<P> Printing in East Asia evolved from ink rubbings made on paper or cloth from texts on stone tables in China during the Han dynasty (206 BC--220 CE). Mechanical woodblock printing on paper started in China during the Tang dynasty before the 8th century CE . Use of woodblock printing quickly spread to other East Asian countries . While the Chinese used only clay and wood movable type at first, use of metal movable type was pioneered in Korea by the 13th century . The Western - style printing press became known in East Asia by the 16th century but was not fully adopted until centuries later . </P> <P> Traditionally, there have been two main printing techniques in Asia: woodblock printing (xylography) and moveable type printing . In the woodblock technique, ink is applied to letters carved upon a wooden board, which is then pressed onto paper . With moveable type, the board is assembled using different lettertypes, according to the page being printed . Wooden printing was used in the East from the 8th century onwards, and moveable metal type came into use during the 12th century . </P>

When was the printing press invented in ancient china