(i) Print technology in the 6th and 7th century : From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks. (ii) Role of travellers and explorers: Marco Polo, a great explorer reached Italy after several years of exploration in China in the year 1295. Marco Polo brought back with him the technology of woodblock printing. Now Italians started publishing books with woodblocks. The technology became popular in other parts of Europe, as well. (iii) Gutenberg and the printing press : The major turning point in the growth of print technology came in 1448 when Johann Gutenberg invented the first printing press. The shift from hand printing to mechanical printing led to the print revolution. (iv) Print in the 19th century and 20th century : By the late eighteenth century, the press came to be made out of metal. Through the nineteenth century, there were a series of further innovations in printing technology. By the mid-nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power- driven cylindrical press.