Once it became evident that wooden presses and moveable type would outpace hand-copied manuscripts, printing quickly caught on. Between 1450-1500CE, many people opened print shops across Europe. This event could not have arrived at a better time. The Renaissance was in full swing. The Renaissance was a revival of classical ideas about how to improve government, education, and society. Many of the Renaissance writers and artists took advantage of the printing press to spread their ideas to a mass audience.

Now click on the link to the interactive atlas. Feel free to play with it for a few minutes. When you are ready, follow the instructions below and respond to the questions to see how the printing press spread across Europe.

The Atlas of Early Printing

4. Rank the factors listed below according to how significant you think they were in spreading Renaissance ideas across rugged and mountainous regions. Drag each factor into the pyramid below. Give a reason for your selection in your notes.