Invention of Printing The exact year in which woodblock printing was invented is still very much debated in academic circles because no artefacts or documentary records related to the earliest printing have been discovered. Nevertheless, judging from the pace of social and cultural developments and relevant documentary evidence, we can draw a rough outline. Woodblocks were first used in the Sui Dynasty (581 A.D. --- 618 A.D.) and became popular in the Tang Dynasty(618 A.D. --- 907 A.D.). As to woodblock printing in the Tang Dynasty, plenty of documentary records and printing artefacts have survived to the present.

Dharani Sutra in sanskrit (printing of the Tang Dynasty,unearthed from ChengDu.)

Tools for woodblock printing	Mantras of the Dharani Sutra, in Sanskrit ,was printed in the early Tang and unearthed in the suburban district of Xi 'an. It is the earliest extant printing relic.

Mahadharani Sutra (discovered in Kyongju, South Korea, Chinese Printing of the Tang Dynasty.)

The process for Printing Technology Origin, ENTER

 
The technological process of Woodblock Printing, ENTER