Editing Printing (section)

===Religious impact===
[[Samuel Hartlib]], who was exiled in [[Great Britain|Britain]] and enthusiastic about social and cultural reforms, wrote in 1641 that "the art of printing will so spread knowledge that the common people, knowing their own rights and liberties, will not be governed by way of oppression".<ref name="Briggs-Burke">Ref: Briggs, Asa and [[Peter Burke (historian)|Burke, Peter]] (2002) A Social History of the Media: from Gutenberg to the Internet, Polity, Cambridge, pp. 15–23, 61–73.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/55269/55269-h/55269-h.htm |title=A Description of the Famous Kingdome of Macaria |date=1641 |publication-place=London |language=English}}</ref>

[[File:PrintMus 038.jpg|thumb|right|Replica of the Gutenberg press at the [[International Printing Museum]] in Carson, California]]

In the Muslim world, printing, especially in Arabic scripts, was strongly opposed throughout the [[early modern period]], partially due to the high artistic renown of the art of traditional calligraphy. However, printing in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] or [[Armenian script]] was often permitted. Thus, the first movable type printing in the [[Ottoman Empire]] was in Hebrew in 1493, after which both religious and non-religious texts were able to be printed in Hebrew.<ref>or soon after; Naim A. Güleryüz, ''Bizans'tan 20. Yüzyıla – Türk Yahudileri'', Gözlem Gazetecilik Basın ve Yayın A.Ş., İstanbul, January 2012, p. 90 {{ISBN|978-9944-994-54-5}}</ref> According to an imperial ambassador to [[Istanbul]] in the middle of the sixteenth century, it was a sin for the [[Turkish people|Turks]], particularly Turkish Muslims, to print religious books. In 1515, Sultan [[Selim I]] issued a decree under which the practice of printing would be punishable by death. At the end of the sixteenth century, Sultan [[Murad III]] permitted the sale of non-religious printed books in [[Arabic]] characters, yet the majority were imported from [[Italy]]. [[Ibrahim Muteferrika]] established the first press for printing in Arabic in the Ottoman Empire, against opposition from the calligraphers and parts of the [[Ulama]]. It operated until 1742, producing altogether seventeen works, all of which were concerned with non-religious, utilitarian matters. Printing did not become common in the Islamic world until the 19th century.<ref>Watson, William J., "İbrāhīm Müteferriḳa and Turkish Incunabula", ''[[Journal of the American Oriental Society]]'', 1968, volume 88, issue 3, p. 436</ref>

Hebrew language printers were banned from printing [[guild]]s in some Germanic states; as a result, Hebrew printing flourished in [[Italy]], beginning in 1470 in Rome, then spreading to other cities including Bari, Pisa, Livorno, and Mantua. Local rulers had the authority to grant or revoke licenses to publish Hebrew books,<ref name="nyt2009">"[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/books/12hebr.html?_r=1 A Lifetime's Collection of Texts in Hebrew, at Sotheby's] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122144919/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/books/12hebr.html?_r=1 |date=January 22, 2019 }}", [[Edward Rothstein]], ''[[New York Times]]'', February 11, 2009</ref> and many of those printed during this period carry the words 'con licenza de superiori' (indicating their printing having been officially licensed) on their title pages.

It was thought that the introduction of printing 'would strengthen religion and enhance the power of monarchs.'<ref name="Meyrowitz41">Meyrowitz: "Mediating Communication: What Happens?" in "Questioning the Media", p. 41.</ref> The majority of books were of a religious nature, with the church and crown regulating the content. The consequences of printing 'wrong' material were extreme. Meyrowitz<ref name="Meyrowitz41" /> used the example of [[William Carter (martyr)|William Carter]] who in 1584 printed a pro-Catholic pamphlet in Protestant-dominated England. The consequence of his action was [[hanging]].