventions of the 10th-20th Centuries," even surpassing Edison's light bulb and Einstein's theory of relativity. (Please don't criticize this ranking; just take it with a grain of salt.)
On the other hand, Todd studied life sciences. In Warcraft terms, his microbiology and biochemistry were close to master level, his applied chemistry and chemical engineering were close to master level, and his knowledge of other disciplines was probably no different from that of an ordinary person.
The movable type printing technique mainly consists of four basic elements: printing materials, ink, type modules, and printing press.
Therefore, for Todd:
The printing materials are mainly linen paper or parchment paper, which are readily available and easy to obtain.
Ink was also readily available, involving only a few simple chemical reactions and refining processes. Specifically, linseed oil was boiled and cooled, then a small amount of turpentine obtained from the distillation of pine resin was added, followed by mixing with carbon black and adding copper, lead, and sulfur. After being left to stand for a period of time, a suitable ink was produced. This ink could be applied to water-repellent metal molds without causing seepage, which was a crucial element of movable type printing.
As for the type blocks, their production wasn't particularly difficult. Todd planned to use an antimony-containing lead-tin alloy (adding antimony increases the hardness of the type) as the material for the type blocks and experiment with determining the optimal ratio of the three metals. The casting method employed a concave-convex mold: fine sand or clay was used for the concave mold, and wood for the convex mold. First, the wooden type was carved and imprinted into the clay. Then, the wooden type blocks were removed, and molten lead-tin was poured into the clay mold. Finally, the type was removed and trimmed to obtain the lead type.
The most troublesome thing was the printing press, because Todd had absolutely no idea how to make one...
He only vaguely remembered a paper feeder, something that looked like a large seal, a type plate slot, and a stick that could be pushed...
Based on these vague impressions, he drew a design sketch that made him want to slap himself every time he saw it, and handed it to Aiden Colm.
Todd understood that it was virtually impossible to perfectly recreate a 15th-century movable type printing press by himself.
So he sent old Aiden with the blueprints to bring over the most familiar and reliable craftsmen. At the same time, he also sought out Rachel, who was more familiar with Xenomorphic abilities, hoping she could help him in manufacturing the printing press.
————————————
Soon, that evening, a group of people who seemed to have no connection at all sat together in the side hall of the church.
On the left side of the side hall sat Aiden Colm and the two craftsmen whose lives Todd had once saved, while on the right sat Rachel and Hudgens. Todd stood on the platform, a wooden board behind him, a charcoal pencil in his hand.
Todd tapped the wooden board behind him with his charcoal pencil and said, "Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to brainstorm about something."
"Brainstorming?" The people in the audience looked puzzled and began to whisper among themselves.
Todd patted his forehead, thinking to himself that he had fallen back into his old habit of teaching. He changed his words and said, "Brainstorming means pooling ideas and coming up with solutions together."
Todd pointed to the ceiling, his expression suddenly turning extremely serious: "What we're discussing tonight is a treasure of God. We must absolutely not tell anyone what we hear or see, or we will be punished by the Holy Spirit!"
Seeing that everyone's expressions suddenly became solemn, he nodded in satisfaction, and then began to write and draw on the wooden board with charcoal pencils, explaining the basic principles of printing and the functions of the machine, and focusing on explaining the process of arranging the type blocks and pressing the ink.
After finishing his explanation, Todd turned around and found the audience completely silent. He couldn't help but wonder: Had he made it too complicated?
Fortunately, a remark from old Aiden dispelled his concerns.
"Sir, using movable type to print paper is a brilliant idea! People always copy by hand and have never thought of printing type in this way."
After hearing Aiden's words, Todd remembered that in his previous life, woodblock printing had not been introduced to Europe from Arabia until the late 13th century. In other words, skipping the four generations of printing methods—woodblock, bronze, wooden movable type, and clay movable type—lead movable type printing was indeed a product that transcended several centuries.
Todd turned to Aiden and asked, "So, can you come up with a design for the machine I requested?"
The old craftsman and his two friends whispered to each other, and said, "We've carefully studied the master's drawings and plan to design a machine like this. We're not sure if it's correct. We plan to make a wooden base at the bottom of the machine, fix the movable type on it, and install a pressing plate on the movable type. The pressing plate can be controlled by an iron or copper screw rod, and can move up and down..."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com