Printing is a method of mass producing digital images and text with a printing press. The oldest non-papal printing methods involve engraved cylinders and similar objects like the Cyrus Cylinder and other ancient papyrus blocks. Modern printing presses differ from earlier printing methods by the fact that they use thermal or plastic plates to deposit the image or text on to a thin piece of paper. This method can be automated, but still requires manual control. Modern printing presses are operated by computer-like devices called solid ink rollers.

In the late nineteenth century, printing became popular for publication of broadsheets and illustrations in fine books. It was then adopted as a mass printing method for publishing text and for printing maps and plans. It was soon used to print photographs in a fixed manner, and to create photographic reproductions that could be used for decorative purposes.

Many different printing methods are available today. These include flexography, lithography, gravure, screen-printing, and engraving. Flexography uses metal rollers or a squeegee in order to transfer an image onto paper. Lithography is a method where a plate is forced into the image in order to transfer an image onto paper, using several different methods; one example is using a gelatin pen.

In the late 19th century, a printing company in Waterbury, Connecticut began printing books by means of a movable type printing press. The main article was a heavy metal sheet and ink rollers were fitted to the press. A squeegee was attached to the top of the roller and ink was pumped into the cavities using the rollers. Every so often, the squeegee would apply pressure to stop the ink from spilling out and this pressed the image onto the book’s cover. This process was repeated numerous times until the image was completely covered, allowing the book to be bound.

Another type of printing used in Waterbury is screen printing. Unlike flexography and lithography, screen printing did not need a squeegee or ink rollers; the image was simply applied directly to the cover of the book. It was a much more time consuming process, however it was cost-effective in that each copy was less expensive than either of the previous two printing methods. Waterbury eventually became the central location for American screen printing. It is currently one of the leading manufacturers of screen printing equipment.

Block printing is often associated with early printing techniques, but it actually originated in Italy. Block printing involves creating a solid block of paper using various ink colors. Each color washes out completely, leaving the pure white background. Printing large volumes was an extremely cost-effective method of printing back then and the blocks of paper were manufactured in huge quantities. Waterbury and most of the other printers in the United States used the block printing method for all of their presses.