What is a font in printing?

A set of type in one style and size

Early Printing Trivia Quiz – Names, Facts and Surprises

This early printing trivia quiz covers woodblock printing, Bi Sheng's movable type, Korea's Jikji, Gutenberg's press, William Caxton and the spread of print in Europe. Ten questions bring names, facts and surprises from printing's beginnings.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

China
Which is the oldest known dated printed book, from AD 868?
China
Who invented movable type made of clay around 1040?
Korea
Which Korean book from 1377 is the oldest surviving book printed with metal type?
Germany
In which city did Johannes Gutenberg develop his press?
Bible
About how many copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed?
England
Who set up the first printing press in England in 1476?
Spread
By 1500, about how many books had been printed in Europe?
Venice
Which Venetian printer introduced italic type and small portable books?
Reformation
Whose writings spread rapidly through printing after 1517?
Words
What is a font in printing?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which is the oldest known dated printed book, from AD 868?
Answer: The Diamond Sutra
Found in a cave near Dunhuang, it was printed with carved wooden blocks.
Q2: Who invented movable type made of clay around 1040?
Answer: Bi Sheng
Shen Kuo's writings describe Bi Sheng's method.
Q3: Which Korean book from 1377 is the oldest surviving book printed with metal type?
Answer: Jikji
A copy is kept in the National Library of France.
Q4: In which city did Johannes Gutenberg develop his press?
Answer: Mainz
Gutenberg combined metal type, oil-based ink and a screw press around 1450.
Q5: About how many copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed?
Answer: About 180
Around 49 copies survive, some on vellum and some on paper.
Q6: Who set up the first printing press in England in 1476?
Answer: William Caxton
One of his early books was The Canterbury Tales.
Q7: By 1500, about how many books had been printed in Europe?
Answer: Millions
Early printed books from before 1501 are called incunabula.
Q8: Which Venetian printer introduced italic type and small portable books?
Answer: Aldus Manutius
His Aldine Press published Greek classics.
Q9: Whose writings spread rapidly through printing after 1517?
Answer: Martin Luther
Pamphlets carried his ideas across Germany in weeks.
Q10: What is a font in printing?
Answer: A set of type in one style and size
Typefaces like Garamond date from the 1500s.

Early Printing Trivia Quiz – The Spread of Print

Printing began in East Asia. Chinese printers carved whole pages into wooden blocks, producing books like the Diamond Sutra in 868. Bi Sheng later created movable clay type, and Korean printers developed metal type, producing the Jikji in 1377, decades before Gutenberg.

In Europe, Johannes Gutenberg combined metal movable type, oil-based ink and a press adapted from wine presses around 1450. His system made printing fast and affordable, and printing shops soon spread to more than 200 European cities.

Printing transformed society. It spread news, science and religious ideas, helped standardize languages and spelling and made the Renaissance, Reformation and Scientific Revolution possible by sharing knowledge widely.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for history and book fans exploring early printing.

What the oldest printed book is
Who invented movable type
What the Jikji is
Where Gutenberg worked
How printing changed Europe

Did You Know?

Gutenberg died in 1468.
Early printers worked by candlelight.
Paper made printing cheaper than vellum.
Printing spread to the Americas in 1539.
Newspapers appeared in the 1600s.