The Western Citizen was first printed on a hand press that operated essentially by the same principles as the first press invented by Johann Gutenberg and his partners in the 15th century. Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were written by hand or block printed, both immensely time consuming processes. The printing press applied pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium such as paper or cloth and transferred an image. The invention of moveable type to form the letters was essential to the process. Gutenberg, a goldsmith, developed an alloy of lead, tin and antimony to make durable letter type. The lead type was formed by using a uniform template that quickly and precisely molded each type block. He also invented an oil-based ink that was more durable than water-based inks.