Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. During his childhood Gutenberg had seen olive and wine presses. He also learnt the art of polishing stones, became a master goldsmith and acquired the expertise to create lead moulds used for making trinkets. Drawing from these experiences and knowledge he adopted the existing technology to design his innovation-the printing technology.
The olive press provided the model for the printing press and moulds were used for casting metal type for letters of the alphabet. In 1448, he perfected the system.