The Industrial Revolution and Effects on Graphic Design - Coursework Example

The Industrial Revolution and Effects on Graphic Design The industrial revolution that took place between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to major developments in the world. These developments made life easier and they increased the average per capita income of individuals. The discovery of steam power was the major change that made work easier in agriculture, manufacturing, and mining. This is because this power enabled machines to work faster than human beings did, and this led to increased production. The field of printing was not left behind when steam power came into existence because Friedrich Koenig discovered a steam-powered printing press (Meggs and Purvis 13). This paper aims at analyzing how printing has revolved since the discovery of steam printing press by Koenig. The paper will concentrate on the effects that the revolution of printing has had on graphic design. Steam Powered press by Friedrich Friedrich Koenig developed the steam-powered press in 1804 (Hellen and Pettit 23). This was after he realized that steam power made work easier and led to increased production. The German inventor created the machine with the aim of reducing the amount of work force that was used in the printing using Gutenberg’s printing press. Koenig’s printing press produced 400 sheets of printed-paper per hour; this was more than the 250 sheets per hour that were produced by Gutenberg’s printer (Meggs and Purvis 25). This technology improved its performance in 1814 when Koenig built a press with double the power of the original machine. The double powered machine produced 1,100 sheets of paper per hour. This machine was four times more efficient than the manual printing press that was in use before the industrial revolution. Employees who lost their jobs because of this innovation did not welcome Koenig’s development of a double powered printer. These workers opposed the development and threatened to tear it down. However, Walter who owned a shop that printed a newspaper known as The times hid Koenig’s innovation from the angry workers (Meggs and Purvis 34). Walter also convinced workers and readers to accept the steam printer arguing that it enabled numerous readers to receive and read the newspaper on time. The investor also won the hearts of employees who lost their jobs by convincing them that their health would improve because of the steam printer because the manual one weakened their muscles (Hellen and pettit 39). The development of the steam printer led to the increase in the use of posters that were printed on wood (Hellen and Pettit 42). This is because the printer would produce a large number of posters within one hour and this would enable messages to be passed within a short period. William Cowper’s improvement of the Steam Printer William Cowper improved on Koenig’s steam printing press in 1815 by developing a printer that was folded on a cylinder. This printer had the ability to print 2,400 sheets of paper on one side per hour (Meggs and Purvis 55). This was double the number of papers that the double powered steam printer was capable of producing in an hour. Walter, the manager of The times helped Cowper to build a four cylinder printer that was capable of producing a higher number of papers per hour. This printing press produced 4,000 sheets of paper on both sides within one hour (Hellen and Pettit 65). The four-cylinder printer sparked numerous changes in printing field because of its exceptional ability. The American and European newspaper printers acquired this machine so that they would take advantage of its ability. These organizations started printing newspapers on both sides; this helped them to save paper. The numbers of newspaper editions in every company increased by more than double the amount of the previous editions (Meggs and Purvis 57). Additional companies opened printing companies because of the decrease in the price of printing, and this led to additional newspapers and books. Novelists and authors of educational books started printing their creative pieces to sell and earn income. This led to increased per capita income for all those who took advantage of the cylindrical printer. The quality of paper used for printing also developed during this time. Printing presses stopped using cardboards and wood and instead adopted the use of soft paper that was produced by John Gamble’s organization (Hellen and Pettit 69). This organization had developed and specialized in selling single sheets of soft paper. These papers made it possible for magazine, newspaper, and book producers to use images in their work. The images were more visible, attractive, and lasted longer than the ones that were drawn on wood and cardboards. Rotary Printing Press by Richard Hoe In 1843, Richard Hoe, an American, developed the rotary printing press that was more efficient than other printers that were developed earlier (Meggs and Purvis 63). This printer consisted of two cylinders with one consisting of the ink and the other one holding the paper that would be printed on; it was also known as lithography. This machine produced 8,000 copies of paper that were printed on both sides per hour. Meggs and Purvis argue that this machine changed the world forever because it opened up numerous commercial opportunities for individuals who were interested in printing (80). Authors of books and novels increased the number of editions that they wrote every year, and new companies started printing newspapers for the masses to read. In fact, The New York Times and The Sun were first printed in 1851 with the help of the rotary press (Hellen and Pettit 76). Louis Prang Louis Prang improved on lithography by developing the chromolithographic printing press. This machine printed new forms of graphic designs such as greeting cards, scrapbooks, albums, maps, and art reproductions (Hellen and Puttit 86). This further improved communication between people in different parts of the world because they would send each other greeting card. People also started sending each other Christmas cards, and this made them to refer to Louis as the father of the Christmas card (Meggs and Purvis 98). Prang’s development also improved the quality of printed pictures and this led to further increase in the use of pictures on printed materials. Modern Printers Hoe’s printer acts as the backbone of the printing presses that are used in the contemporary world. This is because the contemporary printers are still made of cylinders and they are capable of producing equal numbers of pages per hour as those produced by the rotary press. However, in the modern world, printers use electricity as the main power; these machines also utilize computers (Meggs and Purvis 133). Computers are used to type and store the work that needs to be printed; while printers complete the printing action. The quality of paper has also improved, numerous fonts have been created, pictures can be resized before being printed, and there are new developments such as letterheads, business cards, notebooks, and menus. Conclusion The industrial revolution that took place in the eighteenth century gave way to the development of the steam printing press. Friedrich Koenig developed the steam printer by combining steam power with Gutenberg’s idea of the manual printing press. Friedrich’s printer led to the unemployment of numerous workers in the printing industry because it required less labor than the manual press. However, Walter, the manager of the times newspaper helped him to convince workers about the benefits of the printer. William Cowper, Richard Hoe, and Prang further developed the steam printing press until it was able to produce 8,000 pages per hour. Prang’s improvement led to the development of new forms of printed material such as greeting cards and albums. These developments have all led to the efficiency of the printing press because printers in the modern day use electricity, soft paper, and less manual. This makes it easier for consumers to access printed material and it leads to the increase in the speed of the spread of knowledge. Works Cited Heller, Steven, and Elinor Pettit. Graphic Design Time Line: A Century of Design Milestones. New York: Allworth Press, 2000. Print. Meggs, Philip B, and Alston W. Purvis. Meggs History of Graphic Design. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. Print. Read More