Description:

This model reproduces a printing press in which the frame, which contained the typeset page in movable type, is mounted on a mobile trolley. A crank handle, placed on the side with respect to the working plane, engages a pinion on which a cord, by winding up and unwinding, allows the trolley to make a back-and-forth movement. Contrarily to the presses used in Leonardo’s time, in which the press had to be lifted up to insert the blank sheet or to replace it, with this new mechanism the press could be lifted just the amount necessary to allow the trolley to roll over the top of the workbench. This device, manoeuvred by only one person, allowed for a saving in time and labour, leading to quicker and cheaper output.