Letterpress is a technique of relief printing using a printing press. A worker composes and locks movable type into the bed of a press, inks it, and presses paper against it to transfer the ink from the type. Letterpress printing was found by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid 15th century. It was the main print form until the 19th century. It remained in use for books to about the mid 20th century. As of now, offset printing is the dominant printing process.
In practice, letterpress also includes other forms of relief printing with printing presses; such as wood engravings, photo-etched zinc “cuts”(plates), and linoleum blocks, which can be used alongside metal type in a single operation, as well as stereotypes and electrotypes of type and blocks.With certain letterpress units it is also possible to join movable type with slugs cast using hot metal typesetting.
