(i) India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts - in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were sometimes beautifully illustrated. They would be either pressed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation. (ii) Manuscripts continued to be produced till well after the introduction of print, down to the late nineteenth century. Beginning (coming) of print technology in India. (i) The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth century. Jesuit priests learnt Konkani and printed several tracts. By 1674, about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and in Kanara languages. (ii)The Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1579 at Cochin, and in 1713, the first Malayalam book was printed by them. (iii) By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts, many of them were translations of older works.