Which scientist is credited with inventing the practical movable-type printing press in Europe?

Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the practical movable-type printing press in Europe.

Gutenberg worked in Mainz, in the Holy Roman Empire, during the fifteenth century. His achievement combined reusable metal type, oil-based ink, a suitable press, and methods for producing large numbers of consistent letters and pages.

The famous Gutenberg Bible was printed around 1455. It was not the first book ever printed, because woodblock printing had existed in East Asia for centuries, and movable type had also been developed in Asia. Gutenberg’s importance lies in adapting printing into an efficient European system that could reproduce long texts rapidly.

Printing spread quickly after the mid-fifteenth century. It reduced the cost of books, encouraged literacy, and helped circulate religious, scientific, and political ideas. William Caxton later introduced printing to England, but he was not Gutenberg’s predecessor in developing the European press.