The Printer
Tools of the Trade
Before the invention of our modern printers, the printer was the person who made books, newspapers, advertisements and any other mass-produced documents. A printer would have trays filled with small stamp-like letters. Each one of those pieces of metal has a letter on the short end. The printer then would lay out the text of the document to be printed, letter by letter. And the letters had to be laid out mirror image! (Think of a stamp and how it looks backward if you look at it straight on). The printer had different size letters for every size font that might be needed, like these very large letters.
The printer then puts ink onto the letters, usually using a roller like this one and puts a piece of paper on top. The printer then puts this entire thing onto the printing press where the white area is. This part then slides back into the press and when the big handle is pulled, the ink is pressed onto the paper. Additional copies of this page can be made by adding more ink. However, each new page must be laid out from the beginning.
This Newspaper page was printed on a printing press as a reproduction of the front page of the Virginia Gazette from May 17, 1776.
Watch this video from Old Sturbridge Village to see a printing press in action!