Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp holds the world’s two oldest printing presses, built around 1600, survivors of a 16-press operation that was once the largest print shop on Earth.
Key Takeaways
The Plantin-Moretus workshop ran at least 16 presses simultaneously around 1575, employing 56 people.
Each press produced 1,250 double-sided sheets per day across 14-hour shifts; printers were paid by output, not time.
Of seven presses remaining in the print room today, five are still operational; the two oldest are preserved at rest.
Jan I Moretus and possibly Christoffel Plantin himself worked with these specific presses before 1600.
