<P> Wang Zhen was one of the pioneers of wooden movable type . Although the wooden type was more durable under the mechanical rigors of handling, repeated printing wore the character faces down and the types could be replaced only by carving new pieces . </P> <P> Metal movable type was first invented in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty, approximately 1230 . Hua Sui introduced bronze type printing to China in 1490 AD . The diffusion of both movable - type systems was limited and the technology did not spread beyond East and Central Asia, however . </P> <P> Modern lead - based movable type, along with the mechanical printing press, is most often attributed to the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 . His type pieces, made from a lead - based alloy, suited printing purposes so well that the alloy is still used today . Gutenberg developed specialized techniques for casting and combining cheap copies of letter punches in the vast quantities required to print multiple copies of texts . This technical breakthrough was instrumental in starting the Printing Revolution and the first book printed with lead - based movable type was the Gutenberg Bible . </P> <P> Rapidly advancing technology revolutionized typography in the latter twentieth century . During the 1960s some camera - ready typesetting could be produced in any office or workshop with stand - alone machines such as those introduced by IBM . During the mid-1980s personal computers such as the Macintosh allowed type designers to create typefaces digitally using commercial graphic design software . Digital technology also enabled designers to create more experimental typefaces as well as the practical typefaces of traditional typography . Designs for typefaces could be created faster with the new technology, and for more specific functions . The cost for developing typefaces was drastically lowered, becoming widely available to the masses . The change has been called the "democratization of type" and has given new designers more opportunities to enter the field . </P>

What type of literary work describes a new type of society