Letterpress typesetting and layout date back over 500 years in western civilization when Johannes Gutenburg printed the Bible (ca. 1455). It goes back another 500 years before that, circa 1040, in China when Bi Sheng made movable type out of porcelain.

Printing presses looked a lot different back then, and the presses with which I print were first designed and built in the 1800s. These types of presses are known as "platen presses" (pronounced PLAT-en, not PLATE-en).

More information to come soon, but for now, check out this free documentary on Gutenberg printing the Bible.