Preserving the Origins of Print: The World's Oldest Printing Presses

The transition from handwritten manuscripts to printed text was one of the most pivotal shifts in human history, democratizing knowledge and accelerating the spread of ideas. At the heart of this revolution were the printing presses—mechanical marvels that transformed the way information was recorded and consumed. Today, the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, serves as a sanctuary for this legacy, housing two of the oldest printing presses in existence.