Printing was an essential tool of both Catholic and Protestant reform. Printing informed Reformation era religious study through the publication of bibles and biblical commentaries, annotations, and translations in Latin, Greek, European vernaculars, and sometimes even Hebrew and helped spread reformers’ theological views. As the Reformations progressed, polemical literature, both Catholic and Protestant, emerged as a powerful weapon designed to defend or promote religious positions. Protestant printing outpaced Catholic printing, particularly in the more accessible vernacular, and although a small percentage of the population was fully literate, printed texts and images circulated both formally and informally. Broadsheets (single printed sheets), in particular, were often shared in public settings, spreading the written word to those not able to read it.
These two maps highlight the centers of Lutheran and Catholic printing and emphasize the difference in the number of publications between the two confessions.