It's a new way of writing, said Gutenberg, or "Nova forma scribendi." And beginning in the 1430s, the world was "in for" not just a new way of writing, but a new way of thinking. This "nova forma" was not based on the dictums of the church or government, by myths told around campfires, or by the presumptions of local culture, but by the world of knowledge and learning that could be captured by the written word and published widely, to all humans, equally. Amazing!

Gutenberg, with a staff of about twenty, mounted an historic publication project that came to be known as the 42-line Bible. This Bible, published in two volumes, totalling over 1,200 pages, is one of the most beautiful of all printed books. Originally, about 180 copies were produced, most on paper, but some on a high quality parchment. Forty-eight of these books have been preserved.

In order to achieve his final result, Gutenberg cast 290 different type shapes. Each shape was an individual type component, such as a lower or upper case letter, a punctuation mark, or a symbol. Finishing touches, including color, were added by hand by an illuminator.

History probably does not adequately recount the trial and error that went into making this printing project just right. Practice, perhaps, made it perfect.