By the year 1500 there were 62 printing facilities in the Holy Roman Empire. Mainly, they printed calendars, indulgences, and books. The spread of Martin Luther’s writings in the sixteenth century would have been impossible without modern printing techniques. This image of two printers was taken from a 1568 publication entitled Eygentliche Beschreibung Aller Stäande auf Erden [Actual Description of all Professions on Earth], with verses by Hans Sachs and illustrations by Jost Amman.