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Gutenberg, Johannes 14001468 Printer; regarded as the inventor of movable-type mechanical printing in Europe. Born Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, circa 1400, in Mainz, Germany. Little is known of Gutenbergs early life. The son of wealthy parents, he was probably apprenticed to a goldsmith and also learned the trade of gem cutting as a young man living in Mainz. Between 1428 and 1430, he moved to Strassburg for political reasons, and would live there for almost 20 years. It was in Strasbourg that Gutenberg most likely began the work that would eventually make him famous, though not in his lifetime, as the father of the printing press and one of the most influential people in the history of Western society. He realized that the traditional methods of handwriting manuscripts or even the early printing techniques of xylography could not satisfy the great demand for printed material. For his method of mechanical printing, Gutenberg eventually combined features of such existing technologies as wine presses and textile and papermaking devices with a system of movable metal type, which consisted of over 300 characters. Each character was carved in soft metal, molded, and cast in a molten alloy of lead, antimony, and tin. This method of printing from movable type was used, without significant change, until the twentieth century. It is not known exactly how far Gutenberg got in his work with movable type by the time he left Strasbourg. In late 1438, the heirs of one of his business partners sued him; they lost the suit, but the trial revealed that Gutenberg was working on a new invention, presumably the printing press, that he clearly wanted to keep secret. By late 1448, Gutenberg was back in Mainz, where he borrowed money from a relative to continue his work. In 1450, he received a substantial loan from Johann Fust, a wealthy financier; Fust later loaned Gutenberg even more money. | 
