<P> Printing in East Asia evolved from ink rubbings made on paper or cloth from texts on stone tables in China during the Han dynasty ( 206 BC -- 220 CE ) . Mechanical woodblock printing on paper started in China during the Tang dynasty before the 8th century CE . Use of woodblock printing quickly spread to other East Asian countries . While the Chinese used only clay and wood movable type at first , use of metal movable type was pioneered in Korea by the 13th century . The Western - style printing press became known in East Asia by the 16th century but was not fully adopted until centuries later . </P>
<P> Printing in East Asia evolved from ink rubbings made on paper or cloth from texts on stone tables in China during the Han dynasty ( 206 BC -- 220 CE ) . Mechanical woodblock printing on paper started in China during the Tang dynasty before the 8th century CE . Use of woodblock printing quickly spread to other East Asian countries . While the Chinese used only clay and wood movable type at first , use of metal movable type was pioneered in Korea by the 13th century . The Western - style printing press became known in East Asia by the 16th century but was not fully adopted until centuries later . </P>
when was the printing press invented in ancient china
when was the printing press invented in ancient china
before the 8th century CE
before the 8th century CE