Leonardo da Vinci sketched a screw press that used a threaded mechanism to apply force.
A screw press converts rotary motion into strong linear pressure. Turning the screw moves a pressing plate downward, allowing the machine to compress, shape, or hold material. Leonardo’s notebooks contain studies of presses and related mechanisms, reflecting his interest in improving the controlled application of force.
The design is sometimes connected with printing because presses were central to Renaissance manufacturing and publishing. However, a screw press is a mechanism, not automatically a complete movable-type printing press. The famous printing press associated with Johannes Gutenberg used movable metal type and a press mechanism, while Leonardo’s engineering studies ranged across many possible applications.
Leonardo’s sketches are evidence of mechanical investigation, not proof that he invented the first printing press. Screw-based presses had older precedents, and his contribution was his analysis and adaptation of useful mechanical principles.