"Movable type printing?"
After hearing this, the headmaster said bitterly: "Your Majesty, that movable type printing is not easy to use."
Zhu Yunwen looked at the boss in confusion.
Movable type printing is famous all over the world, but you tell me it’s not easy to use?
The headmaster explained seriously: "Your Majesty, when it comes to clay movable type, the strokes are dull and dull, with uneven thickness, irregular shape, and lack of beauty. In addition, the ink is of different shades and the edges are uneven, and the strokes often break. There is a lack of pen, and after printing, it is intermittent and blurry, making it difficult to read."
Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly.
"As for the wooden movable type, although it is convenient to obtain materials and the cost is very low, the wood texture is uneven and difficult to carve. Moreover, the wooden movable type is easily deformed when exposed to water, and it is difficult to separate after being bonded with chemicals. In comparison, In other words, engraving and printing are the most suitable."
The boss's explanation made Zhu Yunwen fall into deep thought.
The Four Books and Five Classics, the Four Great Classics, the Four Talents, the Four Beauties... well, these are all defined by the Chinese.
However, the four great inventions of ancient China are Western concepts. Specifically, they were proposed by the British sinologist Joseph Needham.
For future generations, almost everyone knows the four great inventions of papermaking, compass, gunpowder, and printing. When I mention "printing", I almost subconsciously think of Bi Sheng's name, the originator of movable type printing.
However, printing among the four great inventions includes engraving and movable type printing.
What many people cannot believe is that movable type printing, which is much talked about by later generations, has never occupied the mainstream since the emergence of the Song Dynasty and only played a small supporting role.
unbelievable?
But, this is the real history.
In the Song Dynasty, Bi Sheng invented movable type printing and achieved a breakthrough in movable type printing by sintering clay characters.
But in the Song Dynasty, woodblock printing was still widely used.
During the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Zhen solved the problem of wooden movable type and laid the foundation for the practical use of wooden movable type printing.
But whether it was the Yuan Dynasty or the early Ming Dynasty, movable type printing was only an insignificant supporting role. For the Sili Jingjing Factory, the most important printing method was still woodblock printing.
In fact, in terms of ancient methods of inheriting classics, woodblock printing and movable type printing can only be ranked second or third.
The real mainstream is handwriting...
However, handwriting cannot be an invention. It's obviously the most mainstream, with a big boss card, but unfortunately, almost no one thinks of it...
If you go to the study of an official in the early Ming Dynasty and there are a thousand books in it, take them out and count them:
This is a manuscript, oh, it’s still a manuscript...
Calculated, there are six hundred manuscripts.
The engraving printed version is also pretty good, with 380 volumes.
As for the movable type printed version, there are only twenty volumes.
Calculating the proportion, books printed with movable type account for only 2%. Well, it is very likely that some of them are family trees...
Ancient people all liked copying books, which not only allowed them to practice calligraphy, but also learned knowledge. The most important thing was to save money.
Of course, there are exceptions where copying books does not save money, and that is the "Yongle Dadian" in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
"Yongle Dadian" has 22,937 volumes and 11,095 volumes, and mobilized more than 21,600 courtiers, scribes and old scholars.
This book can be said to be the largest manuscript in the world, with approximately 370 million words, all written by hand, stroke by stroke.
Zhu Yunwen built Zhonghua Bookstore directly for money. If he chose the handwriting method, how could he make money in the Year of the Monkey and the Horse?
Movable type printing is low cost and easy to operate. Should you use movable type printing?
No, the low cost is just an illusion hidden behind a small amount of printing. If it is printed on a large scale, the cost of movable type printing may not be low.
From a process perspective, movable type printing requires typesetting and proofreading every time. After printing, the movable type needs to be returned to its position. It seems simple and cost-free, but typesetting and proofreading require literate people to do it.
Now that everyone is literate, who doesn’t want to take the imperial examination and come to work in a bookshop?
Even if you fail the imperial examination, there are still academies and private schools. Literati have integrity, and they are not willing to be a worthless craftsman.
Recruitment alone is a problem.
After recruiting, the wages must not be less, otherwise they will also go on strike...
But engraving printing is different.
The engraver does not need to be literate, he only needs to carve.
Moreover, a piece of engraving has a long service life, up to more than 30,000 times. After printing, it is washed and air-dried. It can be used directly next time without typesetting or secondary proofreading.
Pay once, guaranteed for life.
There was even a "Three Dynasties Revised Edition" in history. One engraving was continued from the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, and then to the Ming Dynasty, and was used for hundreds of years.
Of course, if the number of times is too high, the printing effect will be unknown.
in this way
After a comparison, you will find that although engraving is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it is obviously superior to movable type printing in terms of overall cost, efficiency, and finished product quality.
"My Healing Game"
This is also the reason why woodblock printing continued to flourish during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Even though copper movable type appeared in the mid-Ming Dynasty, it was unable to play a greater role due to its high cost and limited scope.
Zhu Yunwen took the engraving plate sent by the headmaster, touched it gently, and asked, "What kind of wood is this?"
"Back to the emperor, this is the best durian wood, and some carvings are made of jujube wood."
"Take me to the engraving room to have a look."
Zhu Yunwen ordered.
The boss did not dare to neglect and led the way.
The carving area was by the pond in the backyard. Zhu Yunwen saw a lot of wood pressed in the pond and couldn't help but stop and asked: "What are these wood used for?"
"Your Majesty, these are durian, pear and jujube wood. After selecting the wood, it needs to be soaked in water for half a year, then taken out and dried before the boards can be made. Then the craftsmen will be arranged to plan and polish them before they can be put on the boards. "
The headmaster knew a lot about printing. Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was interested, he explained more.
Zhu Yunwen looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "There are many readers, but they only look at the words. But who would have thought that behind every word, there is a complicated process. These craftsmen have made contributions and should be rewarded."
"On behalf of the craftsmen, I would like to thank the Emperor."
The headmaster's face was filled with joy and he saluted quickly.
"Get up and show me how printing is done."
Zhu Yunwen knew nothing about printing. Later generations used inkjet printers and scanned light and shadow. There were a few people who had seen the ancient printing technology with their own eyes. They only relied on seals and ink pads to imagine, which was a bit superficial.
Many craftsmen were busy, and they did not have the chance to see Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Yunwen was in regular clothes, so the craftsmen glanced at him and remained silent.
The boss also knows that some processes cannot be interrupted. This is how it works on a daily basis. However, now that the emperor is here in person, these people are not polite, in case they anger the emperor...
"Not too soon..."
The boss just spoke, but was interrupted by Zhu Yunwen raising his hand.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the craftsman who was brushing paste on the wooden board and asked, "What is this for?"
The craftsman only glanced at Zhu Yunwen calmly, then turned his head and said lightly: "Brush the paste."
"Well?"
Zhu Yunwen has a black streak on his head. This guy... is so cold.
