Early presses printed sheet-by-sheet with no saleable book for months

Evidence

Yet a press did not churn out copies of a book on a daily basis: crucially, printing was done by the sheet. After setting up the metal type in a frame, the printer would print a certain number of copies of one sheet; then the frame would be broken up, the type washed, and re-set for the next sheet, and so on. A book could thus be on the press for six months, and the printer would not have a single product to sell, given that the book was never ready until the final sheet had been printed. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 170

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the actual mechanics of early printing, which differed fundamentally from modern continuous production.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 170
• XREF: connects to: Early printers shifted book production from commission to speculation — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171

Broader Connections

• Early printers shifted book production from commission to speculation #expands (0.75) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171