After the printing press was created 1440, it made books and literature more accessible, and played a crucial role in the Protestant reformation by allowing mass production of the "new teachings" that stemmed away from Catholicism.
Gutenberg's invention made a dramatic impact when it reached the public. At first, the noble classes looked down on it. To them, hand-inked books were a sign of luxury and grandeur, and it was no match for the cheaper, mass-produced books. Thus, press-printed materials were at first more popular with the lower classes.
