Printing

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images, typically with ink on  using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.

History
The earliest form of printing was, with existing examples from China dating to before 220 A.D. and  to the fourth century. Later developments in printing include the, first developed by  in China,  and the , a more efficient printing process for western languages with their more limited s, developed by  in the fifteenth century.

Modern printing technology
By 2005, over 45 trillion pages were printed annually around the world. In 2006 there were approximately 30,700 printing companies in the United States, accounting for $112 billion, according to the 2006 U.S. Industry & Market Outlook by Barnes Reports. Print jobs that move through the Internet made up 12.5% of the total U.S. printing market last year, according to research firm InfoTrend/CAP Ventures.