Block printing

Text and images carved in reverse on wood or metal, inked, and rubbed onto paper. Tang China used it for Buddhist sutras and official documents — one block yields many identical copies long before movable type in Europe.
 China 700 Block printing

Text and images carved in reverse on wood or metal, inked, and rubbed onto paper. Tang China used it for Buddhist sutras and official documents — one block yields many identical copies long before movable type in Europe.