When was the printing press invented?

Around 1440 in Mainz, Germany, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press using movable metal type, combined with oil-based ink and a modified wine press. His most famous work, the Gutenberg Bible, was printed around 1455. Before this, books were copied by hand and were rare and expensive; the press made it possible to produce texts quickly and cheaply. Within decades, millions of books were printed across Europe, fueling the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution by spreading ideas faster than ever before. Movable type had existed earlier in China and Korea, but Gutenberg’s system transformed the Western world.