Methods to reproduce drawings had been devised well
before printing appeared in history.
Artistic and technical ideas of these methods must
have contributed in significant ways to the invention of printing technology.
We can see this point from the close relationship between printing and techniques such as rubbing,
stamping and inscription.
Seals can be dated back to the Shang Dynasty 3,000 to 3,500
years ago; they were most popular during the Qin dynasty (221 B.C. --- 207 B.C.).
The advent of paper enabled people to ink the tablets and then press paper over it to print
words. This method came rather close to printing as we know it today.
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Hot Spring Inscriptions (The rubbing from early Tang Dynasty.)
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