In the mid-15th century, Europe discovered a book reproduction technique that brought about a revolution in the access to and dissemination of knowledge: the printing press. Through this catalogue, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) invites us to explore this innovation, one of the most significant in the history of humanity, presenting its evolution throughout European history and the keys to its success.

On this occasion, exceptional pieces from the BnF collections are presented simultaneously for the first time: the oldest known woodcut in the West, the Bois Protat (ca. 1400), the oldest preserved book in the world printed from metal type, the Jikji (Korea, 1377), and the first great European typographic print, the Gutenberg Bible (Germany, ca. 1455).

The printing of the book has been a technical challenge, from the selection of papers to the binding, including the combination of techniques for reproducing the cover: dry engraving, gold embossing and screen printing. The inside of the book was printed using offset-LED UV technology.

We are delighted to have been able to take part in the entire printing process of this excellent project which, in essence, is also a tribute to our profession.