Printing Ink — Questions and answers

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What was the main problem with books before Johannes Gutenberg's time?

Choices

  1. Books were copied by hand, making them rare and very costly. ✓
  2. There were no good stories to put in books.
  3. People didn't know how to read the books.
  4. Books were too heavy to carry around easily.

Answer: Books were copied by hand, making them rare and very costly.

From page 1

Why didn't the traditional inks of Gutenberg's time work well for printing presses?

Choices

  1. They were too colorful and distracting.
  2. They made the paper smell bad.
  3. They bled, dried too slowly, or didn't stick to the metal type. ✓
  4. They were only used for drawing pictures.

Answer: They bled, dried too slowly, or didn't stick to the metal type.

From page 2

What kind of printing was used in East Asia many years before Gutenberg?

Choices

  1. Printing with metal type
  2. Printing with woodblocks ✓
  3. Printing with oil paints
  4. Printing with feathers

Answer: Printing with woodblocks

From page 3

Where did Gutenberg get his brilliant idea for making a new kind of ink?

Choices

  1. From studying how water froze in winter.
  2. From watching how famous chefs cooked food.
  3. From looking at oil paintings made by artists. ✓
  4. From reading old books about magic.

Answer: From looking at oil paintings made by artists.

From page 4

What problems did Gutenberg face when he first started making oil-based inks?

Choices

  1. The inks were too bright and hurt people's eyes.
  2. The inks were either too thin and blurry or too thick and didn't transfer well. ✓
  3. The inks were too expensive to use for testing.
  4. The inks smelled bad and made people cough.

Answer: The inks were either too thin and blurry or too thick and didn't transfer well.

From page 5

What were the three main parts of Gutenberg's successful printing ink?

Choices

  1. Water, dirt, and leaves.
  2. Lampblack, linseed oil, and resin or varnish. ✓
  3. Honey, flour, and spices.
  4. Sand, glue, and colorful berries.

Answer: Lampblack, linseed oil, and resin or varnish.

From page 6

What did the lampblack pigment in Gutenberg's ink do for the printed text?

Choices

  1. Made the text smell like flowers.
  2. Made the text taste sweet.
  3. Made the text very colorful.
  4. Made the text dark and easy to read for a very long time. ✓

Answer: Made the text dark and easy to read for a very long time.

From page 7

What was the very first big project Gutenberg printed with his new press and ink?

Choices

  1. A book of children's stories.
  2. The Bible. ✓
  3. A cookbook with new recipes.
  4. A map of the world.

Answer: The Bible.

From page 8

What caused printing inks to keep changing and improving after Gutenberg?

Choices

  1. People got tired of black and red ink.
  2. New ways of printing and the need for more colors and faster drying. ✓
  3. There were not enough trees for ink ingredients.
  4. Inks started to grow on trees by themselves.

Answer: New ways of printing and the need for more colors and faster drying.

From page 9

Besides printing books, where else is ink used in our modern world today?

Choices

  1. To make cars and airplanes fly faster.
  2. For security features on money and in advanced electronics. ✓
  3. To build tall buildings and bridges.
  4. As food coloring in candies.

Answer: For security features on money and in advanced electronics.

From page 10